Top 10 web updates from Google I/O ‘24
Summary
TLDRIn the latest Chrome and web announcements from Google I/O, Sparkle Meadows unveils innovative updates including Gemini Nano, an AI model for on-device tasks, enhancing web development with high-level APIs like Translate and Transcribe. WebGPU and Wasm improvements promise faster AI at scale, while Chrome DevTools gets Gemini integration for easier debugging. New APIs like Speculation Rules and View Transitions aim to improve navigation and visual transitions, with tools like the Web Platform Dashboard and Baseline updates ensuring cross-browser feature support. Angular advancements in partial hydration and Reactive APIs with Signals are highlighted, along with the introduction of photorealistic 3D maps in the Maps JavaScript API.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Sparkle Meadows introduces the latest Chrome and web updates from Google I/O, focusing on innovative capabilities for powerful web experiences.
- 🧠 The introduction of Gemini Nano, Google's efficient on-device AI model, into Chrome desktop allows developers to deliver advanced features without worrying about prompt engineering or cost.
- 🔧 The Prompt API, an experimental feature, enables developers to send natural language instructions to Gemini Nano, simplifying AI integration.
- 🚀 WebGPU and Wasm are enhanced with new improvements like 16-bit floating point values and JavaScript Promise Integration to speed up AI at scale.
- 🛠️ Chrome DevTools is updated with Gemini to provide insights and assist with debugging, making it easier for developers to understand and fix issues.
- 🔄 The Speculation Rules API allows for near-instant navigation by prefetching and pre-rendering pages, significantly improving load times as demonstrated by Tokopedia.
- 🎨 The View Transitions API facilitates smooth animations between page states, enhancing the user experience in both multi-page and single-page applications.
- 📈 Updates to Baseline include the Web Platform Dashboard, providing a comprehensive view of web platform features, their development, and interop status.
- 🌐 Akamai's Rum Archive introduces a new tool for developers to see the global user share of Baseline versions and features, aiding in decision-making for feature adoption.
- 🌐 Angular is working on partial hydration to improve core web vitals by loading and hydrating only parts of the app when needed.
- 📡 Angular introduces new Reactive APIs with Signals for fine-grained change detection, reducing the need for manual UI optimization.
- 🗺️ Google Maps platform brings photorealistic 3D maps to the Maps JavaScript API, allowing developers to create immersive web experiences with just a single line of code.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the latest Chrome and web announcements from Google I/O?
-The main focus is on innovative capabilities and tools aimed at building web experiences that are more powerful than ever, with a significant emphasis on AI and its integration into the web development process.
What is Gemini Nano and how does it benefit developers?
-Gemini Nano is Google's most efficient model for on-device tasks. It allows developers to harness the power of on-device AI without worrying about prompt engineering, fine-tuning, capacity, or cost, by simply calling high-level APIs like Translate, Transcribe, or Caption.
What is the Prompt API and how does it work?
-The Prompt API is an experimental API that enables developers to send natural language instructions to an instance of Gemini Nano in Chrome, allowing for further exploration of use cases and AI capabilities on the web.
How does the introduction of WebGPU and Wasm improvements contribute to AI efficiency on the web?
-WebGPU and Wasm serve as the backbone for on-device AI on the web. Improvements such as 16-bit floating point values in WebGPU and memory 64 and JavaScript Promise Integration in Wasm make AI run faster at scale on a vast majority of devices.
What is the Speculation Rules API and its impact on web page navigation?
-The Speculation Rules API enables near-instant navigation by allowing pages to be prefetched and pre-rendered in the background, resulting in significantly faster load times.
How did Tokopedia benefit from testing the Speculation Rules API?
-As an early tester, Tokopedia experienced a 4.8-time improvement in loading time to the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) of their product description pages.
What is the View Transitions API and its purpose?
-The View Transitions API allows for easy animation between page states, enabling developers to create a fluid navigation experience in both multi-page applications and single-page apps.
How did Airbnb utilize the View Transitions API in their platform?
-Airbnb used the View Transitions API to create smooth and seamless navigations from the listing editor sidebar to editing photos and adding amenities within a fluid user flow.
What is the Web Platform Dashboard and its purpose?
-The Web Platform Dashboard is a tool that maps out the entire web platform as a set of features, allowing developers to follow their development and check their interop status.
What is the significance of the new tool for developers on Akamai's Rum Archive Insights?
-The new tool allows developers to see the global user share of Baseline versions and features, helping them understand which features are unlocked with a specific version of Baseline and integrate them into their workflow.
How is Angular improving web app development with its new features?
-Angular is introducing partial hydration to load and hydrate parts of an app only when needed, improving core web vitals for performance-sensitive apps. Additionally, it offers new Reactive APIs with Signals for fine-grained change detection, enhancing the developer experience.
