HTC Samsung LG and Motorola were the manufacturers of the Nexus line not Google.

I bought one of the first Nexus 4's on the market and it still works, I've had very few issues with it. My mother has one, she's had very few issues with it. She also has a Nexus 10 which I'm somewhat jealous of because it's an absolutely phenomenal device she uses it non stop. If you want an Apple device get an Apple device personally I don't like them because I think the OS has been behind for quite a while. I buy Nexus devices because they are being sold as hardware without carrier lock or bloatware, as all phones should be.