In the world of smartphones the process of the development of a flagship smartphone can be bigger than the actual product. Before the official device releases, manufacturers makes Prototypes of that device. It's nice to take a look at how the designs of products evolve from the drawing board all the way to our homes, pockets, and backpacks.
An interview with Google hardware designer Ivy Ross recently went up on The Keyword and the company just shared a collection of images showcasing prototype designs for some of its major 2017 products, including the Pixel 2, Pixelbook, Daydream View, and line of Google Home smart speakers.
Ivy Ross, the head of the Made by Google team, was interviewed by the managing editor of the Google blog. In the interview, Ross discusses how she approaches the design of all Google hardware, what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and how she gets the inspiration for her work.
The whole interview is a very interesting read, but the real stars of the show are the handful of images showcasing early design ideas. The Pixel 2, it seems, always had a black glass back, but the fingerprint sensor wasn’t always surrounded by a metal disc. In fact, at one point it was fully colored blue. The camera configuration varied from prototype to prototype, and even the Google “G” logo went through some wild changes.
As for the Pixelbook, the lid always had the same two-tone look as the Pixel and the Pixel 2, but different colors were incorporated as the design evolved. The keyboard and trackpad layout looks like it didn’t change much though, at least not according to the photo provided.
Only one prototype of the Daydream View appears, but a ton of early sketches are revealed. And a pic of a meeting between a small group of people deciding on fabric choices for the Google Home line is shown, although the products in the image don’t look much different from their retail versions.
Also, a tipster has chimed in to note several other design iterations that were considered by Google for the Pixel 2, including:
- Swappable backplates
- Larger edges with a slender middle
- Monochrome rear with fingerprint scanner in one of the Google colors
- Monochrome back with the Google colors (blue, red, yellow, and green) around the edges
What are your thoughts on the prototypes?
Source : Google