What new capability is being added to the Maps JavaScript API from Google Maps platform?
-The Maps JavaScript API is being enhanced to include photorealistic 3D maps, leveraging Google's rendering technology to deliver rich 3D maps quickly and efficiently.
Outlines
🌟 Chrome and Web Innovations at Google I/O
Sparkle Meadows introduces the latest Chrome and web updates from Google I/O, focusing on AI advancements for web development. Gemini Nano, Google's efficient on-device AI model, is now integrated into Chrome desktop, allowing developers to deliver powerful features without worrying about prompt engineering or costs. The Prompt API enables natural language instructions to Gemini Nano, and the Early Preview Program invites developers to shape the future of web development. WebGPU and Wasm improvements, such as 16-bit floating point values and JavaScript Promise Integration, aim to make AI run faster on a wide range of devices. Developers can choose between built-in AI, server-side AI, or a hybrid approach. Chrome DevTools is enhanced with Gemini to generate insights and assist with debugging. The Speculation Rules API is introduced for near-instant page navigation by prefetching and pre-rendering pages. Tokopedia benefits from this with a significant improvement in Largest Contentful Paint. The View Transitions API allows for smooth animations between page states, as demonstrated by Airbnb's seamless navigations. Updates to Baseline and the introduction of the Web Platform Dashboard provide a comprehensive tool for developers to track web platform feature support and development.
🚀 Angular Enhancements and 3D Maps Integration
The script discusses Angular's advancements in web app development. Partial hydration is being developed to load and hydrate only parts of an app when needed, improving core web vitals for performance-sensitive applications, with a Developer Preview expected later in the year. Angular also introduces Reactive APIs with Signals for fine-grained change detection, allowing for more granular control over state changes in components without manual UI optimization. The new APIs are available out of the box. Additionally, Google Maps platform's Maps JavaScript API now includes photorealistic 3D maps, leveraging Google's rendering technology to provide rich 3D maps with information on over 250 million places and businesses worldwide. Developers can integrate this feature with just a single line of code during the experimental phase at no cost. The script concludes with excitement for the potential of these updates in building immersive web experiences.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Chrome and web announcements
💡Gemini Nano
💡On-device AI
💡High-level APIs
💡Prompt API
💡WebGPU and Wasm
💡Speculation Rules API
💡View Transitions API
💡Baseline
💡Angular
💡Reactive APIs
💡Maps JavaScript API
Highlights
Introduction of Sparkle Meadows and the latest Chrome and web announcements from Google I/O.
AI's evolving role in web development and the introduction of on-device AI with Gemini Nano in Chrome desktop.
Gemini Nano as Google's most efficient model for on-device tasks, simplifying AI feature delivery.
The Prompt API, an experimental feature allowing natural language instructions for Gemini Nano in Chrome.
Invitation to join the Early Preview Program to shape the future of web development.
Efficiency improvements in WebGPU and Wasm for on-device AI, including 16-bit floating point values and JavaScript Promise Integration.
The option to choose between built-in AI, server-side AI, or a hybrid approach for web experiences.
AI's potential to enhance developer workflows with the integration of Gemini into Chrome DevTools.
Chrome DevTools Console Insights, providing insights and aiding in understanding and fixing issues.
Introduction of the Speculation Rules API for near-instant navigation by prefetching and pre-rendering pages.
Tokopedia's success story with a 4.8-time improvement in Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) using the Speculation Rules API.
The View Transitions API for animating between page states, enhancing multi-page and single-page applications.
Airbnb's implementation of the View Transition API for smooth and seamless navigation.
Updates to Baseline with the introduction of the Web Platform Dashboard for tracking feature development and interop status.
Akamai's Rum Archive Insights tool for developers to see global user share of Baseline versions and features.
Angular's new features including partial hydration and Reactive APIs with Signals for fine-grained change detection.
Introduction of photorealistic 3D maps to the Maps JavaScript API from Google Maps platform.
The ability to start using photorealistic 3D maps with a single line of code during the experimental phase.
Closing remarks expressing excitement for the future of web development with the new updates and features.
Transcripts
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPARKLE MEADOWS: Hi, my name is Sparkle Meadows,
and today, I'm going to be taking you through the latest
Chrome and web announcements from Google I/O. We
have some exciting new updates and releases,
all aimed to bring you innovative capabilities
and tools to build web experiences that
are more powerful than ever.
Let's get right into it.
AI continues to evolve how developers build and create,
and it's no different for the web.
And now you can harness the power of on-device AI
with Gemini Nano built right into the Chrome desktop.
Gemini Nano is Google's most efficient model
for on-device tasks.
