9 ms·

What's funny is that these days if I see a Google product that I'm even remotely interested in, I just immediately write it off because I know it's something th

What's funny is that these days if I see a Google product that I'm even remotely interested in, I just immediately write it off because I know it's something they will kill in a very short time frame. It's just never worth the hassle of buying/using a Google product. Never.

pydry 4mo ago
It will also vacuum up your user data and use it to train AI models and such.
jeroenhd 4mo ago
Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Google announces the support lifetime of their devices and sticks to it, with feature updates coming to things like phones even after the support period ended through things like app stores. Just check the support lifetime of the device before buying (early Pixels only had 2 years of support, as was announced at release). Their cloud services are nothing but hot air but their hardware support has been excellent for the past few years. Easily beats other major manufacturers. I'm still annoyed that Apple won't tell you how long they will support their hardware. Other competitors manage to be even worse.
- treexs 4mo ago
  I thought Apple does tell you how long they'll support hardware. For example: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772
  - rvnx 4mo ago
    [flagged]
    - janfoeh 4mo ago
      No, they do not, and they did not. They started throttling devices based on battery age after "Batterygate" in 2016, after a wave of news that their phones were suddenly shutting off on high load because the batteries terminal voltage dropped. They do not "artificially slow down before a new release". The were sued because in their typical arrogance, they neglected to _tell_ people about that. They did not lose, they settled a class action suit. As a result, they made battery management and state a lot more transparent in iOS, as they should have done in the first place. Claiming malicious planned obsolescence, as you did, requires facts not in evidence.
      - rvnx 4mo ago
        Try iOS 26, you'll see what it means in practice, you will get a phone with worse battery life, slower operating system and no path to downgrade, only way is to upgrade your phone to the next big thing. If it's not malicious, then it's gross incompetence, but at the end of the day, it will still eventually require to purchase a new Apple device, when a downgrade would have been enough. It's not the first time even: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/iphone-update-issue-apple-reddit/ https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/iphone-update-iss... <iPhone user sparks debate after device becomes ruined following mandatory update: 'This is just ridiculous'> It's a long-term issue, because even if it will get fixed in two years, then the battery damages due to severe drain are permanent, and this is to be paid with your pocket, or again... upgrade to a new iPhone. It's not the first cycle like this, slower software is deployed to all iPhones, older iPhones lag, and you have to purchase the fresh new iPhone. == "Apple implemented unfair commercial practices", the Italian competition authority said in a statement (after fining Apple). The companies encouraged users to upgrade operating system software but did not make clear the increased demands that new software would make on smartphones, according to the authority. This "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance", which provoked users into upgrading their devices, the authority said. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45963943 == This is about the generic software updates. The main issue is that you have no path to downgrade, no way to use your own OS, and your only choice is to hope for an update from Apple that will revert back your device to its normal way of working, or, purchase a new phone, which won't have this issue. It's literally impossible that they have not noticed, so if not planned obsolescence, at least, it is intentional degradation of existing products (or that their team is not able to notice...) It's rather the other proof around that we would like to see, that Apple did not know the impact of what they are doing. If they knew, you know what it means.
      - wavemode 4mo ago
        > They did not lose, they settled a class action suit. I mean... settling means you lost, almost by definition. You were sued and then paid the person who sued you. Settling is the result of almost all lawsuits where the company knows they were at fault - why would you go to trial if you know you're going to lose? Now, don't get me wrong - your overall point could still be correct. Many companies who still do believe themselves to not be at fault, offer a settlement purely for the reason that it's cheaper in terms of legal fees (or perhaps less of a PR nuisance, or just generally lower-risk) than going to trial.
    - dmitrygr 4mo ago
      That is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. Old batteries' internal resistance rises and they become unable to deliver high current. If you try, thanks to V=IR, the output voltage will droop and you'll brown out. Limiting CPU speed prevents high current draw and random device resets. The alternative was to let it run fast and have it randomly reset under load even when battery is 50% full. All of this is only relevant cause apple devices are often used for so long after release (5-7 years, this message typed on a 5 year old iPhone) [1] (random source, more available on google.com) while statistically few android devices last long enough in consumer pockets for this to matter (2.5-3 years is average) [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/9uha1o/android_vs_ios_phones_in_terms_of_longevity/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/9uha1o/android_vs_...
