4 ms·

Google's main marketing slogan for their new phones is that it is good at taking photos of different skin tones. Makes me wonder how diverse most people's acqua

Google's main marketing slogan for their new phones is that it is good at taking photos of different skin tones. Makes me wonder how diverse most people's acquaintances really are, to make it a selling point.

noneeeed 5y ago
I watched a video recently by a reviewer who had taken 1000 photos with both a Pixel 6 and iPhone 13 Pro. The difference was really quite striking, the Pixel 6 was much better at handling faces of different skin colours. This appears to be handled computationally, by detecting faces in the frame and then adjusting appropriately.
- kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
  I don't doubt their claims, I was just wondering how relevant it is for most people.
arketyp 5y ago
It makes me think that biases were always committed to with profit in mind.
- Cthulhu_ 5y ago
  If profit results in a demographic no longer being underrepresented or an afterthought, I'm all for it.
  - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
    Was it really an issue before, though? The article mentions that digital cameras were already better at taking photos of darker skin. I never noticed that photos of black people were of bad quality on the internet.
    - pseudalopex 5y ago
      Better doesn't mean can't improve. And maybe Google and Africa's largest phone maker[1] know something you don't. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224140 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224140
      - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
        Presumably photographs got better all over the board, not just for black people. Technology simply got better over time.
pseudalopex 5y ago
The Pixel 6 slogan is For All You Are. The ads highlight lots of other features. What makes you think it's just about skin? The selling point is it's better for darker skin. Not just diverse group photos.
- kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
  I can not look at the english page for it anymore, because of Google's automatic forwarding rules. Maybe they changed the marketing by now? I'm pretty sure it was marketed for all skin colors, not just darker skin. And the talk about talking diverse photographs was the first "marketing section" after the tech specs. Yeah they also announced they have a "tensor processor" now. I don't think that was/is an actual selling point.
  - pseudalopex 5y ago
    The slogan didn't change since the 1st ad.[1] The Real Tone page says people of color several times.[2] And even saying all skin colors wouldn't mean they have to be in the same photo. Are you claiming Pixel 6 ads don't explain any Tensor processor benefits? Or sell anything but the processor and camera? [1] https://9to5google.com/2021/09/08/google-pixel-6-ad/ https://9to5google.com/2021/09/08/google-pixel-6-ad/ [2] https://store.google.com/intl/en/discover/realtone/ https://store.google.com/intl/en/discover/realtone/
    - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
      I didn't reger to the video ad, but to their web site. I'm saying their main selling point was (and is) that the camera does well with different skin tones.

noneeeed 5y ago

I watched a video recently by a reviewer who had taken 1000 photos with both a Pixel 6 and iPhone 13 Pro. The difference was really quite striking, the Pixel 6 was much better at handling faces of different skin colours. This appears to be handled computationally, by detecting faces in the frame and then adjusting appropriately.

kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
I don't doubt their claims, I was just wondering how relevant it is for most people.

arketyp 5y ago

It makes me think that biases were always committed to with profit in mind.

Cthulhu_ 5y ago
If profit results in a demographic no longer being underrepresented or an afterthought, I'm all for it.
- kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
  Was it really an issue before, though? The article mentions that digital cameras were already better at taking photos of darker skin. I never noticed that photos of black people were of bad quality on the internet.
  - pseudalopex 5y ago
    Better doesn't mean can't improve. And maybe Google and Africa's largest phone maker[1] know something you don't. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224140 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224140
    - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
      Presumably photographs got better all over the board, not just for black people. Technology simply got better over time.

pseudalopex 5y ago

The Pixel 6 slogan is For All You Are. The ads highlight lots of other features. What makes you think it's just about skin? The selling point is it's better for darker skin. Not just diverse group photos.

kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
I can not look at the english page for it anymore, because of Google's automatic forwarding rules. Maybe they changed the marketing by now? I'm pretty sure it was marketed for all skin colors, not just darker skin. And the talk about talking diverse photographs was the first "marketing section" after the tech specs. Yeah they also announced they have a "tensor processor" now. I don't think that was/is an actual selling point.
- pseudalopex 5y ago
  The slogan didn't change since the 1st ad.[1] The Real Tone page says people of color several times.[2] And even saying all skin colors wouldn't mean they have to be in the same photo. Are you claiming Pixel 6 ads don't explain any Tensor processor benefits? Or sell anything but the processor and camera? [1] https://9to5google.com/2021/09/08/google-pixel-6-ad/ https://9to5google.com/2021/09/08/google-pixel-6-ad/ [2] https://store.google.com/intl/en/discover/realtone/ https://store.google.com/intl/en/discover/realtone/
  - kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
    I didn't reger to the video ad, but to their web site. I'm saying their main selling point was (and is) that the camera does well with different skin tones.