Google's expanded line of tech-focussed products is distinct from its competitors for the way the items integrate with the body and home, according to the company's head of hardware design Ivy Ross.
Better known for its software, Google has stepped up its efforts to compete in the hardware market with a range that includes personal-assistant devices, translator ear buds, an AI-enabled camera, and a new version of its Pixel phone.
The company is fairly late to the game compared with other tech giants like Apple and Samsung, which have well-established product lines. But Ross, who has overseen Google's hardware department since September 2016, says that's no bad thing.
"It's one of the advantages to be almost the last ones to jump into the hardware," Ross told Dezeen at the company's recently opened pop-up space in New York last week. "You can stand back and say, this is what Apple feels like and looks like and is this brand. This is what Samsung is." Google's new line of products includes Google Home Max, a smart speaker and personal assistant
"I love them all, but our idea was to be differentiated and be true to Google," she continued. "So it's a design language that does set us apart, and keeps evolving within those guidelines that we set up."
These guidelines are intended to ensure that the products blend into the home. Using fabrics, neutral hues and small pops of bright colour, Ross believes that her team has leapfrogged the "...