      - Lammy 4mo ago
        Who designed the phone to not have a user-replaceable battery, making CPU speed limiting guaranteed to occur with age?
    - kajman 4mo ago
      I like to keep phones a long time. Before I finally slotted in a sketchy new third party battery, my last android would suddenly shut off at anywhere from 15-30℅ battery remaining because of the voltage drop. I think they deserve a pass for that "scandal".
      - rvnx 4mo ago
        https://youtu.be/YfnfhM4O_S8?t=202 https://youtu.be/YfnfhM4O_S8?t=202 45% battery on iOS 18 25% battery on iOS 26 (which corresponds to iOS 19) ... This is 2026 https://www.ladbible.com/technology/iphone-ios-update-26-delay-trick-899532-20260511 https://www.ladbible.com/technology/iphone-ios-update-26-del... (sadly got stuck with that degraded phone because the Apple Watch that refuses to pair if you run iOS 18)
        panopticon 4mo ago
        The timestamped part of the video shows an iPhone 15 and 17, both on iOS 26.3. 45% on the iPhone 17 and 25% on the iPhone 15. Only the iPhone XR in that test is on iOS 18. It scored behind all of the models on iOS 26.3 except for the iPhone SE. But that's not a useful comparison because who knows what condition the XR's battery is in at this point, and nothing else ran on a comparable iOS version. Not sure what point you were trying to make with that video, but it doesn't really demonstrate cross-version battery performance.
      - meatbundragon 4mo ago
        I've never seen this with Pixels
  - chocochunks 4mo ago
    That's not how long they will provide software support. It's how long you can get a hardware repair. Some "vintage" products will get current software support but not others. Some products have lost software support before even reaching "vintage" like the first Gen iPad.
  - jeroenhd 4mo ago
    That page shows "vintage" products, which is a category they apply after "5 to 7 years". It describes replacement parts and (bought) maintenance service in store locations. They don't state how long they will provide software updates.
- throwaway030 4mo ago
  My Pixel 3A stopped receiving security updates after less than 3 years. I remember Google did this to start using their own chips in their phones. Two or three years is not even close to the support Apple provides. It sealed the deal for me and I switched to iPhone.
  - joshuamorton 4mo ago
    Yes, they've since more than doubled the support lifetimes to seven years.
    - o_m 4mo ago
      It's only been 2.5 years since they said that. I'm sure they will walk back on their word before it has been 7 years.
      - morsch 4mo ago
        The increased update timelines by Google, Samsung and others roughly coincided with EU legislation coming into effect that mandates 5 years of updates after end of sales. We'll see. https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-June-20-EU-gives-smartphones-a-label-and-a-guaranteed-update-time-10359716.html https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-June-20-EU-gives-smartphon...
        danudey 4mo ago
        Correction: if the manufacturer chooses to provide updates, and they don't have to, they must continue to make those updates available for five years after end of sales. In other words, manufacturers aren't required to publish updates at all, but if they do provide updates they have to make them available to users for five years after they stop sales. This only stops the case where a manufacturer ships a device and publishes updates for the device, but then takes those updates offline after they stop selling the device (but before 5 years is up). https://www.theandroidportal.com/motorola-android-update-loophole-eu/ https://www.theandroidportal.com/motorola-android-update-loo...
- Aurornis 4mo ago
  > Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Google announces the support lifetime of their devices and sticks to it If they announce a support lifetime they stick to it. For other products they'll just decide they're done with it and give you a little warning period. Maybe some store credit or another bonus depending on the product.
- smallmancontrov 4mo ago
  > early Pixels only had 2 years of support, as was announced at release They also announced a promotion for unlimited cloud storage of photos and then shrank and JPEG massacred the photos. That part of my photo library is still visibly trashy to this very day. Every time I browse my photos, I am reminded that google did this.
- notatoad 4mo ago
  "support" meaning drivers and basic security updates, sure. but if you buy this for the gemini integration, what are the odds that google actually sticks with that, or two years from now are you going to have a laptop that lags behind the feature set available in the gemini app for mac because they didn't sell enough of these to bother continuing development?
  - TheDong 4mo ago
    Google also has a better track record than some companies (cough apple) of keeping their devices unlockable/open enough that they can have a second life regardless of whether google keeps up on the software side. You can install linux on the nexus 7 tablets. You can install linux on the old PixelBook or Chromebook Pixel. An iPad bought at the same time as the nexus 7 (the original iPad air) has become a useless insecure brick that can't even load modern websites, let alone support linux. The nexus 7 can have linux or a custom android rom flashed to work fine, albeit with a pretty crappy processor.
  - jeroenhd 4mo ago
