Google I/O goes online again, conference set for May 11

Another year, another event that will remain virtual – for the most part. Google’s annual developers’ conference known as Google I/O will once again take place at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View. Presumably, that means an online-only event in which the keynote will likely feature CEO Sundar Pichai surrounded by a handful of strategically spread-out employees.

Last year’s I/O focused heavily on software, design, and sustainability. There was even a cameo from Ant Man actor Michael Peña who gave us a tour of Google’s Quantum Computing Campus. Exciting stuff even if you don’t understand how it works or even what it does. That said, it’s always our hope that Google might debut or at least tease some new hardware at I/O. Sadly, that did not happen in 2021.

This year, however, our anticipation is a bit higher than previous years as rumors continue to swirl about the pending release of the long-awaited Pixel Watch and the potentially potent Pixel 6a. While we have no rock solid evidence that Google will bring the new hardware to I/O, the timing feels really good for such a hardware announcement. Most signs are pointing to the end of May and now we have an official date for Google I/O that is only two weeks prior to the originally rumored release date of May 26. CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted the announcement and share a link to the newly launched Google I/O 2022 landing page.

We'll be back live from Shoreline Amphitheatre for this year's #GoogleIO! Join us online May 11-12 https://t.co/KgNKbaLeym pic.twitter.com/NUodJb7UCi

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 16, 2022

There aren’t any sessions listed at this time and there’s really no telling what Google will present at the annual conference. However, in usual Google fashion, there’s a mini-game on the I/O website and I’d be willing to wager a cup of coffee that there may be some hidden meaning or Easter eggs to be found on the site. I haven’t had much time to fiddle with the I/O Puzzle but you can find it here if you’d like to try and decipher the code. If you solve it, shoot us an email and we will proclaim your triumph to the world. In the meantime, you can save the date for Google I/O on your calendar and sit back in anticapation with us as we anxiously await whatever is coming.