Google shuts down Nexus One Web store
Google will close an online store that it set up to sell its Nexus One phoneand rely on traditional retailers instead.
The search giant has admitted that sales of the Android-based handset were slower than expected, and that it will teaming up with local network partners to sell the phone through their high street shops and online stores instead.
“As with every innovation, some parts worked better than others,” acknowledged Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google, on the company’s blog. “While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to choose from.”
The Nexus One will now be sold through partner channels, such as Vodafone stores in the UK. The Nexus One web portal will instead become a site showcasing the Google Android platform, and the full range of devices running the open-source operating system.
“Innovation requires constant iteration,” wrote Rubin. “We believe that these changes will help get more phones to more people more quickly, which is good for the entire Android ecosystem: users, partners and Google itself.”
Google hasn’t disclosed how many Nexus One units it has sold so far.
Nexus One is just one of many different smart phones that rely on Google’s free Android operating system.
The alternatives also are proving to be an obstacle for the Nexus One.
Two major carriers, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, recently decided not to support the Nexus One because they prefer other Android-powered phones.
Before the Nexus One launched, analysts wondered if Google would shock the wireless world by subsidizing smartphones on its own. Instead of owing two years to a specific carrier, your debt would be to Google and its advertising. But when Google announced a $529 unsubsidized price for the Nexus One, or $179 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, it was business as usual.