    The Gemini app has been backported to at least Android 14 as far as I could tell (that's the oldest OS I saw it on), probably further. Hard to say they're going to keep giving you new features, but buying a device for the future things that may be brought to it is always a massive gamble, like buying a Macbook for their failed promise of Apple Intelligence or a Windows laptop for the promised advantages of Copilot. If the device works well enough to be worth the money, it'll keep working. If you want fancy stuff in the future, hold off on buying new hardware and wait until the stuff you want is actually available.
- nullocator 4mo ago
  What about Nest? It's great that they announced a lifetime and stuck with it I guess? Sucks for anyone who bought into the ecosystem. You'd have to pay me to try and adopt more google products at this point, otherwise it's almost certainly sooner or later going to be deemed a waste of money/time.
- ahmadyan 4mo ago
  yeah, even on product lines that they kill (like Stadia) they usually do right by the user (eg they refunded everyone, both on hardware and software people bought on the platform).
- simonjgreen 4mo ago
  Hmmmmmmmm Nest Secure Google Home Stadia Daydream Glass Nexus Pixel Slate Pixelbook Chromecast Audio OnHub Jamboard
  - kissickas 4mo ago
    They refunded me all the money I spent on the Stadia + games and unlocked the video game controllers so I can use them with other systems... my only regret is that I didn't buy more
    - haritha-j 4mo ago
      I know right? And I ended up getting a chromecast free through that refund as well.
  - cwillu 4mo ago
    The list of departed google products could be put to the music of the names of the countries of the world.
  - rv3392 4mo ago
    I think there's a difference between cancelled (or renamed in the case of Google Home and Nexus) product lines and something no longer working. Most of that list falls into the former, but otherwise probably work fine. This Googlebook will probably be a lot like the Pixelbook. Probably cancelled after 1 generation, but still usable for 5-10 years as you'd expect from a laptop.
  - adi_kurian 4mo ago
    My chromecast audio still works great. No idea about the rest, but that I do know.
  - adi_kurian 4mo ago
    My chromecast audio still works great.
  - jeroenhd 4mo ago
    I don't have most of those, but from the entire list I only recognise Stadia as something that stopped working entirely, and I got my full purchase price back for that. Chromecast still works great.
- mattmaroon 4mo ago
  Apple might not specify a time upfront but they do consistently support hardware for a good length of time. IPhones generally get OS updates for 5-6 years and security for at least a couple more. I’ve never used anything they made long enough to get there.
- sbochins 4mo ago
  My nest thermostat disagrees with your optimism.
- entropie 4mo ago
  > Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Pixel stands were horrible. And discontinued.
- yolovoe 4mo ago
  My experience with Google hardware has been the opposite. Three early Pixel phones died within a year or two, and pretty abysmal experience with Pixel Buds. They'd send me replacements, but I tired of them breaking. I switched to an iPhone after being a long-time Android fan. Haven't looked back. Converted my wife to an iPhone too. Apple is better at hardware. iPhones also receive security updates for a long time. I buy iPhone 3+ generation old brand new at the Apple store, and it... works really well.
throwaway894345 4mo ago
Even if they don't kill it, this is certain to be even more privacy invading than their pre-AI offerings.
esseph 4mo ago
I've had great luck with their hardware (phones / tablets) and they get updates frequently and for quite a long time.
- Volker-E 4mo ago
  Same for a while. OTOH a Pixel 9 Pro screen of a close friend broke 7 times in a year.
  - esseph 4mo ago
    That sounds more like a problem with said friend :-) 7 times also sounds... well... Like a lot
jadbox 4mo ago
I argue this is both true and not true in stark ways with Google. Just look at Google Groups listserv, it's been running forever and arguably mosts used neighborhood listservs globally and has been very stable.. all largely for free. On the other hand, new experiments get chopped very quickly at Google. So, it's more like if the service can survive 2 years, then Google generally keeps it around*. * unless it gets merged dozens of times into other similar projects.
- jnovek 4mo ago
  It doesn’t matter to me that some of their products have longevity. I don’t know which they will keep and which they will discontinue and there are many vendors out there who have a better track record.
readdit 4mo ago
I feel the same way. Looks neat. But hard pass. I've been burned several times.
dmix 4mo ago
Chromebook has been around for 15yrs
- iAMkenough 4mo ago
  Pretty good run. Wonder how many of those devices will support Aluminium OS and how long they'll support ChromeOS after Aluminium launches. If I buy one today, is it guaranteed to run the newest OS in 3 years?
  - ChocolateGod 4mo ago
    Unless Google have magically solved the Android update process, getting updates are the biggest downgrade when it comes to switching from ChromeOS to Aluminium OS. Back to a world where every device needs the OS specifically built for it.
    - deleted 4mo ago
      [deleted]
    - iAMkenough 4mo ago
      Makes sense why they branded these devices as Googlebooks instead of Chromebooks, so the user gets the impression that getting updates is one of the different things among many. My point is that even though Chromebooks are a 15-year brand, there's no guarantee a Chromebook bought today will support the reconstructed OS successor to ChromeOS coming out in the next 2-3 years.
      - ChocolateGod 4mo ago
        There's no guarantee a Googlebook will get updated for 2-3 years, you're completely at the mercy of the OEMs. What a great time for Linux zero-days to start popping up because OEMs won't update the kernels.
jeffnv 4mo ago
Chromecast has been great for years and years, maybe they just kill the crap that should have never existed just like everybody else
