By now you may have heard that Google intends to change its strategy of the Nexus line. Instead of one device per year, we may begin to see up to five devices this year with the announcement of Android 5.0 Jelly Bean. For the Android geeks who can’t get enough of the Nexus line, this may sound like great news but there are a couple caveats behind this new strategic shift.
The Nexus line is mainly meant for developers to make new apps on the latest operating system. If we have a handful of new nexus devices in our midst, all with varying hardware, how will this affect the development process? We’re sure that Google has likely thought of this but what would be the point of releasing around five handsets with almost identical hardware? Sure, we can imagine that these handsets will have different designs, which would be a nice choice for the consumer but is it really that important with so many Android handsets available today?
What could happen is that Google will release a handful of phones targeted for specific carriers, allowing the consumer to stay out of a long-term contract but have to pay the full price of the device. If we’re strictly talking US, having a different Nexus handset on each of the four major carriers sounds like an interesting strategy if you ask us. That said, we’re not sure if it’s necessarily a successful one.
Hardware variety is one positive way of looking at the new Nexus strategy, and not just in design. We may indeed see a keyboard-touting Nexus handset this year, which many have been waiting for. Ever since the first render of the Motorola Shadow was revealed, I wanted one (yeah, I still won’t let it go.)
A possible negative to the new strategy is that Google would be stepping on too many toes of its partner manufacturers. Well it could be, but I’d imagine if the likes of Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, and maybe another larger handset maker were on board, the majority of these partnerships would remain intact. Smaller handset makers will likely stay with Android because it’s free (ish) and still has one of the most robust selections of applications in the mobile space, next to iOS.
If Google wants to be successful in its new strategy, it must also educate the consumer. The US basically only knows two-year contracts when it comes to getting a new phone and it will likely become quite the task to convince them that they would actually save money by purchasing a phone outright in the long run. Even then, dropping $500+ on a new phone – contract free or not – isn’t the easiest pill to swallow no matter how you spin it. But that’s to say that Google will indeed only sell these devices unlocked or contract free.
The company has seen more success with the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S due to its partnerships with Verizon and Sprint, so we could see a Nexus device for each carrier that you could buy on contract if you wanted or contract free. Said partnerships also alleviated one of the problems with the Nexus One – you couldn’t try it before you bought it, so having the Nexus devices in a carrier’s brick and mortar stores helped a lot. That said, if that’s the case, why do we need Google Play to house these phones in the first place?
If this strategy does indeed happen, Google could allow the consumer to completely sidestep the carrier’s two-year contract wrath but that won’t be easy and we do have our doubts that consumers will be willing to cough up the money for an unsubsidized phone. If it catches on – and that’s a big if, Google could effectively change the game, even if in some small facet as to how the end-user looks at how to get a new phone. But one thing is for sure, it’s a highly ambitious strategy and only time will tell to see how it shapes up.
This is obviously nothing but speculation and it leaves many more questions than answers. And who know, maybe Google will just release one Nexus device this year.
What do you think of this possible strategy shift ? Do you think Google can pull it off or do you think it will end up being one big mess?