When we’re talking about Google and the software that powers our favorite devices, there are two big names that come to mind: Android and ChromeOS. Both built off the Linux kernel, billions of devices around the world run these operating systems. But lately, we’ve been witnessing an effort by Google to develop and deploy a new platform called Fuchsia, one built from the ground up on a custom kernel. We’ve already seen some Made by Google hardware make the switch over to Fuchsia, including the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, and Nest Audio is expected to follow suit. But now we’re hearing about what might be the very first Google hardware to debut running Fuchsia from day one.
In the fleeting moments it was publicly available online, a seemingly accidentally released Google planning document revealed the company’s intentions to create a new product running Fuchsia OS right out of the box. 9to5Google reports that the document outlined future support for JavaScript development, which would allow manufacturer-level testers to tweak code and build test applications for devices running Fuchsia.
The key takeaway here is that Google’s factories will soon have a need to test Fuchsia devices. The document even offered a timetable for how quickly that might happen in mentioning that JavaScript development support in Fuchsia needed to be ready in the first half of this year. Google reveals its plans through a couple key statements:
“Eventually, Fuchsia will be used as the operating system on devices when they are manufactured in factories”
“Having a generally working solution ready by 1H2023, so the solution is available for Fuchsia’s first factory build.”
Given the long list of Nest devices waiting patiently for their Fuchsia update, the products launched with Google’s new OS will probably be high-end gadgets. Recent changes to Fuchsia code reveal Google is adding support for upcoming smart speakers, which could be successors to the second-generation Nest Mini and Nest Audio. That might put the approximate launch timeframe for these new smart home gadgets around fall 2023, which would be in line with manufacturer testing needing to be ready by the first half of this year.