With built-in AI, soon you'll be able to deliver
powerful features to Chrome's billions of users
without having to worry about prompt engineering, fine-tuning,
capacity, or cost.
All you'll have to do is call a few high-level APIs
like Translate, Transcribe, or Caption.
And now, you can explore further use cases with the Prompt API.
This experimental API lets you send natural language
instructions to an instance of Gemini Nano in Chrome.
Join our Early Preview Program and help us shape
the future of web development.
We know that AI models can be costly and cumbersome to run,
so we're committed to ensuring AI models can
run quickly and efficiently.
With WebGPU and Wasm as the backbone for on-device AI
on the web, we introduce new improvements,
like 16-bit floating point values in WebGPU and memory 64
and JavaScript Promise Integration in Wasm to make AI
run even faster at scale on a vast majority of devices.
Depending on your web experience,
you can now select among built-in AI, server-side AI,
or even a hybrid approach.
With WebGPU, Wasm, and Gemini built into Chrome,
the web is AI-ready.
AI can also vastly improve developer workflows.
Chrome DevTools is one of the most popular ways
to debug and troubleshoot your app,
so we are bringing Gemini to make Chrome DevTools easier
than ever.
Gemini will now generate insights
right in your Chrome DevTools.
It will help you understand messages, errors,
what the problem is, and even how to fix it.
Chrome DevTools Console Insights is available now.
Make sure to try it out.
With all the exciting AI news, let's turn the page
to continue and see how we're improving web page navigation.
With the new Speculation Rules API,
we're enabling near-instant navigation
by prefetching and pre-rendering pages in the background.
This allows pages to load in milliseconds.
As an early tester of the Speculation Rules API,
Tokopedia was able to see a 4.8-time loading time
improvement to the Largest Contentful Paint, LCP,
of their product description pages.
Get started with only a few lines of code
and see how Speculation Rules can enable near-instant seamless
browsing experiences.
Seamless visual transitions are important, both for this video
and for your website.
So we introduce a View Transitions API,
letting you animate easily between page states.
Whether you build a multi-page application
or a single-page app, you'll be able to create
a fluid navigation experience regardless
of your site's architecture.
As an early adopter of the View Transition API,
Airbnb created smooth and seamless navigations
from the listing editor sidebar right into editing photos
and adding amenities all within a fluid user flow.
Combine the Speculation Rules and View Transitions APIs
to see how we're truly improving the web navigation experience
for developers and users alike.
Now you might be wondering, when will I
know if these amazing features are available across browsers?
Not to worry.
We've got that covered, too, with updates to Baseline,
the tool to understand browser support for web platform
features.
We're taking all the information from Baseline
and introducing the new Web Platform Dashboard.
With this, you'll be able to see the entire web platform mapped
out as a set of features, follow their development,
and check their interop status.
We'd love to hear your suggestions for the dashboard.
If you have an idea or want to report a bug, find us on GitHub
and let us know.
We've heard from developers that Baseline
works best when integrated into your workflow and the tools
you use every day.
That's why Akamai's Rum Archive has a new tool for developers
on Rum Archive Insights.
For the first time, you can see the global user share
of Baseline versions and features
that are unlocked with that version of Baseline side
by side.
For example, if you adopt Baseline 2022, and therefore,
want to use no features newer than that,
your IDE should let if you use a newer feature.
We'll continue to release improvements, including
RUMVision, which will soon include
Baseline data in the information it provides about your audience.
With the web features data becoming more complete
every day, this is a great time to think about how
you could integrate it.
We believe one of the best platforms
for building and deploying web apps is Angular.
We are now working on partial hydration
so JavaScript will load and hydrate part of your app
only when needed, significantly improving core web vitals
for performance-sensitive apps.
It's coming in Developer Preview later this year.
We also want to give you more granular control
over the detection and management of changes
in your apps.
So this year, Angular also introduced a new set
of Reactive APIs that empower a first-class developer
experience with Signals.
Signals enable fine-grained change detection
that will only check your individual components
in your component tree to propagate
state changes so you no longer have to manually optimize
the UI.
Signal-based Reactive APIs are available
today right out of the box.
Lastly, we're unlocking more ways of building immersive web
experiences by bringing photorealistic 3D maps
to the familiar Maps JavaScript API from Google Maps platform.
Now, you can take advantage of Google's rendering technology
to deliver rich 3D maps at the speed your users expect with
our rich base map and information of more than 250
million places and businesses around the world.
The best part?
You can get started with a single line of code.
Try out photorealistic 3D maps and Maps JavaScript at no cost
during the experimental phase.
We can't wait to see the stunning immersive experiences
you'll build.
And that's it for all the major launches and updates
from web and Chrome.
Hope you are as excited as we are,
and we can't wait to see you build for the powerful web made
easier.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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