In the past 24 hours, Google has gone from releasing their yearly Google I/O date-reveal-puzzle to fully announcing that the yearly developer event will be held at their campus once again and will also consist of a single day event this time around. Like we saw last year, this move accomplishes a few things and has some developers a bit saddened by the lack of in-person meetings for the 4th year in a row.
As we all remember, Google I/O 2020 was cancelled outright due to the pandemic only beginning to truly rear its head here in the US. 2021 followed with a virtual-only event held on Google’s campus on a stage set in a spot where social distancing could still happen for the handful of employees present. Seeing the engagment with the online sessions, Google brought the normal amphitheater setting for I/O back in 2022, complete with live keynotes. However, the breakout sessions were all still virtual and the crowd on-hand was purposefully limited.
It seems that formula works best for this large developer conference, and Google I/O 2023 will follow the same model this time around, giving the general public what they want (live keynotes and likely a few product announcements) and assuring that all the sessions and breakouts are available on-demand to anyone, anywhere.
This year’s event will be broadcast in front of a limited live audience and is open to everyone online on May 10, 2023. Tune in to the livestreamed keynotes, then dive into technical content and learning material on demand. Registration begins March 7 and is free of cost.
Keynotes will be live and available on demand following the event. All sessions will be on demand to watch at your convenience. Check back on the site to see the full program.
via io.google
I’m not a developer, so this doesn’t bother me much at all. I’ve seen a bit of conversation on Twitter from those who are obviously bummed about not having that in-person touch to the individual sessions, and I can imagine that is a bit of a let down. Still, making this event and all the content it provides completely free and available to anyone who registers makes so much sense from a logistical standpoint, and I can see why Google is going this route.
What are we expecting in hardware?
As we learned last year, Google I/O isn’t just about software. Sure, there will be updates to Android, Assistant, and ChromeOS, but we’re likely in for some hardware announcements, too. If I were to bet on it, I’d say we’ll 100% see the Pixel 7a fully revealed, we’ll get launch details on the Pixel Tablet, and likely see the Pixel Fold for real. The Pixel 7a and Pixel Tablet will likely launch within weeks of the event, but we’re all still wondering about the Pixel Fold. It has leaked in nearly every way, so it could get revealed and launched right away as well.
Registration is simple and only necessary if you want to watch some of the more-targeted developer sessions after the two main keynotes. For now, there’s no schedule posted on the I/O homepage, but there will be in the coming weeks. Hopefully Google also brings back the I/O Adventure from the past few years that lets registered “attendees” virtually roam around and interact with demos, Easter eggs, and other avatars to give off a bit of that conference feel.
At this point, we’re 64 days away, so you have time to get set up and as the sessions populate, to get your watch calendar situated for the big day. I/O is always full of fun, new stuff from Google, and we don’t expect anything less this time around. As we find session info and keynote times, we’ll let you know. For now, go get registered and put May 10th on the calendar.
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