Many were expecting Google to unveil a new physical credit card to complement its Google Wallet service at the developer conference. Unfortunately, those expectations were dashed by a recent leak from credible sources that the internet giant would not be doing so in the near future.
Some speculation as to why this happened involved the head of Google Wallet, Osama Bidier, who may be leaving the company. A recent memo distributed within Google is claimed to outline the axing of the product for the time being.
Despite the claims, many are left wondering why Google would not continue on the path of releasing the card as they had planned. Sources inside the company claimed that functional prototypes were already in existence, with the standard 'W' multi-color logo of Google Wallet embossed on the front of the card. In all aspects, the now-hypothetical Google Wallet credit card looked and functioned as intended.
Google had hinted that its reasoning for developing the card was to extract more information about personal spending habits – with the hopes of using that information to further optimize their advertising venues like AdSense. With the company garnering similar information through its other operations like Google Play and Google Checkout, the company has had a knack for using said data to improve their search and advertising algorithms.
The credit card would have allowed individuals to use their Google Wallet accounts without having direct access to a smartphone or tablet: while changing payment methods on a dime would not be possible in this case, users would have still been able to take the card with them pre-programmed and use it as such. Still, the goal was to allow the card to be used in conjunction with a smartphone to switch in between payment methods as necessary.
Further complications arose from the fact that not all smartphones are equipped with NFC technology just yet, making the reality of creating a wide-reaching, successful product less likely.
It would appear that the stars have simply aligned against Google releasing this product. While it was a great idea – and one we certainly hope can be implemented in the future – consumers will have to wait and see if it ever becomes a reality.