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Google pulls plug on Nexus One

zdnet.com

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Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#21

Post by technomancy »

eli wrote: post #10

I blame Google for letting people build the Nexus One up so much (remember the crazy pre-launch rumors about how it was going to change the world?) It's not that Americans are stupid and the rest of the world is smart. The problem is that you typically pay the same monthly service fee whether you take a subsidized phone or not. To go buy your own phone at full retail price is leaving hundreds of dollars on the table.…

> The problem is that you typically pay the same monthly service fee whether you take a subsidized phone or not.

Yeah, T-mobile is really great about this. I'm saving over a thousand dollars over the life of the phone by getting a data-only plan.

Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#24

Post by cookiecaper »

Personally I don't think that Google tried very hard. I hardly ever watch TV, but I've seen TV commercials for Droid. I didn't see any for Nexus One.

I upgraded from a dumb phone recently and wanted to buy a Nexus One, but T-Mobile lady told me Google required a much more expensive plan, that the buy-one-get-one free sale wasn't applicable, and that there were all other kinds of undesirable things about it. It also cost a lot of money for the device itself, and I don't have a lot of money.

So while I would have really liked to buy a N1, I bought a G1 for $99, got another G1 for my wife for free, and took them home, rooted, and installed Android 2.1 and I'm perfectly happy with it. We're on a plan that is about $30 less than our separate dumb phones and includes unlimited data and text. And none of this would have been possible with a Nexus One.

I don't see any reason why this would be part of Google's fundamental strategy. I don't have a problem with Google selling phones online or directly or being the exclusive dealer, but the Nexus One was just too much hassle and would have cost much, much more in the long term.

Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#25

Post by grandalf »

tjogin wrote: post #18
tptacek wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think they "gave up" so much as "saw they were never going to make a lot of money on it" and "were antagonizing the channel for the vast majority of all Android sales". G doesn't want to sell phones; they just want to control the OS that runs on them.

Do you think that it would have been disappointing to Google if Nexus One had sold like hotcakes?

I'm thinking that the only reason Google would have abandoned the Nexus One is if the manufacturers promised to ship upgradeable phones running the latest (unmodified) Android.

Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#27

Post by frossie »

lwhi wrote: post #15

"Google’s plan to cut out the middle-man from the sales plan (that is, the mobile operators) sucks (unless you’re talking about Apple)." Maybe it's fair to say that the problems involved in selling direct to the consumer are relatively insurmountable, unless your company has expertise in that domain. I think Google must have underestimated the task.

I think Google must have underestimated the task.

Or overestimated their own interest in playing this game.

Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#29

Post by orangecat »

cookiecaper wrote: post #24

Personally I don't think that Google tried very hard. I hardly ever watch TV, but I've seen TV commercials for Droid. I didn't see any for Nexus One. I upgraded from a dumb phone recently and wanted to buy a Nexus One, but T-Mobile lady told me Google required a much more expensive plan, that the buy-one-get-one free sale wasn't applicable, and that there were all other kinds of undesirable things about it. It also c…

Personally I don't think that Google tried very hard.

I suspect carrier pressure. They really don't want us to start asking intelligent questions such as why they should be able to lock us into multiyear contracts and control how we can use our own property.

but the Nexus One was just too much hassle and would have cost much, much more in the long term

It sounds like you're on a family plan. If you weren't, the unsubsidized N1 would come out cheaper over two years using T-Mobile's contract-free plans. And you can "cancel" anytime without an ETF.

Re: Google pulls plug on Nexus One

#30

Post by shalinmangar »

I don't think it was Google's intention to sell a lot of Nexus One units. I believe that they wanted to set a standard for Android phones over which other manufacturers could improve. Android phones before Nexus One were not good enough and they wanted to tell people that this is how an Android phone should be.
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