rurp 4mo ago
Google Fiber has been advertising a lot in my area. Despite the legacy ISP being as bad as most entrenched ISPs I can't see myself switching and adding another Google product into my life. It might be cheaper and faster now, but will that still be true in a few years once Google has gotten bored with the project? Are they going to use this service to spam me with AI slop like they do everywhere else? What happens if a Google bot nukes my Google account, will that cut off my entire internet with no warning as well? I'm not famous enough to raise a social media storm when they screw me over so it's a big risk doing business with the company.
- addaon 4mo ago
  > What happens if a Google bot nukes my Google account, will that cut off my entire internet with no warning as well? Yeah, the general approach to get support has been to be famous or to marry a Google employee, but the churn rate on Google employees is at the point that the latter is unsustainable.
- tapoxi 4mo ago
  GFiber isn't owned by Google anymore, which is why they changed the name. They're now part of Astound.
  - sgerenser 4mo ago
    Not yet, sale hasn’t closed yet. They changed their name in advance of the sale though.
lallysingh 4mo ago
This is just chromeos+Gemini
- eloisant 4mo ago
  No, that's an Android desktop OS which ChromeOS is not
onlyrealcuzzo 4mo ago
They'll be killing off Android any day now.
- joezydeco 4mo ago
  The products that get killed are the ones that can't run ads or get run through the analytics wringer.
  - onlyrealcuzzo 4mo ago
    I'm sure they'll kill their TPU business any day now, too.
    - joezydeco 4mo ago
      Like Coral? That one is already a zombie.
      - eptcyka 4mo ago
        It is too good to be sold.
- sltkr 4mo ago
  Doesn't the Google Play Store account for something like 15% of Google's revenue?
- coffe2mug 4mo ago
  You can only dream. Even if they do it - there are billion devices that will hope google will build a new one. And majority of the world like it. If you want to share room with RMS and hope for GNU Hurd - do it.
danudey 4mo ago
A laptop built entirely around AI, which is definitely a stable business that will be around in its current form indefinitely and whose cost definitely won't go up once Google needs to start making a profit on it.
bsimpson 4mo ago
[flagged]
- caminanteblanco 4mo ago
  As much as Stadia was a gut punch, at least for consumers Google did pretty well at making us whole (Full refunds for all Stadia purchases across the board) [0] Obviously that's not much recompense if you were a game developer lured into some exclusive publishing deal, or even just someone buying a Stadia Controller, but c'est la vie I suppose [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/google-refunding-three-years-of-stadia-purchases-starting-this-week/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/google-refunding-thr...
  - overfeed 4mo ago
    > or even just someone buying a Stadia Controller Getting the Stadia controller goes a long way, methinks. If you have one laying around, you can install the de-clouding firmware Google provided that converts it into a Bluetooth controller with excellent ergonomics and feel.
- overfeed 4mo ago
  People who badmouth Stadia's shutdown expose themselves qw non-buyers. I'm yet to hear of a better product wind-down than Stadia: every single buyer got full refunds for games and hardware (i.e Chromecast). The firmware to convert Stadia controllers to plain ol' Bluetooth was a nice parting gift.
- faust201 4mo ago
  So whats next. Apple will force corners... Glass. Microsoft will push copilot. Firefox will push AI. Are you waiting for w3m or curl?
colesantiago 4mo ago
Google will probably kill off and shut down Google Search at this rate.
nicbou 4mo ago
If they don't kill it, they might kill your account with no recourse, or some automatic process might lock you out of certain features, or some major bug might leave you staring at a forum post with a "I have the same question" numbering in the thousands.
altern8 4mo ago
I was interested but then just immediately wrote it off because of the AI-centric marketing. Why anything AI make me want to buy a whole laptop? I can use AI from websites, apps, etc. already.
- andrekandre 4mo ago
  > Why anything AI make me want to buy a whole laptop? I can use AI from websites, apps, etc. already. exactly what i was thinking; its like as if in the early 2000s someone was advertising a laptop because you can search google with it...
  - CalRobert 4mo ago
    Tbf there were ads like this, keyboards with inane “internet” buttons, etc.
- egorfine 4mo ago
  > I was interested but then just immediately wrote it off because of the AI-centric marketing. Same here. We're not the target audience for this product. In fact, we're as far as possible from it.
CGMthrowaway 4mo ago
Googlebook dot Google. Pixelbook. Chromebook. Google Pixel. What's next? Nestbook? Drivepad? Geminiphone?
KyleBerezin 4mo ago
Agreed. I have been an early adopter of so many google products. I have been burned every single time. They have systemically and carefully sabotaged any trust the industry had in them.
replwoacause 4mo ago
Same, I give all Google products a wide berth.
coffe2mug 4mo ago
It is never for people like you. They try a lot. Something works and many not. Some people like ikea - try to build. Others want just works items. Why not...
utopiah 4mo ago
Agreed, yet I have a Pixel 8 (2nd hand) right now. The hope is that I don't care about their support anyway, it's just about GrapheneOS.
schnitzelstoat 4mo ago
I really like the Pixel phone. And when they cancelled Stadia I got a full refund including all game purchases, so it wasn’t that bad.
ornornor 4mo ago
Not to mention the “customer” “service”. I have yet to talk to a human at google.

