DealNTech Mobiles, PCs, and All Things Tech
With its huge no of users, it’s no big surprise that India is one of the top priority markets for Google, and they have always tried to make sure the products reach the Indian markets in the first wave. Even India was one of the key markets for Android Go, a stripped-down version of Android for entry-level smartphones. Now, the company plans to introduce more consumer products, including Google Home smart speakers and a mid-range Pixel smartphone.
This information is from a report by the Economic Times, whose source is four senior industry executives. According to them, Google plans to launch a Pixelbook laptop, automation home automation product, the Google Home smart speakers, and a mid-range Pixel smartphone. Moreover, the company plans to expand its distribution into general trade and increase spending on marketing, taking a cue from Apple and Samsung.
A leading retailer remarked.
Google is excited about the expansion of the consumer products business in India with the advent of the cheap 4G internet led by Reliance Jio and other operators which it says will help to realise maximum potential of these products
Earlier this week, it was reported that the tech giant plans to roll out the smart speaker line by this month’s end, including the Google Home and Home Mini. Google Assistant powers the Google speakers and will come with Hindi support and ten other regional languages. They are supposed to take the Amazon smart speakers- Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot, launched a few months ago in India. The report stated that the Google Home is expected to cost around Rs 9,999 while the Home mini will retail at Rs 4,499, similar to the Amazon speakers, and will give them tough competition.
As for the mid-range Google Pixel phone, this is the first time it has been mentioned and is expected to launch around July-August. The company will also focus on the next Pixel line smartphones scheduled to launch at the end of this year. The Pixelbook is a premium Chromebook costing 1000$ unveiled last year in October. It would directly be competing against the likes of Apple MacBook and Microsoft’s Surface laptop. It will come with intelligent home automation features like a doorbell, camera, alarm system, and smoke detector under the Nest brand. Google Wi-Fi will also play a massive role in it.
Google is expanding its offline presence through hardware distributor Redington and “in-store branding and signage in selected stores and set up exclusive zones with specially designed fixtures like Apple,” an executive remarked. Thirty-six percent of Pixel sales were for stores, while only 38 percent were for e-commerce. This does not mean Google is planning to launch Google stores, too. A retailer who attended the trade meets in Malaysia, the UK, and the US last month said, “They said no decision had been taken regarding this, but they certainly want to expand their offline presence since most of the upcoming products require consumer experience.”
