Two years after leaving Google, the creator of Android, Andy Rubin is now ready to gain grounds in the smartphone industry. He is determined to create the next platform for the industry, an area he assisted to push since the beginning of his venture.
Rubin is the developer of Android, a mobile operating system that runs on more than 86 percent of all smart phones among users based on IDC. In order to produce consumer hardware, he is presently planning to combine artificial intelligence with his expertise in software application engineering.
However, he's not alone in his endeavor. With a skillful team of 40 individuals - poached from Apple and Google, the team called "Essential" will be the make-up of a forthcoming company that Rubin will lead, according to Bloomberg.
Essential is expected to become a platform company that combine multiple devices together. Currently, the company is developing a range of consumer hardware products integral for the use of mobile and smart homes. The centerpiece will be a AI-empowered smartphone with an edge-to-edge screen sans a surrounding bezel.
Although Rubin intends to put the smartphone in a parallel rank where the iPhone and Pixel flagship sit, it is still in question since the smartphone is currently undergoing the prototyping stage. The phone will be manufactured using high-end materials, metal edges, and a ceramic back panel. Likewise, the phone is expected to boast on the capability to expand hardware features over time using a proprietary connector, and may present a concept similar to modular smartphones.
One of the prototypes of Rubin's smartphone features a larger screen compared to iPhone 7 Plus but scores a smaller footprint because of the bezel's absence. Meanwhile, Rubin is also working towards creating a pressure-sensitive screen, similar to Apple's 3D touch technology.
He highlighted the importance of AI to the tech industry today. Rubin believes that the major inflection point the technology industry will experience and in some ways is already experiencing underlines AI. "What's the next platform? It's about data and people training AI systems to learn," Rubin asserted.
Rubin seems to be targeting for a selling price that of iPhone 7's, although the phone is still in the development stage. The company is considering a mid-year launch, and discussions pertaining manufacturing plans are have started with Foxconn, Bloomberg reported.
Trademarks for Rubin's company, Essential, have also been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Following Rubin's official confirmation. he is putting all his bets on parallelelizing the domination of smartphones in the tech industry today. Soon or later, it will be worth watching how the "Essential" phone will eventually work out in the field.
