Google held a launch event last night to unveil its new generation of Pixel 7 series flagship phones and its first smartwatch, the Google Pixel Watch.
During the event, the company made several references to Apple and iPhone 14, iOS 16, and the reluctant adoption of Apple’s RCS messaging support, among other words. In addition, Google could not even resist taking a swipe at Apple’s attitude in the area of innovation.
Google’s Vice President of Product Management Brian Rakowski said: “Pixel has always been a leader in smartphone innovation. We see it as an appreciation when other companies in the industry follow our lead, like ‘AOD’ and ‘At a Glance, which puts useful information right on the lock screen.” He was referring to the new features in iOS 16 and iPhone 14 Pro.
Speaking at the launch event, Rakowski said:- “Three years ago, we introduced a crash detection system, along with other features like Safety Check and Emergency Share.” Last month, Apple introduced crash detection, the iPhone 14 Pro and the latest Apple Watch, and iOS 16 could give users even safer features. He concluded, “This is the first time the Pixel has introduced a record of groundbreaking features.”
As it stands, one of the biggest conflicts between Apple and Google is Apple’s refusal to adopt RCS messaging support. Despite Google’s public calls for Apple to adopt RCS, Apple continues to be confined to the SMS standard and iMessage, just as it has been for years with Type-C, which Tim Cook has previously responded to by saying that it’s not something Apple users are asking the company to do.
At last night’s Google event, it again pressured Apple to change course. “RCS is the modern industry standard for messaging, and it has been adopted by most industries. We want every device manufacturer to understand this and adopt RCS to make texting better for every smartphone user.”