pydry 4mo ago

It will also vacuum up your user data and use it to train AI models and such.

jeroenhd 4mo ago

Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Google announces the support lifetime of their devices and sticks to it, with feature updates coming to things like phones even after the support period ended through things like app stores. Just check the support lifetime of the device before buying (early Pixels only had 2 years of support, as was announced at release). Their cloud services are nothing but hot air but their hardware support has been excellent for the past few years. Easily beats other major manufacturers. I'm still annoyed that Apple won't tell you how long they will support their hardware. Other competitors manage to be even worse.

treexs 4mo ago
I thought Apple does tell you how long they'll support hardware. For example: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772
- rvnx 4mo ago
  [flagged]
  - janfoeh 4mo ago
    No, they do not, and they did not. They started throttling devices based on battery age after "Batterygate" in 2016, after a wave of news that their phones were suddenly shutting off on high load because the batteries terminal voltage dropped. They do not "artificially slow down before a new release". The were sued because in their typical arrogance, they neglected to _tell_ people about that. They did not lose, they settled a class action suit. As a result, they made battery management and state a lot more transparent in iOS, as they should have done in the first place. Claiming malicious planned obsolescence, as you did, requires facts not in evidence.
    - rvnx 4mo ago
      Try iOS 26, you'll see what it means in practice, you will get a phone with worse battery life, slower operating system and no path to downgrade, only way is to upgrade your phone to the next big thing. If it's not malicious, then it's gross incompetence, but at the end of the day, it will still eventually require to purchase a new Apple device, when a downgrade would have been enough. It's not the first time even: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/iphone-update-issue-apple-reddit/ https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/iphone-update-iss... <iPhone user sparks debate after device becomes ruined following mandatory update: 'This is just ridiculous'> It's a long-term issue, because even if it will get fixed in two years, then the battery damages due to severe drain are permanent, and this is to be paid with your pocket, or again... upgrade to a new iPhone. It's not the first cycle like this, slower software is deployed to all iPhones, older iPhones lag, and you have to purchase the fresh new iPhone. == "Apple implemented unfair commercial practices", the Italian competition authority said in a statement (after fining Apple). The companies encouraged users to upgrade operating system software but did not make clear the increased demands that new software would make on smartphones, according to the authority. This "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance", which provoked users into upgrading their devices, the authority said. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45963943 == This is about the generic software updates. The main issue is that you have no path to downgrade, no way to use your own OS, and your only choice is to hope for an update from Apple that will revert back your device to its normal way of working, or, purchase a new phone, which won't have this issue. It's literally impossible that they have not noticed, so if not planned obsolescence, at least, it is intentional degradation of existing products (or that their team is not able to notice...) It's rather the other proof around that we would like to see, that Apple did not know the impact of what they are doing. If they knew, you know what it means.
    - wavemode 4mo ago
      > They did not lose, they settled a class action suit. I mean... settling means you lost, almost by definition. You were sued and then paid the person who sued you. Settling is the result of almost all lawsuits where the company knows they were at fault - why would you go to trial if you know you're going to lose? Now, don't get me wrong - your overall point could still be correct. Many companies who still do believe themselves to not be at fault, offer a settlement purely for the reason that it's cheaper in terms of legal fees (or perhaps less of a PR nuisance, or just generally lower-risk) than going to trial.
  - dmitrygr 4mo ago
    That is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. Old batteries' internal resistance rises and they become unable to deliver high current. If you try, thanks to V=IR, the output voltage will droop and you'll brown out. Limiting CPU speed prevents high current draw and random device resets. The alternative was to let it run fast and have it randomly reset under load even when battery is 50% full. All of this is only relevant cause apple devices are often used for so long after release (5-7 years, this message typed on a 5 year old iPhone) [1] (random source, more available on google.com) while statistically few android devices last long enough in consumer pockets for this to matter (2.5-3 years is average) [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/9uha1o/android_vs_ios_phones_in_terms_of_longevity/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/9uha1o/android_vs_...
    - Lammy 4mo ago
      Who designed the phone to not have a user-replaceable battery, making CPU speed limiting guaranteed to occur with age?
  - kajman 4mo ago
    I like to keep phones a long time. Before I finally slotted in a sketchy new third party battery, my last android would suddenly shut off at anywhere from 15-30℅ battery remaining because of the voltage drop. I think they deserve a pass for that "scandal".
    - rvnx 4mo ago
      https://youtu.be/YfnfhM4O_S8?t=202 https://youtu.be/YfnfhM4O_S8?t=202 45% battery on iOS 18 25% battery on iOS 26 (which corresponds to iOS 19) ... This is 2026 https://www.ladbible.com/technology/iphone-ios-update-26-delay-trick-899532-20260511 https://www.ladbible.com/technology/iphone-ios-update-26-del... (sadly got stuck with that degraded phone because the Apple Watch that refuses to pair if you run iOS 18)
      - panopticon 4mo ago
        The timestamped part of the video shows an iPhone 15 and 17, both on iOS 26.3. 45% on the iPhone 17 and 25% on the iPhone 15. Only the iPhone XR in that test is on iOS 18. It scored behind all of the models on iOS 26.3 except for the iPhone SE. But that's not a useful comparison because who knows what condition the XR's battery is in at this point, and nothing else ran on a comparable iOS version. Not sure what point you were trying to make with that video, but it doesn't really demonstrate cross-version battery performance.
    - meatbundragon 4mo ago
      I've never seen this with Pixels
- chocochunks 4mo ago
  That's not how long they will provide software support. It's how long you can get a hardware repair. Some "vintage" products will get current software support but not others. Some products have lost software support before even reaching "vintage" like the first Gen iPad.
