Google is starting its own hardware division to handle Nexus, Pixel and its other consumer gadgets
Google is creating an internal hardware division, and is bringing back an oldexecutive to lead the charge.
Rick Osterloh, who departed Google when it sold Motorola to Lenovo, is returning to the company to lead this new hardware division. According to Re/Code (which received confirmation from Google of this news), the aim is to bring all of Google’s various, disparate hardware initiatives (Nexus, OnHub, Chromebook Pixels, etc.) under one roof.
Oddly, Google’s major consumer hardware brand, Nest, is left completely out. Glass, which was under Nest chief Tony Fadell’s watch, will be included in this new division.
In addition to Nexus and Chromebook Pixel, this still unnamed hardware branch within Google will oversee Chromecast, Pixel C (and any new consumer hardware devices), OnHub and ATAP, Google’s experimental hardware lab.
There will also be a suite of products called ‘living room,’ which suggests Google is hard at work on even more connected home stuff.
It’s a smart move for Google, especially if they’re still considering internalizing Nexus hardware. Handling a supply chain should also be a bit easier with a single division leading the charge.
