Google Assistant support decision kills an entire product line

An entire product category, which was built on the Google Assistant, is being dealt a deathblow by the internet group: All third-party providers can now stop the production and manufacture of smart displays.

The background to this is a decision that was published in a quietly published message on a Google Duo support page. Accordingly, Google no longer provides software updates for these third-party smart displays. This affects devices such as the Lenovo Smart Display, JBL Link View and LG Xboom AI ThinQ WK9 Smart Display.

For the users of the affected devices, this means that they can no longer count on improvements through firmware updates 9to5google. Sooner or later, these products will depend on the development of the market accordingly in terms of video quality and similar performance. But they continue to work, at least for the time being.

No trusting cooperation

Whoever toyed with the idea of ​​acquiring such a system now has a very limited choice. The only options left are Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max. For the previous product partners, Google’s step should be particularly bitter because the group did not initially bring its own hardware to the market in the category and expressly asked third-party manufacturers for development corresponding hardware had advertised.

However, it was already apparent during the later development of their own products that good cooperation was not very important at Google. Product guidelines for the use of the assistant were set up, but they were not adhered to with their own devices. The resulting differences were then used to better position their own products on the market. Basically, the product class has already been shot up storm-free in terms of third-party manufacturers and it can hardly be expected that the previous partners will be more resistant to the end of support.

See also:

Google, Voice Assistant, Smart Speaker, Nest Hub 2, Google Nest Hub 2
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