Apple might be having a ball at CES adding third-party AirPlay 2 and iTunes support, but Google doesn’t want to be left behind with their Android TV platform. Google is reportedly planning on the enforcement of minimum hardware requirements for the platform, according to Android TV head Shalini Govil-Pai.
Speaking with Cord Cutters News at CES earlier this week, Govil-Pai revealed some tidbits about the future direction of the Android TV platform. Minimum hardware requirements, according to the Android TV Senior Director of Product Management, is part of an approach towards managing the overall performance of lower end devices that come with Android TV installed. This comes as many cable providers – most notably AT&T’s DirecTV box – are looking towards the platform, as well as the increasing popularity of devices such as the Nvidia SHIELD and the Xiaomi Mi Box S.
Govil-Pai made it perfectly clear that the division is “not planning on abandoning the lower end market.” They are seeking to “set standards that manufacturers have to live up to” when it comes to end user experience. There are also plans on attracting app makers who previously skipped over the platform due to lack of sizable user base, with the creation of a team dedicated to that cause.
Even though the Nvidia SHIELD is an attractive multi-use device, especially for 3rd – 6th video game emulation and Nvidia’s GameStream technology, gaming isn’t the driving force behind sales of Android TV devices, especially considering the attractive nature of the Roku and Amazon Fire family of devices in terms of content consumption application availability.
