Canada’s first Google pop-up shop opened in Toronto on Wednesday, having started operating out of the Drake General Store located at 1151 Queen Street West. The shop is offering the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Android flagships, as well as a broad range of other consumer electronics recently released by Alphabet’s subsidiary, with the list of available goods including the Home-series smart speakers, Daydream View lineup of virtual reality headsets, and Google Assistant-enabled Pixel Buds, a fully wireless pair of in-ear headphones. Customizable protective cases for Google-made smartphones are also on offer, as are hands-on sessions with all products the company is selling at the location.
As is the case with many other Google pop-up shops launched in the United States and other parts of the world, the new Toronto location has multiple Google Assistant queries hidden throughout its retail space, with observant visitors being able to ask selfies from a mirror and receive literature information from a bookshelf, among other things. The Mountain View, California-based tech giant has yet to clarify whether more such pop-up stores are planned to be opened in Canada in the near future, though it’s likely to opt for such a move if its first such venture in the country proves successful.
Google’s hardware push is expected to continue in early October when its next consumer electronics event is predicted to take place, with recent reports pointing to the launch of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Android flagships, as well as the second-generation Pixel Buds and a new lineup of Pixel-branded smartwatches consisting of three models. The intelligent timepieces in questions are likely to be powered by Qualcomm’s next wearable chip rumored to be called the Snapdragon Wear 3100, whereas the new smartphones may ship with display notches, as per recent reports. All new hardware products Google announces this year should become available for purchase in Canada by early 2019.