I Thought Hardware was Dead
As software platforms converge, the real differentiator is becoming the physical
I started my Product career in the hardware industry and left to join the digital world because I believed that the real value in technology solutions was the software, not the physical device. While I still believe that, I found myself making a decision based on hardware, not the software. Are we seeing a shift back to the importance of hardware?
Currently, my mobile phone is the Google Pixel 3 from 2018. Yes, I’m an Android user and yes, it’s super old. However, I also use a MacBook for personal and professional use. The power button on my Google Pixel is no longer existent so it’s time for a new phone and logic would say to migrate my software ecosystem to the same platform, iOS. If it was only that simple.
I really like using Android phones, in particular the Pixel, because it has the pure Android experience without all the bloatware, has regular software updates and a really nice camera experience. In addition, I’m fully integrated with Google Suite — Gmail, Drive and Photos. So then what’s wrong with the Pixel 6? It’s the hardware! Personal taste, but it’s just too big for me. In a world where I’m trying to reduce my screen time, I don’t need a big screen in my pocket for immediate access. The alternative Android device is probably the Samsung Galaxy. I would rather not pay top dollar for a phone that is going to be slowed down by all the bloatware, the added Samsung UI layer and delayed software updates.
Maybe it’s time to make the switch to an iPhone and stop getting trolled about the green text messaging bubbles. You would think this makes sense since I’m already a Mac user but it’s actually pretty silly if you think about it. If I was to purchase an iPhone, it’s purely because I like the hardware better than all the other available options. On my iPhone, I will continue to use Gmail, Google Maps, Google Photos, Chrome, etc. In short, the entire Google suite will be operating on an iOS device.
Gone are the days where an app is only available on one platform or the other. Gone are the days where designs and experiences are noticeably different between Android and iOS. Tech companies are moving to cohesive experiences across all platforms. For example, React Native allows development teams to code once and create identical applications regardless of your software of choice. This makes switching devices even less of a software decision because the experiences are converging and becoming similar.
In a world where software drives everything, I find myself making a hardware decision. As digital solutions start to collide in what they offer, the switching costs are becoming too great because the incremental value is not worth the effort. I elected to not purchase a new phone despite not having a power button. My friend had the same dilemma and she made the switch from her Pixel to an iPhone but after one week, she returned the new phone. Do you think hardware will start driving more of our decisions as the various software solutions start to converge?
