The missing pieces of the Google I/O '23 puzzle: Where were Android 14 and the Pixel 8 teaser?

For yet another Google I/O, Android wasn't the main talking point. In fact, if we have to rate the spotlight time Android 14 got at I/O'23, it probably wouldn't rank in the Top 10. Sure, there will be lots of workshops and events at the Google I/O summit that will discuss all the new features, under-the-hood improvements, and API changes that will be coming to a Pixel near you this August, but the important opening keynote certainly skimped on all those important Android 14 details. 

If you haven't watched the Google I/O 2023 keynote, let me summarize it for you in a few words: AI, AI, AI, and some Pixel news near the end. Did I mention AI?

 But really, the theme of the keynote was AI and Google's full adoption of artificial intelligence across nearly all of its hardware and software products, as well as all the ways in which Bard and PaLM 2 will empower our digital lives in the coming years. 

For reference, last year's Google I/O keynote dedicated more than half an hour on Android 13's upcoming features. This year? Less than 15 minutes on Android as a whole, with merely half of that time dedicated to features coming to Android devices, but nothing specific and truly unique related to Android 14. 

Even when Android was mentioned, it was mostly in the context of AI and how it will benefit the software on your Pixel phone in the coming months. With AI-powered personalization and customization features that look like great additions to Android in general, on-device AI is becoming an integral part of our devices. True, Android 14 has been out as a beta for a few months already, but there have to be more features coming to it aside from the ones available, right? Right?

Android and iOS, two of the most popular operating systems in the world, have both matured to the point where we probably shouldn't expect major new features every year, or every other year. Gradual improvements and general polish of the user experience will probably become the norm rather than the exception. 

To me, it feels that moving forward, the intricate novelties of an operating systems wouldn't be the major talking point during software-centric events like Google I/O or Apple WWDC. Instead, AI tools could become the major talking point when it comes to software, and that's definitely something larger than the sum of its parts. 

Remains to be seen if Apple's upcoming WWDC keynote will similarly put the focus on AI, or Cupertino has prepared a lengthy feature list for iOS 17. 

In any way, Google I/O'23 felt different from previous Google keynotes and could definitely be the blueprint for many similar ones to come in the future. Not that I'm complaining, the sudden onslaught of AI is exciting (though a bit scary at times), but we should probably adjusts our expectations about the future of software events accordingly.