- jeroenhd 4mo ago
  That page shows "vintage" products, which is a category they apply after "5 to 7 years". It describes replacement parts and (bought) maintenance service in store locations. They don't state how long they will provide software updates.
throwaway030 4mo ago
My Pixel 3A stopped receiving security updates after less than 3 years. I remember Google did this to start using their own chips in their phones. Two or three years is not even close to the support Apple provides. It sealed the deal for me and I switched to iPhone.
- joshuamorton 4mo ago
  Yes, they've since more than doubled the support lifetimes to seven years.
  - o_m 4mo ago
    It's only been 2.5 years since they said that. I'm sure they will walk back on their word before it has been 7 years.
    - morsch 4mo ago
      The increased update timelines by Google, Samsung and others roughly coincided with EU legislation coming into effect that mandates 5 years of updates after end of sales. We'll see. https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-June-20-EU-gives-smartphones-a-label-and-a-guaranteed-update-time-10359716.html https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-June-20-EU-gives-smartphon...
      - danudey 4mo ago
        Correction: if the manufacturer chooses to provide updates, and they don't have to, they must continue to make those updates available for five years after end of sales. In other words, manufacturers aren't required to publish updates at all, but if they do provide updates they have to make them available to users for five years after they stop sales. This only stops the case where a manufacturer ships a device and publishes updates for the device, but then takes those updates offline after they stop selling the device (but before 5 years is up). https://www.theandroidportal.com/motorola-android-update-loophole-eu/ https://www.theandroidportal.com/motorola-android-update-loo...
Aurornis 4mo ago
> Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Google announces the support lifetime of their devices and sticks to it If they announce a support lifetime they stick to it. For other products they'll just decide they're done with it and give you a little warning period. Maybe some store credit or another bonus depending on the product.
smallmancontrov 4mo ago
> early Pixels only had 2 years of support, as was announced at release They also announced a promotion for unlimited cloud storage of photos and then shrank and JPEG massacred the photos. That part of my photo library is still visibly trashy to this very day. Every time I browse my photos, I am reminded that google did this.
notatoad 4mo ago
"support" meaning drivers and basic security updates, sure. but if you buy this for the gemini integration, what are the odds that google actually sticks with that, or two years from now are you going to have a laptop that lags behind the feature set available in the gemini app for mac because they didn't sell enough of these to bother continuing development?
- TheDong 4mo ago
  Google also has a better track record than some companies (cough apple) of keeping their devices unlockable/open enough that they can have a second life regardless of whether google keeps up on the software side. You can install linux on the nexus 7 tablets. You can install linux on the old PixelBook or Chromebook Pixel. An iPad bought at the same time as the nexus 7 (the original iPad air) has become a useless insecure brick that can't even load modern websites, let alone support linux. The nexus 7 can have linux or a custom android rom flashed to work fine, albeit with a pretty crappy processor.
- jeroenhd 4mo ago
  The Gemini app has been backported to at least Android 14 as far as I could tell (that's the oldest OS I saw it on), probably further. Hard to say they're going to keep giving you new features, but buying a device for the future things that may be brought to it is always a massive gamble, like buying a Macbook for their failed promise of Apple Intelligence or a Windows laptop for the promised advantages of Copilot. If the device works well enough to be worth the money, it'll keep working. If you want fancy stuff in the future, hold off on buying new hardware and wait until the stuff you want is actually available.
nullocator 4mo ago
What about Nest? It's great that they announced a lifetime and stuck with it I guess? Sucks for anyone who bought into the ecosystem. You'd have to pay me to try and adopt more google products at this point, otherwise it's almost certainly sooner or later going to be deemed a waste of money/time.
ahmadyan 4mo ago
yeah, even on product lines that they kill (like Stadia) they usually do right by the user (eg they refunded everyone, both on hardware and software people bought on the platform).
simonjgreen 4mo ago
Hmmmmmmmm Nest Secure Google Home Stadia Daydream Glass Nexus Pixel Slate Pixelbook Chromecast Audio OnHub Jamboard
- kissickas 4mo ago
  They refunded me all the money I spent on the Stadia + games and unlocked the video game controllers so I can use them with other systems... my only regret is that I didn't buy more
  - haritha-j 4mo ago
    I know right? And I ended up getting a chromecast free through that refund as well.
- cwillu 4mo ago
  The list of departed google products could be put to the music of the names of the countries of the world.
- rv3392 4mo ago
  I think there's a difference between cancelled (or renamed in the case of Google Home and Nexus) product lines and something no longer working. Most of that list falls into the former, but otherwise probably work fine. This Googlebook will probably be a lot like the Pixelbook. Probably cancelled after 1 generation, but still usable for 5-10 years as you'd expect from a laptop.
- adi_kurian 4mo ago
  My chromecast audio still works great. No idea about the rest, but that I do know.
- adi_kurian 4mo ago
  My chromecast audio still works great.
- jeroenhd 4mo ago
  I don't have most of those, but from the entire list I only recognise Stadia as something that stopped working entirely, and I got my full purchase price back for that. Chromecast still works great.
mattmaroon 4mo ago
Apple might not specify a time upfront but they do consistently support hardware for a good length of time. IPhones generally get OS updates for 5-6 years and security for at least a couple more. I’ve never used anything they made long enough to get there.
sbochins 4mo ago
My nest thermostat disagrees with your optimism.
entropie 4mo ago
> Their hardware is usually fine when it comes to support. Pixel stands were horrible. And discontinued.
yolovoe 4mo ago
My experience with Google hardware has been the opposite. Three early Pixel phones died within a year or two, and pretty abysmal experience with Pixel Buds. They'd send me replacements, but I tired of them breaking. I switched to an iPhone after being a long-time Android fan. Haven't looked back. Converted my wife to an iPhone too. Apple is better at hardware. iPhones also receive security updates for a long time. I buy iPhone 3+ generation old brand new at the Apple store, and it... works really well.

