A little over 6 months after Google launched its first official Google phone, the company has been forced to call it quits.
Despite the fact that the Nexus One was actually well reviewed by many bloggers and a popular choice for Android enthusiasts, it didn’t quite receive the iPhone-esque adoption amongst everyday users that Google was expecting. Granted, Google wasn’t exactly overly proactive in its promotion or advertising of the phone either.
The company announced two months ago that they would be eventually closing down the Nexus One store (the primary method of obtaining the phone) after their final shipment of phones was depleted and that last shipment sold out this week. North American consumers are no longer able to purchase the Nexus One form Google; however some remaining phones will still be available through Vodafone in Europe and Asian carriers.
A quick stop at www.google.com/phone shows a note from the company stating, “Sorry, folks… The Nexus One is no longer available for purchase directly from Google. For more information on how to purchase the Nexus One, check out our help center. “
With dozens of Android phones already flooding the market, Google had a distinct disadvantage with the Nexus One and its plan to sell only through its own website. Consumers were not pestered by giant advertisements, banners or yappy salesmen when walking into stores, leaving it primarily up to word of mouth and reviews to sell the phone. As well, the absence of any way for consumers to physically see and test the phone made it difficult to justify a completely blind purchase.
Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, has stated the company has no plans to revisit a second generation of Nexus devices, claiming that the Nexus One accomplished everything Google intended and the company feels there is no need to build hardware to help support the growing Android operating system.
It’s not all bad news though, savvy consumers who purchased the phone(s) are finding a lucrative resale market for the Nexus One, with prices on ebay for new phones over $600USD. Google sold the phone through their store for $529 USD.
