Google I/O could technically be Google’s annual developer conference – an event developers can attend to learn how to best take advantage of what’s new in Google’s latest products and updates – but we also know it as the event where great things are announced. Each year we usually have a rough idea of what Google might be announcing and can usually predict at least a lot of what’s to come.
Derrek’s What to Expect from Google I/O 2022 is packed with careful thought and calculations based on information we know and have been rumored to have for months. But I’m throwing all caution to the wind here because, dammit, there are some things I just have want to see and I don’t care how realistic my Google I/O 2022 wish list is. Are any of these met? Could be! We just have to find out on May 11th.
pixel clock
At this point, the Pixel Watch seems all but confirmed. We leaked the first images of a real Pixel Watch two weeks ago, thanks to a reader who literally found it sitting in a restaurant. There’s no telling if this is the final design of the watch, but it certainly matches the leaked renderings and images we’ve seen of the watch for what feels like years. If what we’ve seen is definitive, I’ll call it now: the Pixel Watch will be the new best Android smartwatch.
It also fits well with the one-year anniversary of the announcement of Wear OS 3, the smartwatch operating system co-developed by Samsung and Google to unify Android’s rather chaotic watch ecosystem. Google has a long history of leaking its products, only to have those leaks lead to an “early” product announcement. This happened with Pixel 4, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5 and even Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Conspiracy theories aside, I’d love to see Google follow the same steps with the Pixel Watch.
Wear OS 3 for everyone
When Google surprised us with a surprising Wear OS 3 announcement at last year’s Google I/O, hardly anyone could have guessed a watch family would receive the update a full year later: the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic.
While we can suspect the politics behind holding back Wear OS 3, the fact of the matter is that Google’s longtime partners – like Fossil and Mobvoi – deserve to get this update on their watches as soon as possible.
pixel wrinkle
Here I enter distant – but not unreasonable – desired territory. Like the Pixel Watch, the Pixel Fold is a product that’s been rumored to be delayed by what feels like years. Google has made tremendous strides with the Pixel line since the Pixel 6 was announced, and the Pixel Fold is easily the most exciting Pixel ever conceived.
As we keep getting more rumors and leaks about the phone, it’s becoming clear that the Pixel Fold looks a lot more like an OPPO Find N notebook phone than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. I certainly wouldn’t expect Google to reveal the phone and give a correct release date and price for it, but I’d like to see Google officially working on foldable phone hardware.
Given Android 12L’s focus on tablets and foldable devices – and the fact that Google released the code to the public back in the March update – this would be the perfect time to show off all those lovely new foldable features coming in Android are integrated. Why not use this time to show the fruits of your labor, Google?
Google’s next generation AR/VR project
The final piece of Google’s hardware puzzle is the rumored Project Iris AR/VR headset. Since this is only a new reveal after years of Google throwing seemingly everything it’s ever worked on into the VR space, I don’t think we’ll see many hardware reveals. Project Iris is expected sometime in 2024, but the Google I/O 2022 schedule shows that Google is still keen to talk about its AR projects and development.
In fact, the company just acquired Raxium, a company known for making AR/VR-centric micro-LED displays, showing that Google is once again keen to dabble in real hardware. The incredible success of the Oculus Quest 2 proved that affordable, standalone console-like headsets aren’t just doable; You are the future.
I/O is going to be a great show
My hopes and expectations for the show may be a bit high, but it feels like this year could really be a blast for Google. It finally has its Pixel hardware division mostly under one roof, including a new acquisition that will give Google the ability to make its own displays at some point in the future. We know the Pixel Watch exists because we have it seen it, and we know that Google is working on a foldable and a new AR/VR technology that has yet to be revealed.
Whatever comes, it’s going to be a great show and we’ll be there (virtually) to cover the whole thing. Stay tuned to Android Central starting May 11th.