Google’s recent hardware releases could be part of a larger defensive strategy. According to sources, CEO Sundar Pichai believes that hardware is the best way to be “protected” against the pitfalls of a changing mobile market. According to Google Assistant VP Sissie Hsiao, Pichai is concerned that Apple is stealing market share from Android partners such as Samsung, and that antitrust regulators may overturn Google’s long-standing agreement to make its search engine the default on iPhones.
