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The scope of Google’s new hardware division just got a bit bigger with the revelation that Android One will be absorbed by the company’s new hardware division. The news was shared by Google’s Mike Hayes during an interview with the Economic Times. Under the umbrella of Google’s hardware division, Android One’s main objective of working with hardware manufacturers to deliver low-cost devices running stock Android for emerging markets will remain the same, but there may be a few changes to the approach in an effort to speed things up.
Android One has become a part of the broader hardware strategy, under which Motorola’s Rick Osterloh has joined Google recently. Google is taking a broader view of its hardware business. So you should expect to see a position around what we are doing on low-end devices all the way through.
We still continue to support a number of OEMs (original equipment makers) that partnered with us on the programme. However, speeds at which the devices are coming to the market are completely dependent upon the OEMs.
During the interview, Hayes stated that manufacturers which have partnered with Google to develop Android One devices have an even wider selection of hardware components to choose from than they did at the beginning, allowing them to develop Android One phones for specific market segments and various price points.
In addition to Android One, Rick Osterloh’s hardware division within Google oversees the Nexus program, Chromecast, OnHub, Glass, the Pixel line and the ATAP group. It will be interesting to see what Rick Osterloh is planning and what Google’s hardware division will evolve into over the next few years.
Do you think hardware sales will ever become a main source of income for Google?
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