NEW DELHI:Industry-wide "pressures in the premium smartphone market" led to a drop in Pixel sales in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same time last year, a top official of Google parent company Alphabet has said. With Google finding it hard to compete in the premium segment, the company could offer new products in the mid-range market. On an earnings call with reporters, Ruth Porat, Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet, cited "some of the recent pressures in the premium smartphone market" for the trouble in selling expensive Pixel phones. But despite the lacklustre phone sales, the Google hardware segment grew, hitting nearly $5.5 billion in revenue this past quarter, The Verge reported. The growth could be due to robust sales of Chromecast devices, laptops, Google Home speakers, and Nest products, among other devices.

Source: Mint April 30, 2019 10:30 UTC