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Because it's silly to assume Google's using this for ad tracking and surveillance. The number of people in the world using this is practically zero. I doubt 99%

Because it's silly to assume Google's using this for ad tracking and surveillance. The number of people in the world using this is practically zero. I doubt 99% of Google's workforce has ever tried or heard of it. HN has a tendency to jump to ridiculous conclusions. This is probably a project for some engineers to get promoted and go and work on more interesting stuff.

tpmx 6y ago
> Because it's silly to assume Google's using this for ad tracking and surveillance. The number of people in the world using this is practically zero. I doubt 99% of Google's workforce has ever tried or heard of it. HN has a tendency to jump to ridiculous conclusions. Concepts and prototypes are typically created based on the company's overall vision. Of course very few people will interact with this particular iteration. Really, do you think anyone here was concerned about how many Google employees were "subjected" to this internally?
- throwaway3699 6y ago
  To play devils advocate, if this shipped to millions of people, what benefit does Google have in terms of advertising that wasn't already available in Android? That people are wearing clothes? From an opportunity cost standpoint it just does not make sense. > Really, do you think anyone here was concerned about how many Google employees were "subjected" to this internally? Strawman. I'm trying to point out how this is not part of some grand vision, but just a hardware research project from a lab designed to build out novel concepts for their hardware teams. You can't build a good project without a few failures first, so why not release what they make along the way?
  - tpmx 6y ago
    The goal is obvious: to have Google track everything for a consumer in the name of convenience. You haven't replied to my counterpoint on why focusing on how many googlers used this prototype is irrelevant.
    - throwaway3699 6y ago
      Okay, but you've still not answered, why spend time building new hardware when they could just update their operating system and get 99% of the data you're talking about, for much much less money? Take away the clothing part, and this is literally just a fancy button to control music.
      - tpmx 6y ago
        > Okay, but you've still not answered, why spend time building new hardware when they could just update their operating system and get 99% of the data you're talking about, for much much less money? Take away the clothing part, and this is literally just a fancy button to control music. Because the goal is to extend the reach into every nook and cranny of our lives. Collect more data to serve more ads, better. Edit: Think of this as step 10 or so, after all of their previous device categories. I'm sure we'll be up to at least 100 device categories within the next decade.
        dontblink 6y ago
        Who said that was the goal? You are projecting. Google, as any company would, is looking to diversify. Not everything is about ads or tracking the user for ads.
      - tylerchilds 6y ago
        In the trailer with the example in the shoe and playing soccer, that's insights a phone couldn't capture. It's got an accelerometer and gyroscope, so it can answer the question of "what do people do when they aren't on their phones" Maybe it can't differentiate between soccer and ultimate frisbee, but even just recognizing active vs sedentary lifestyle is valuable information for an advertising profile.
        tpmx 6y ago
        > Maybe it can't differentiate between soccer and ultimate frisbee That doesn't seem so hard to do. I think they'll be able separate your sports activities into at last 50-80 separate categories, with a pretty good level of precision. There's also the timing of your activities. So much to learn about you as a consumer.
- imwillofficial 6y ago
  So everything google does is rational and they don’t experiment with new forms of data collection? Your lack of critical thinking is concerning.
- imwillofficial 6y ago
  “Strawman. I'm trying to point out how this is not part of some grand vision, but just a hardware research project from a lab designed to build out novel concepts for their hardware teams.“ I straw man your straw man! Nobody said anything about a “grand vision”. Merely that this would be used to gather data on those who use it. Experiment, or grand design, google has shown that more often than not, new technology will be used to further serve their customers. Advertisers.
imwillofficial 6y ago
And how does that change the fact that this is a perfect example of the hubris that google displays as they flaunt their power to invade everyone’s lives and make money off of them?
- dontblink 6y ago
  Just an FYI, you seem to have a strong bias and it's coming through. Sometimes a duck is just a duck.
  - imwillofficial 6y ago
    Has Google earned charitable initial judgements with regards to consumer privacy?

tpmx 6y ago

> Because it's silly to assume Google's using this for ad tracking and surveillance. The number of people in the world using this is practically zero. I doubt 99% of Google's workforce has ever tried or heard of it. HN has a tendency to jump to ridiculous conclusions. Concepts and prototypes are typically created based on the company's overall vision. Of course very few people will interact with this particular iteration. Really, do you think anyone here was concerned about how many Google employees were "subjected" to this internally?

throwaway3699 6y ago
To play devils advocate, if this shipped to millions of people, what benefit does Google have in terms of advertising that wasn't already available in Android? That people are wearing clothes? From an opportunity cost standpoint it just does not make sense. > Really, do you think anyone here was concerned about how many Google employees were "subjected" to this internally? Strawman. I'm trying to point out how this is not part of some grand vision, but just a hardware research project from a lab designed to build out novel concepts for their hardware teams. You can't build a good project without a few failures first, so why not release what they make along the way?
- tpmx 6y ago
  The goal is obvious: to have Google track everything for a consumer in the name of convenience. You haven't replied to my counterpoint on why focusing on how many googlers used this prototype is irrelevant.
  - throwaway3699 6y ago
    Okay, but you've still not answered, why spend time building new hardware when they could just update their operating system and get 99% of the data you're talking about, for much much less money? Take away the clothing part, and this is literally just a fancy button to control music.
    - tpmx 6y ago
      > Okay, but you've still not answered, why spend time building new hardware when they could just update their operating system and get 99% of the data you're talking about, for much much less money? Take away the clothing part, and this is literally just a fancy button to control music. Because the goal is to extend the reach into every nook and cranny of our lives. Collect more data to serve more ads, better. Edit: Think of this as step 10 or so, after all of their previous device categories. I'm sure we'll be up to at least 100 device categories within the next decade.
      - dontblink 6y ago
        Who said that was the goal? You are projecting. Google, as any company would, is looking to diversify. Not everything is about ads or tracking the user for ads.
    - tylerchilds 6y ago
      In the trailer with the example in the shoe and playing soccer, that's insights a phone couldn't capture. It's got an accelerometer and gyroscope, so it can answer the question of "what do people do when they aren't on their phones" Maybe it can't differentiate between soccer and ultimate frisbee, but even just recognizing active vs sedentary lifestyle is valuable information for an advertising profile.
      - tpmx 6y ago
        > Maybe it can't differentiate between soccer and ultimate frisbee That doesn't seem so hard to do. I think they'll be able separate your sports activities into at last 50-80 separate categories, with a pretty good level of precision. There's also the timing of your activities. So much to learn about you as a consumer.
imwillofficial 6y ago
So everything google does is rational and they don’t experiment with new forms of data collection? Your lack of critical thinking is concerning.
imwillofficial 6y ago
“Strawman. I'm trying to point out how this is not part of some grand vision, but just a hardware research project from a lab designed to build out novel concepts for their hardware teams.“ I straw man your straw man! Nobody said anything about a “grand vision”. Merely that this would be used to gather data on those who use it. Experiment, or grand design, google has shown that more often than not, new technology will be used to further serve their customers. Advertisers.

imwillofficial 6y ago

And how does that change the fact that this is a perfect example of the hubris that google displays as they flaunt their power to invade everyone’s lives and make money off of them?

dontblink 6y ago
Just an FYI, you seem to have a strong bias and it's coming through. Sometimes a duck is just a duck.
- imwillofficial 6y ago
  Has Google earned charitable initial judgements with regards to consumer privacy?