Google’s Big Pixel Event Puts the Pressure on Apple’s iPhone 16 [CNET]

Commentary: I hope Apple copies a few things from the Pixel event — including live product demos.

At Google’s Pixel phone reveal event, the company did something that set my tech reporter heart aflutter: It showed off new AI features live on stage in front of an audience. 

Live product demos are rarely seen anymore, as companies have turned the once intimate product reveal event into a 90-minute highly produced commercial. And Google was dealing with generative AI, where going live is more risky than ever before. This was a power move by the tech giant, and it was refreshing to see.

Of course it didn’t go perfectly. A processing hiccup with the first demonstration left the poor host pleading to the “demo spirits.” Another demo involved generating the image of a hot air balloon, resulting in an orange blob that our stage host called “a little abstract.”

Several other Google Gemini AI demos went smoothly. But what AI can generate is often unpredictable. And the Google team knew it couldn’t guarantee perfection (which is why it repeatedly reminded the audience of how this was live). But being real is what consumers need now more than ever, in an age of artificially generated content.

In this week’s episode of One More Thing, which you can watch embedded above, I go over what I’d like to see Apple copy from Google’s event — including the return of the live stage demo, and certain features that debuted in the Pixel 9 phones and Pixel watches. 

For the past few years, tech companies have referred to AI like it’s magic. When reality doesn’t match the sales pitch, it feels, frankly, like we’re being sold snake oil. We need more honesty in talking about AI, or customers will get annoyed quickly by these unrealistic expectations. 

All eyes will be on Apple in September when the next iPhones are expected to be revealed, along with the upcoming release of the company’s AI effort called Apple Intelligence. But adding to the pressure is that Google and Samsung already showed off all their best smartphone AI tricks this year. (Usually Google holds its Pixel event after Apple’s iPhone event.)

Apple might need to do a little more to convince people that it’s worth upgrading to an iPhone 16, since they’ve already seen all the new stuff Google bragged it can do with Pixel devices.

As an iPhone owner, I was left wishing we could have the Pixel’s more advanced panorama night photos. And I wish the Apple Watch could have the Pixel’s ability to put incoming phone calls on hold. I’d also like to see the Apple Watch, like the Pixel, be able to contact emergency services for help if an owner’s heart stops beating. 

In the smartphone battle, imitation is part of the game. Google also often copies Apple. This week, Google announced it added Satellite SOS, similar to Apple’s Emergency SOS, to call for help when there’s no cellular reception. With a little patience, all phones seem to eventually get the same features. But it’ll be interesting to see how we get there.