- Google sucks at security,
makes ugly software, and most importantly,
innovates slower than Apple, is what you might've thought before today's Google IO. Have you seen what they're
doing with Android 12? And don't even get me started on the range of third-party designs when
Apple's idea of innovation includes updating the look
of the iMac once every, I don't know, 11 years or so
and making a purple iPhone. - Hey! - Okay, those were cheap shots. Apple is absolutely innovative,
but just because they have a world-class team of developers
and designers, doesn't mean that Google can't also have a
world-class team of developers and designers, and it really
shows. So let's dive deeper because there is more to the
story than innovation alone. Like learning about our sponsor, Crucial. Crucial has been making
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in the video description. (pop intro music plays) Rumors suggested we might get a glimpse at Google's new white chapel SOC, maybe see the Pixel Buds A-series. And of course, we expected
news about Android 12 and Wear OS, but the reality of it is with no IO event last year at all, Google had a clean slate. They could surprise us
and it's safe to say that they did and that they didn't. They didn't pull off an
Apple, one more thing, product announcement. It
is a developer keynote, so it's not like they had to,
but what they did surprise us with, is just how much effort
has gone into Android 12. I mean, look at this. It's superficially more
than a little iOS-like, but it's got its own
style, or more accurately, You've got your own style. Google's new material you UI is front and center, featuring
responsive design that dynamically resizes to fit your content and user tweak-able elements from the color palette all
the way down to line weights. And not only that, but it
can do a lot of the work for you by automatically
generating complimentary colors and even pulling a pallet out
of your phone's wallpaper. Meaning, if you're a
fan of matching themes, you are going to love Android 12. More of these onscreen elements are larger and more animated, which means that you're going to be treated
to a lot more eye candy. They showed off the idea, for
example, of the lock screen lighting up in different
ways, depending on how you woke the phone and the
new combo notification shade and quick settings area is far more alive than it's ever been. Importantly, if Google is to be believed, it's not going to come
at a significant cost to responsiveness or
battery life, where not only have animations transitioning
between apps been shortened but they claim that they're
getting a good 22% less CPU time with 15% less time on
high performance course. Along with your interrupts,
this all means that the CPU is freed up to
do more while also doing much less in the background
which should lead to better battery life. That's awesome, but not as innovative as the new privacy features. The privacy dashboard shows you
a breakdown of how all apps, including Google Zone, have
been using your Android devices sensors, and it quickly and
easily lets you revoke access for apps that you don't trust. Like on IOS, there are
now clear indicators in the system tray when apps use a sensor and there are new toggles for microphone and camera access that you
can use to block access for all apps, including Google Zone. It's not as good as a pure hardware switch but having OS wide controls
like that is a game changer and it's baked right into Android now. This is one area that Apple
has been pushing really hard recently as a shining example of why their closed ecosystem
is superior to Android. And Google has just
pulled the rug right out from under them. Okay? Following Apple's lead
here is not that innovative and we still don't have any control over app tracking in the
same way that IOS provides. But hey, at least if you love Android, you can control the size of your water bottle from lttstore.com, they both cost the same. Moving on to camera, then. Google showed off a new machine learning
algorithm that detects and enhances the auto white balance and exposure settings to make skin tones appear more natural. But this time, for
everyone, not just whites like me. Until now, partly
due to limited dynamic range in photos, de-saturated highlights haven't accurately portrayed
how darker skin looks in real life, and shadows have often ended up crushed altogether.
So, to solve this, Google's created an
algorithm that promises to preserve these skin tones, while
also preventing later parts of the image from being blown out. This is a real problem
that affects real people, and it's really cool to
see that real work is going into solving it. And what's more Google
is planning to release it to the whole Android ecosystem rather than keeping it to themselves for their refresh pixel
line, that should launch alongside the final version of Android 12, sometime in the fall.
This is super innovative and the beta is available right now, if you're interested with One Plus and Xiaomi phones, among
those called out as supported. Aside from Android itself, a lot of focus was spent on Google
search and backend systems, which for a developers conference,
makes sense to a degree but we were really hoping
for some more info on the long rumored white chapel In-house SOC that we think might debut
in the next pixel phones. They did still hint a deeper
collaboration with Samsung, however, when they revealed
long awaited updates to Wear OS, so get subscribed because we're definitely going
to be taking an in-depth look at these when they come out. For now, let's take a moment, though, to acknowledge an area where
Apple has clearly led the pack and Google is playing catch up. This entire list of expected features in the new WEAR OS is stuff
that I can already do on my Apple watch with the exception of
Google's tiles feature. All day battery? Check. Fast app start up? Check. Turn by turn directions? Check. Offline music? Check. Payments without a phone? Check. Quick app navigation? Check. Health and fitness app, freaking check. I mean, don't get me wrong. Most of these things are what Wear OS has been sorely missing and are why the ecosystem
clearly hasn't taken off the way Apple's watch
OS has, but holy crap, has it ever taken them
a long time to catch up. And I am really hoping we end up with something a little less cumbersome that I might be able to actually use. Because as most of you probably know, I don't even keep a SIM in my iPhone. I've just been wearing this
Apple watch as a silent protest against how terrible Wear OS has been. There's some more me too
bits in here as well. Like the ability to use your phones NFC and ultra wide band as a
car key to lock, unlock and start your car. Super sweet. The ability to use your Android as an Android TV remote, complete with voice search and
on-device keyboard support. Yes, for mine video shield. Love it. And the ability to use your phone to unlock your Chromebook, which can now receive
your phone's notifications while you're using it Apple style. Finally, as before, Android
auto is superior CarPlay, It really is guys. Don't don't at me. Back to the question of innovation though. Google's main message this
year was that they're not only catching up to Apple in key areas but also surpassing them in
others that really do matter. And to hear Apple tell it,
that's an impossibility with Google's open model for Android. To say that they can't innovate as fast as Apple is honestly
just kind of ludicrous. I mean, a perfect example of this is project Star Line, a
real-time 3D representation of two people as if
they're in the same room separated by a display. It's
not ready for prime time. and it's possible that it'll
morph into something else and or end up dead before it
launches. Remember tango? But it is the kind of stuff that keeps Googling moving forward along with healthy competition from
other innovators like Apple. Just like our sponsor,
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at the link down below. Thanks for watching guys. If you're looking for something else to look at, view, watch, go check out our review of Google's Nest Hub. For an example of some of
maybe Google's slightly less successful innovation. It's not that it's bad.
It's just, I dunno, just watch the video, I guess.