throwaway894345 4mo ago

Even if they don't kill it, this is certain to be even more privacy invading than their pre-AI offerings.

esseph 4mo ago

I've had great luck with their hardware (phones / tablets) and they get updates frequently and for quite a long time.

Volker-E 4mo ago
Same for a while. OTOH a Pixel 9 Pro screen of a close friend broke 7 times in a year.
- esseph 4mo ago
  That sounds more like a problem with said friend :-) 7 times also sounds... well... Like a lot

jadbox 4mo ago

I argue this is both true and not true in stark ways with Google. Just look at Google Groups listserv, it's been running forever and arguably mosts used neighborhood listservs globally and has been very stable.. all largely for free. On the other hand, new experiments get chopped very quickly at Google. So, it's more like if the service can survive 2 years, then Google generally keeps it around*. * unless it gets merged dozens of times into other similar projects.

jnovek 4mo ago
It doesn’t matter to me that some of their products have longevity. I don’t know which they will keep and which they will discontinue and there are many vendors out there who have a better track record.

readdit 4mo ago

I feel the same way. Looks neat. But hard pass. I've been burned several times.

dmix 4mo ago

Chromebook has been around for 15yrs

iAMkenough 4mo ago
Pretty good run. Wonder how many of those devices will support Aluminium OS and how long they'll support ChromeOS after Aluminium launches. If I buy one today, is it guaranteed to run the newest OS in 3 years?
- ChocolateGod 4mo ago
  Unless Google have magically solved the Android update process, getting updates are the biggest downgrade when it comes to switching from ChromeOS to Aluminium OS. Back to a world where every device needs the OS specifically built for it.
  - deleted 4mo ago
    [deleted]
  - iAMkenough 4mo ago
    Makes sense why they branded these devices as Googlebooks instead of Chromebooks, so the user gets the impression that getting updates is one of the different things among many. My point is that even though Chromebooks are a 15-year brand, there's no guarantee a Chromebook bought today will support the reconstructed OS successor to ChromeOS coming out in the next 2-3 years.
    - ChocolateGod 4mo ago
      There's no guarantee a Googlebook will get updated for 2-3 years, you're completely at the mercy of the OEMs. What a great time for Linux zero-days to start popping up because OEMs won't update the kernels.

jeffnv 4mo ago

Chromecast has been great for years and years, maybe they just kill the crap that should have never existed just like everybody else

rurp 4mo ago

Google Fiber has been advertising a lot in my area. Despite the legacy ISP being as bad as most entrenched ISPs I can't see myself switching and adding another Google product into my life. It might be cheaper and faster now, but will that still be true in a few years once Google has gotten bored with the project? Are they going to use this service to spam me with AI slop like they do everywhere else? What happens if a Google bot nukes my Google account, will that cut off my entire internet with no warning as well? I'm not famous enough to raise a social media storm when they screw me over so it's a big risk doing business with the company.

