Google I/O 2016: That's a lot of things we can't have yet

This year's Google I/O conference was one of the company's best in terms of presentation (it was never boring) and the sheer volume of news we've seen. Assistant, Home, Daydream... by the time Google showed off its chat apps Allo and Duo, I started writing bullet points down as I was sure I wouldn't be able to remember all that. 

And then, I started counting how many of these cool new features and products are available now, or in the immediate future. 

The answer is -- you guessed it -- very close to zero. 

Google Home will be available in the fall. The gadget is based on a new, smarter-than-ever AI called Google Assistant, which is also not available yet, and Google hasn't even announced a clear timeline for its launch.

The company's VR platform, Daydream is also coming in the fall. The widely rumored new VR headset from Google turned out to be a reference design for other manufacturers and not an actual product. All we saw at this stage was a pencil drawing of a generic-looking headset and remote. 

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

I know this is a long, sad list, but bear with me. Chat apps Allo and Duo will be available on iOS and Android later this summer. Android Instant Apps, a nifty feature which lets you use Android apps without installing them on your phone, is coming later this year. Some people expected new Nexus phones, but that didn't happen (yet). Android Wear 2.0 is coming in the fall.

Very few of the products are even at the conference as early demos. Home, Allo and Duo, Instant Apps -- not even attendees of Google I/O can get their hands on them (the Android Wear and Android Auto updates being the exceptions).

So is there anything that Google showed on Wednesday that's actually available to users now? Only one thing by my count: The Android N beta. And that's just a beta, not a full product; Google (or Mashable, for that matter) does not recommend anyone should install it unless you're a developer or one of the most advanced and curious of users. While Android N is likely coming sometime during the summer, it doesn't even have a name yet. 

So is there anything that Google showed on Wednesday that's actually available to users now? Only one thing by my count: The Android N beta. And that's just a beta, not a full product.

There are two caveats to this. First, this was only the first day of the conference; it's still possible for Google to launch something (or many things) cool that we'll actually be able to buy or use soon. 

And yes, Google I/O is primarily a developer conference; by design, it's looking forward. Its format is similar every year: Google drops a lot of info about the next version of Android, which is typically still in development, announces a ton of software and possibly shows off one or two hardware gadgets. Project development schedules don't always line up with events, and it's better to announce a product for later than to launch a half-baked one now. 

But Google I/O is also Google's biggest event of the year; the time when the company announces its most important new products. One would expect at least some of this stuff to be available now or soon. At least last year, we got the new Google Photos and wide access to Inbox right away.

I've seen some chatter on social media about this, with a few unhappy users calling the products "vaporware." Since this is Google we're talking about, that's a vastly unfair assessment; the company will certianly follow through on the products announced (though that hand-drawn VR headset does look mighty suspicious). 

And let's face it, Google can afford to shower us with a dozen products that aren't ready for prime time yet; the company is that big, its ecosystem that strong. You won't see angry users switching to Apple products because Home is not yet available -- at least not significantly above the usual rate at which users jump from one camp to another. 

But for a regular user who was watching the keynote and expected to actually try out something new from Google today, the I/O 2016 was a letdown.

BONUS: Google wants your car to have an Android brain

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