Google’s TV plans are having technical difficulties. The technology giant has requested that the manufacturers of its TV-plus-web sets delay product introductions to give the company more time to tune the software.
Sets branded as Google TVs were expected to make a big splash at the Consumer Electronics Show next month in Las Vegas. The products seek to take Internet-ready TVs to the next level with a Google search engine that searches TV programming as well as the web, plus other innovations. But early reviews of the platform have been less than raving.
Google Platform Delays
The delay is the latest in a series of Google-promised revolutionary platforms that have left manufacturers tapping their feet as the Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant postponed launches to refine the software. These have included the Chrome operating system for web-focused laptops, the Android OS for tablets, and now Google TV.
Because of the delay, and the missed opportunity of a big launch at next year’s CES, some observers expect Google TV will have to wait at least another year before it has the opportunity to catch the public’s imagination and pocketbook.
The planned TV sets, ranging from a $600 24-inch HDTV to a $1,400 46-incher, were expected to be complemented by devices from Sony, Logitech, Samsung and others that would allow consumers to keep existing TVS while adding Google’s bells and whistles. According to news reports, Samsung is going ahead with plans to introduce its add-on appliance at CES, and the Logitech device is already on the market.
A key question is how differentiated Google TVs will be. Net-connected TVs, or TVs that have Internet access through Blu-ray players, game consoles, and the like, are becoming more commonplace. Netflix and other online programming services can be accessed on these sets, increasing the number of movies and TV shows…