Google is reportedly shifting its focus to hardware at Assistant's expense

Google's flurry of hardware launches may be part of a larger defensive strategy. Sources speaking to The Information claim CEO Sundar Pichai sees hardware as the best way to be "protected" against the pitfalls of a changing mobile market. According to Google Assistant VP Sissie Hsiao, Pichai is concerned Apple is taking share from Android partners like Samsung, and that antitrust regulators might nix Google's long-standing deal to make its search engine the default on iPhones.