Google introduced the Tensor series of chips with the Pixel 6 series in 2021. It was meant to usher in a range of chips specially tailored by Google to keep up with its class-leading AI-based software features. Just three Tensor chips in, and many of Google’s new AI features need to be off-loaded to the cloud for processing.
  • Deftdrummer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    10 months ago

    It is interesting that the price has already dropped on the P8 and is expected to continue to drop thru black Friday.

    This is precisely why I never buy new anymore, having been burned by two previous Pixel releases in the past.

    This chip situation doesn’t bode well for my continued Pixel use however.

    Software is important but it isn’t everything, and like the article said raw horsepower does matter. For me. The most important things are battery, life display brightness, and cellular connectivity - something my pixel 6 Pro objectively fails at on all three fronts.

    Combine that with all of the data theft that Google software utilizes, and I think I’m pretty much done.

  • Max_Power@feddit.deEnglish
    2·
    10 months ago

    Google makes 3 things: Android (includes Play store), Google Mail, Google Search.

    That’s it. Everything else from Google has its head already on the chopping block.

  • drwankingstein@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I think in general, having NPUs on devices is such an underrated value of which Google’s TPU would be classified as. There’s actually a lot you can use them for. The main thing for me personally is definitely voice detection stuff. Although I have to admit FUTO’s voice detect which uses whisper, really great. This reply is being crafted entirely using it.

    Background noise removal which definitely helps with Speech detection. So it’s really nice to have that too. And of course you have things like video processing and everything else Google is bragging about.

    I don’t think these devices are incapable of doing what Google wants them to. I think it’s a mixture of they’re simply not fast enough to do it real time, which Google needs for their premium feeling this as well as just not wanting to invest the time in it.

  • soulfirethewolf@lemdro.idEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    It is frustrating how the different parts at Google overlap with each other in ways that basically make them counteract itself

    • smoothbrain coldtakes@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      All big tech should just be broken into parts. Glass-Steagall the fuckers. Google can have their adtech empire, strip everything else away from them though. Same with Microsoft. Fuck having like 18 departments under a massive main brand, break down the departments into their own corps.

      • HubertManne@kbin.social
        1·
        10 months ago

        I worked for abbot labs and we made certain chemicals but we did not discount our product for interior sales so we usually bought the competitor which we could get for a bit cheaper. Makes no sense to me that they would not sell internally wholesale.

  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    What a surprise… What isn’t run in the cloud these days? The cloud makes data collection and forced subscriptions easy.

  • GenEcon@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Weird article. They present a 3+ years road map for upcoming chips but at the same time call that ‘life support’. Something doesn’t add up.

    • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      They’re claiming that after the Tensor 4 design that Google will be moving to a 3nm TSMC fully custom design.

      So the “life support” comment apparently applies to just their current Exynos-derived designs that will need to continue shipping until then, despite the designs being dated (i.e., on “life support”).