The Nexus One is a Failure (Fat Chance)
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Today (in the US), most consumers purchase through retailers (wireless carrier stores and 3rd party retailers), and the phones are directly tied to specific carriers. The Nexus One was an attempt to marginalize this model by providing a direct channel together with a menu of carrier choices for the consumer to pick from. So far, the sales of the Nexus One show that direct to consumer hasn't worked. However, as the choice of carriers available for the Nexus One is just now more plentiful, its a bit premature to judge whether the al-la-carte carrier choice will have significant impact.
The problem I see for the Nexus One is that its now approaching middle-age for a mobile phone, and newer phones are certainly going to emerge in the coming months that steal the attention. So the al-la-carte carrier choice model may be too late in coming to have an impact, and therefore may not be the force for change in how consumers purchase phones and choose carriers.
While I agree that Google seemed hardly interested in promoting the N1, I don't necessarily connect this to Google not having higher expectations for the phone. There was certainly much back-channel promotional activity prior to the N1 launch that was setting up the public to expect the N1 to be the force to bring change to how phones are sold. Go back and look at the press coverage. Google had ample opportunity to manage those expectations publicly, but did not do so. Perhaps, as you said, this had to do with a desire to push the phone covertly so as to not upset their carrier partners (Verizon). It makes sense but is hard to know. I do believe that going into the N1 launch they hoped more from the device than it just being a reference standard and a give-away. If that was main intent of the phone, why even try to get it on all carriers? I also do think that Google wants to push device manufacturers to innovate, but with all the promise that people had in the N1, having it flounder doesn't help Google, Android, or help push device manufacturers.
I do believe that Google had/has every intent to disrupt the mobile phone market, and this is just the first step. Its in Google's interest to turn carriers into dumb pipes. And the N1 is certainly the first step. However, I can't believe that people within Google who worked on the project and management didn't have higher expectations for sales, and that Google wouldn't have used superior N1 sales as a means of pushing their agenda.
Despite all of the dynamics involved, the N1 hasn't sold well, and has been more of a nudge to carriers and device manufactures than a force for change.
You're right, but it seems a safe bet that Nexus Two will launch simultaneously on a variety of networks.
Incidentally, the N1 just became available here in Canada, and I bought one because our carriers are even worse than US ones (standard contract is 3 years, or full price but still network-locked, non-rootable, etc.). i.e. the distribution channel was already attractive to me, though I admit I'm obviously "fringe".
- Apple has good (the best) marketing -> many units sold
- Motorola/Verizon starts huge ad campaign -> many units sold
- Google had _no_ marketing -> few units sold
To me it's proof how people are controlled more by marketing and advertising then everything else and in effect controlled by media overall which is kind of scary.
All in all, google will only look how android spreads around the world and not on a single device.
besides: 60000 android units are shipped per day, nowadays, thats what is important for google.
The only problem I see is Google advertises with a "we do all this stuff" approach, where Apple uses the "here are some things you want to do.." which makes people want it far more.
I do think the amount of marketing and advertising in our lives is a bit scary, but I don't think this is an example of why.
How long people will keep comparing other phones sales to the iPhone 1G sales, which was $500, edge-only, physically unavailable for the first 21 days, and sold without the App Store?
Besides, the 3G and 3Gs each broke 1 million in 3 days.
If you're going to compare numbers, at least compare numbers that make sense.
The rendering speed of the N1 amazed me the first time I pulled up a page. It also has enough RAM to keep more than one page open at a time without having to re-load as you switch windows (as I discovered with the iPhone). This may have been addressed somewhat in the 3GS but I only had a 3G model.
I also appreciate OTA syncing for contacts and calendars that doesn't cost me $100/year.
The integration with Google Voice is also a plus (having it auto-switch your voicemail over, and make all outgoing calls through your GV number).
Disclaimer: I've never tested the call audio quality on any model of iPhone, so I can't make a direct comparison between the two. I can say that my N1's call audio quality is far better than on my old Razor (both on Tmobile).
Iphones at $600, $400 or $200? Droids at $200 or $500 ? Nexus ones at $200 or $500 ?
Eyeballs are great in theory; however, if the units sold aren't as profitable as your competition, then I'm not sure it is a good idea to get far outside your core areas.
In addition, given the strategy and ideas for Android Google is competing more with Microsoft then Apple in the mobile market.