Google TV to miss Google IO but get Samsung, Vizio

Google's revamped Google TV won't show until much later in the year but will have some partners in tow, insiders said Wednesday. The new platform would skip next week's Google I/O conference entirely and would only be unveiled in "coming months." AllThingsD was, however, told that Samsung and Vizio were signing on to join Logitech and Sony.

Stories that it would hinge on faster processors weren't ruled out, but the source pointed to the Revue and Sony's Internet TV hardware being upgradeable.

Google is known to be considering the new, as yet unseen version of Google TV a practical reboot of the platform following a tepid launch late last year. Despite marketing from itself and its early partners, the Android-based TV platform quickly fell out of favor. Logitech reached less than a third of its projected revenue in early 2011. Promised support for third-party apps early in 2011 also never materialized and now won't arrive until the new revision later this year.

The platform is widely considered Google's attempt at countering Apple TV but has been criticized for being too web-centric and presumptive about TV providers' plans. It was designed to show web video and TV results side-by-side but was rendered near-useless for mainstream content after most major providers blocked it. Without a dedicated media store like the Apple TV or support for third-party apps, Google TV devices provided relatively little advantage and were also docked for higher prices and sluggish performance.

By Electronista Staff