Google is further blurring the lines between itself and Apple

What makes the Pixel C such an interesting device, despite it’s inherent limitations, is that Google’s own hardware team did all of the design work, rather than having a company like LG or Huawei do it. That’s just one of the many indications we’ve seen over the past few months that Google wants to take more control over its hardware, such as developing its own mobile chipset. The Information reported on Monday that the company is actually considering adopting an Apple-like approach to its Nexus line, which means that it wants to develop pretty much every aspect of the devices on its own and only rely on other companies for the manufacturing. 

Ever since the launch of the Nexus 6P and 5X at the end of 2015, we have begun to see this narrative arise suggesting that Google needs to stop partnering with companies like LG, Samsung, HTC, and Huawei to build its Nexus devices and instead take the Apple approach, where they handle everything from top to bottom and simply contract out companies to help build devices. That essentially means going the Pixel route, where we see products like the Pixel C that were designed and essentially, manufactured, by Google. In other words, Google takes control over everything from the software to hardware design to make a tablet or computer (or phone) that is 100% Google. Sure, they are sourcing chipsets and RAM and displays and all of that, plus they need someone to physically build everything, but they aren’t asking someone like LG or HTC to add their name to it. While this “Apple-like” control over the Nexus program seems to be the opposite of what the Nexus program was designed for, a report out of The Information this morning, suggests that’s what Google plans to do going forward. According to this report, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his crew has told “colleagues and outsiders” that the company will take greater control over Nexus smartphones. No time frame for when that will happen was mentioned in any form during this report, nor were there any other real details, so we don’t have much to go on other than that bit about Pichai informing “colleagues and outsiders.”