addaon 4mo ago
> What happens if a Google bot nukes my Google account, will that cut off my entire internet with no warning as well? Yeah, the general approach to get support has been to be famous or to marry a Google employee, but the churn rate on Google employees is at the point that the latter is unsustainable.
tapoxi 4mo ago
GFiber isn't owned by Google anymore, which is why they changed the name. They're now part of Astound.
- sgerenser 4mo ago
  Not yet, sale hasn’t closed yet. They changed their name in advance of the sale though.

lallysingh 4mo ago

This is just chromeos+Gemini

eloisant 4mo ago
No, that's an Android desktop OS which ChromeOS is not

onlyrealcuzzo 4mo ago

They'll be killing off Android any day now.

joezydeco 4mo ago
The products that get killed are the ones that can't run ads or get run through the analytics wringer.
- onlyrealcuzzo 4mo ago
  I'm sure they'll kill their TPU business any day now, too.
  - joezydeco 4mo ago
    Like Coral? That one is already a zombie.
    - eptcyka 4mo ago
      It is too good to be sold.
sltkr 4mo ago
Doesn't the Google Play Store account for something like 15% of Google's revenue?
coffe2mug 4mo ago
You can only dream. Even if they do it - there are billion devices that will hope google will build a new one. And majority of the world like it. If you want to share room with RMS and hope for GNU Hurd - do it.

danudey 4mo ago

A laptop built entirely around AI, which is definitely a stable business that will be around in its current form indefinitely and whose cost definitely won't go up once Google needs to start making a profit on it.

bsimpson 4mo ago

[flagged]

caminanteblanco 4mo ago
As much as Stadia was a gut punch, at least for consumers Google did pretty well at making us whole (Full refunds for all Stadia purchases across the board) [0] Obviously that's not much recompense if you were a game developer lured into some exclusive publishing deal, or even just someone buying a Stadia Controller, but c'est la vie I suppose [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/google-refunding-three-years-of-stadia-purchases-starting-this-week/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/google-refunding-thr...
- overfeed 4mo ago
  > or even just someone buying a Stadia Controller Getting the Stadia controller goes a long way, methinks. If you have one laying around, you can install the de-clouding firmware Google provided that converts it into a Bluetooth controller with excellent ergonomics and feel.
overfeed 4mo ago
People who badmouth Stadia's shutdown expose themselves qw non-buyers. I'm yet to hear of a better product wind-down than Stadia: every single buyer got full refunds for games and hardware (i.e Chromecast). The firmware to convert Stadia controllers to plain ol' Bluetooth was a nice parting gift.
faust201 4mo ago
So whats next. Apple will force corners... Glass. Microsoft will push copilot. Firefox will push AI. Are you waiting for w3m or curl?

colesantiago 4mo ago

Google will probably kill off and shut down Google Search at this rate.

nicbou 4mo ago

If they don't kill it, they might kill your account with no recourse, or some automatic process might lock you out of certain features, or some major bug might leave you staring at a forum post with a "I have the same question" numbering in the thousands.

altern8 4mo ago

I was interested but then just immediately wrote it off because of the AI-centric marketing. Why anything AI make me want to buy a whole laptop? I can use AI from websites, apps, etc. already.

andrekandre 4mo ago
> Why anything AI make me want to buy a whole laptop? I can use AI from websites, apps, etc. already. exactly what i was thinking; its like as if in the early 2000s someone was advertising a laptop because you can search google with it...
- CalRobert 4mo ago
  Tbf there were ads like this, keyboards with inane “internet” buttons, etc.
egorfine 4mo ago
> I was interested but then just immediately wrote it off because of the AI-centric marketing. Same here. We're not the target audience for this product. In fact, we're as far as possible from it.

CGMthrowaway 4mo ago

Googlebook dot Google. Pixelbook. Chromebook. Google Pixel. What's next? Nestbook? Drivepad? Geminiphone?

KyleBerezin 4mo ago

Agreed. I have been an early adopter of so many google products. I have been burned every single time. They have systemically and carefully sabotaged any trust the industry had in them.

replwoacause 4mo ago

Same, I give all Google products a wide berth.

coffe2mug 4mo ago

It is never for people like you. They try a lot. Something works and many not. Some people like ikea - try to build. Others want just works items. Why not...

utopiah 4mo ago

Agreed, yet I have a Pixel 8 (2nd hand) right now. The hope is that I don't care about their support anyway, it's just about GrapheneOS.

schnitzelstoat 4mo ago

I really like the Pixel phone. And when they cancelled Stadia I got a full refund including all game purchases, so it wasn’t that bad.

ornornor 4mo ago

Not to mention the “customer” “service”. I have yet to talk to a human at google.