Tech giant Google is betting big on the Indian market and bringing in hardware products from its global portfolio to the country to cash in on the growing demand for smart devices. The US-based company – which on Monday launched its Google Nest Hub in India – already offers devices like Pixel smartphones, Chromecast (streaming device), Google Home (smart speaker) and Google Daydream View (VR headset).
“India is a very important market. That’s why this is a market where we are launching a portfolio of Google hardware products from phones to the assistant device to Home device and hopefully more products will come here in the future to India,” Google Director Asia Pacific Business Mickey Kim said.
Google India and Thailand Business Lead Saurabh Arya said Google Nest Hub – a smart display device for homes that can be used to control lights, camera and other smart products – is a new category and growth is expected to be very fast but declined to comment on specific numbers.
Priced at Rs 9,999, the Google Assistant-powered device simply can also be used for Google services like search, calendar, maps, YouTube and Google Photos.
Google Nest Hub supports more than 200 million connected devices from over 3,500 brands globally. Using touch or voice, users will be able to control devices like smart bulbs, cameras and smart plugs from companies like Xiaomi, Syska lights, Oakter Plugs, Philips Hue, LG and others.
The device – which features a 7-inch display – has a physical button to turn off the mic and does not have a camera. Kim said this has been done to address privacy concerns that users may have around the device in their homes.