Google is now looking to co-develop new chips with component makers in areas like application processors and cameras.
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But hey, it could also be about Apple and fragmentation. With an aim to build “enterprise connectivity device”, the company hopes to make its Android platform more competitive with Apple’s signature iPhones.
Google, whose software powers the vast majority of smartphones, wants to design the processors that go inside these devices.
According to reports and several sources, Google is planning to relaunch the Android One program in the following months along with a more unstrained policy regarding its hardware requirements, which were responsible on the program’s difficulty in pricing and launching in a timely manner. The idea is great and the improvements and new features Google could incorporate into Android would be stellar but it will always come down to money. OK, I made that last part up, but that’s apparently the goal for Google with this move – killing or reducing fragmentation by taking even more control.
Under the older method, stricter requirements for Android One devices pushed device makers to pick from a small selection of choices for components and suppliers. The Information reports that the web giant has already had discussions this fall with major microchip manufacturers regarding these custom chips. Google may also want to smooth out a few of the inconsistency of features across handsets, which comes from hardware developers designing their own devices and chips. Pushing manufacturers towards using a Google chip, produced at a set price and with the right performance, would fit in with Google’s vision for Android One rather well. But so far, it seems there are no takers for actually making new Google chips. The approach is similar to how Apple manufactures iPhone, iPad, and other products. To recall, the company had launched the Android One venture in 2014 as a way to sell low-priced handsets running a pure version of the OS.
If Google is working on its own processor project, then it’ll have to find a willing partner.
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Google’s early-stage foray into the virtual reality world, Google Cardboard, has been a success; many virtual reality headsets coming to market, such as Samsung Gear VR, also depend on Android smartphones to work.
