Marques Brownlee talks about Google’s history of discontinuing products and projects, despite being a large and established company. While Google’s announcement of providing 7 years of OS security and feature updates for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is commendable, it is important to consider their track record. Google has a reputation for axing products and services that have a significant user base or dependency.
Marques Brownlee mentions examples like Google Domains, Google Jam Board, Google Podcasts, and Pixel Pass, which were all abruptly discontinued. While Google often provides alternatives or support to users affected by these discontinuations, it still undermines trust in the company. This inconsistent behavior raises concerns about relying too heavily on Google’s products and services.
Marques Brownlee discusses the difficulty of trusting Google’s promises, particularly when it comes to software updates for their devices. While Google’s announcement of seven years of software updates for the Pixel is ambitious and impressive, there is skepticism about whether they will actually deliver on this promise.
Marques Brownlee points out that Google has a history of breaking promises, such as ending the Nexus program after five years. Additionally, the speaker mentions a trend in the tech industry of companies making announcements about upcoming features that are not available at launch, comparing it to the gaming industry’s practice of releasing half-finished games.
Marques Brownlee advises against buying tech solely based on the promise of future updates and recommends instead focusing on the device’s present capabilities.