Google executives took to the stage on Wednesday to showcase the company’s latest offerings for developers. The keynote, which included the introduction of an unlocked, stock Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 as well as updates to the Google+ platform, and Google Music and Search, did not see the usual fanfare that accompanies the Google developer conference.

Sought-after platforms such as Google Glass were nowhere to be seen. But according to industry analysts, there were still plenty of announcements to get the IT community excited.

Gartner research vice president Carolina Milanesi said: “It would be very easy to look at the event today and call it a non-event – no hardware, no parachuting. But this year had much more about the ecosystem and how to make it successful than last year did.

“It was all about strengthening the ecosystem and making it more profitable for Google but also for their partners.”

Milanesi told V3 that among the most useful updates in the first day of the event were the Google+ additions. With the service increasingly becoming a component of all Google products, updates will become more essential.

“Whether we like it or not we will be using Google+ as it becomes the door into the ecosystem. I think the enhancements they made will make it much more appealing and the forced sign in will get people on it,” Milanesi explained.

For Greg Sterling, senior analyst and program director at Opus Research, the rollout of conversational search was of particular interest. The platform, designed as a component the Google Now platform, could make interacting with the personal assistant platform more natural and efficient.

“The mapping features and upgrades were also impressive,” Sterling told V3. “Maps is a ‘bread and butter’ product for Google and the new capabilities and redesign put more distance between the company and its major competitors: Apple, Microsoft and Nokia.”

Investors, meanwhile, got something to smile about near the end of the company’s keynote address, when Larry Page made an appearance. Gartner research vice president Van Baker said that the appearance – which comes in the wake of Page’s disclosure of a throat condition that affects his speech – reflected well on the Google boss.

“I was impressed by Larry Page and his willingness to take the stage after his revelation about his medical problems yesterday,” Baker told V3. “He is refreshing compared to some of the other CEOs in the tech industry.”