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Comment by btmiller | Hacker News Reader

Oof, you know there're problems with USB-C when even Google in their official press shots show a dongle being used with their hardware key. Not very elegant, is it.

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I am quickly losing confidence in Google's ability to do hardware. Google Home is the only bright point on an otherwise terrible landscape of hardware releases.

Pixel 1 : Great phone but they just couldn't keep the supply chain filled.

Pixel 2 : see above.

Android Wear / Wear OS : Version 1.x solved all the problems of early Android handsets, by Google taking control of the firmware. Version 2.x completely crippled existing watches to the point of making them unusable. I think this was in a bid to gain more iPhone users.

Pixel 3 : It's not out yet and it's already being slated for having a huge notch. Let's hope they can make enough this time.

Google is to hardware what Sony Pictures is to movies. You get the odd great release but generally they're bogus.

To be fair, most other top hardware makers they're being compared to have been in the game for decades. And even then, the flaws were never that big. The biggest one so far has been a screen that shifts blue on tilt, but Apple and Samsung (the two biggest and best hardware makers out there) have had bigger issues (exploding phones, bending phones, reception issues, etc).

Also not sure why you randomly mention Android Wear, which to this point is purely software for Google, in the middle of a hardware comment.

Google took a much tighter hold of the reins with regard to Wear hardware. Google releases the firmware binaries, unlike in Android.

>Google Home is the only bright point

I'd say even that is questionable. Their insistence on using two microphones with "superior software" looks great on paper. Reality is it's significantly less sensitive than Alexa/echo in practice.

Yubico has 2 USB-C models.

https://www.yubico.com/product/yubikey-4-series/#yubikey-4c-...

That's just indicative of the state of the market. Likely it wasn't worth it for Google to also manufacture a separate USB-C version.

It might still be coming. I hope.

I work at Google but have no internal knowledge of whether USB-C version is being considered for production or not. I personally really need one, since that Pixelbook on the product page is actually standing with the help of the USB port, as adapter is much thicker than the laptop itself.

That's quite a leap. Most people don't have USB C, it makes sense to ship A/B and call attention to that unless you're making accessories for specific laptop models.

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