Interesting, Google is proposing an Apple-like integration between its products to compete

Google makes it plain that its goal for 2022 is to catch up to Apple by improving the integration of its ecosystem’s various components.

Google has outlined a number of ways it expects to strengthen its efforts on rivaling Apple’s ecosystem integration as CES 2022 approaches this week.

According to 9to5Google, offers capabilities that compete with Spatial Audio, AirDrop, AirPods-like quick pairing, Apple Watch Unlock, and more. Google’s announcements today are part of CES, and they include the company’s whole hardware ecosystem. The following are the specific details.

To begin, the company has announced that its AirDrop-like “Nearby Share” service would be expanded to Windows PCs, allowing Android users to effortlessly and wirelessly share photographs, videos, and files from their phones to their computers.

Of course, this is very similar to utilizing AirDrop to transfer files between an iPhone and a Mac.

In the audio space…

Google has announced that its Fast Pair feature will be available on Windows PCs, Google TV, Android TV, and Matter-compatible smart home gadgets.

Fast Pair-compatible headphones will be able to connect to these devices in the same way that AirPods can pair with the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

In addition, Google is working on a feature akin to Apple’s Spatial Audio feature on AirPods, which changes the sound output based on head movements and the location of your head in respect to the audio source.

Similar to AirPods and iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Android users will be able to transfer their audio source between Android and Chromebook devices.

Wait, there’s more…

Users will soon be able to unlock their Chromebook or other Android device using their Wear OS smartwatch, similar to the Apple Watch Unlock option for the Mac (and, more lately, the iPhone). Apple Watch Unlock was first introduced to the Mac a few years ago, and then to the iPhone last year.

What does it mean for us?

With today’s announcements, Google makes it plain that its goal for 2022 is to catch up to Apple by improving the integration of its ecosystem’s various components.

It remains to be seen whether the firm succeeds in this, especially given its aggressive timeframe of deploying all of these features this year.

Apple’s main advantage, as it admits, is that it has complete control over the hardware and software components of all of its devices. Although Google owns Android and some hardware, the great majority of Android smartphones, smartwatches, and Chromebooks come from other manufacturers.