This is just my opinion. I don't hate or blame Google, VZW or anyone else for all this mess. It's business and as soon as customers start taking it personally they are going to feel slighted. No one is holding up the release of this phone to be mean. They have their reasons and we can agree or disagree.
I think what we're seeing here with the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon is an Evolution of the Nexus Brand and I believe a necessary one.
We have this perception of what a Nexus phone should be. Most of it is rightfully based off of the image that Google created the Nexus brand in and what the Nexus One was, years ago. The idea of a perfect, pure phone that is completely un-touched by the carriers. Sounds great and some would argue that Nexus One was.
But, in the US carriers are kind of a big deal, why? Because Americans are addicted to our subsidized phones and the carriers love us for it. A model like we see in the EU and what Google tried to accomplish with the Nexus One just doesn't work here on a large scale. The vast majority of folks won't buy an un-subsidized phone. Us phone geeks might, but we aren't a big market share.
We find Google between a rock and a hard place. They want the Nexus brand to be successful but they'll never sell them in large enough quantities unless the carriers are doing the selling and subsidizing the phones. But, if you do that, you are giving up some control and carriers love control
So let's move forward to the Nexus S.
Google compromised a little bit on the Nexus S here in the US, but not too much. Early on there was some Sprint branding in the Market and of course there is Google Wallet which is only officially on the Sprint version. The fact that Google Wallet never made it to the GSM version of the Nexus S is a dilution of the Nexus Brand. You could argue the reason it didn't get to the GSM model, I won't.
We have also seen a divergence in the upgrade paths between the WiMax and the GSM version. They don't get upgrades at the same time. I'm sure that happens for lots of really good reasons, reasons I would probably agree with. The Nexus S phones are not equal and Google is not in control of the devices the way the Nexus name implies or how they were with the Nexus One. But, the Nexus S sold fairly well, much better than the Nexus One did, lending credence to the argument that you need carriers for a phone to be successful.
Now we're at the dawn of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. We have all been drooling over a Nexus device on VZW since the Nexus One. Combining the awesomeness of a Nexus with Big Red's stupidly fast and reliable LTE network seems perfect, almost too good to be true.
However, Google was yet again faced with a dilemma. They know that a Nexus phone on VZW will expose the brand to many millions of people that wouldn't have thought about leaving VZW for any reason, growing the mindshare and giving consumers more choice. But, that can't come without compromise and I think VZW is holding most of the bargaining chips. Again, Google is forced to dilute the Nexus brand further by letting VZW controlling the launch date, installing bloatware (if you believe it's bloatware), excluding Google Wallet, probably greater control over the upgrade paths and who knows what else. It sucks, VZW sucks, Google sucks, you crapped on my hopes, dreams and everything important to me and I hate you for it, but I don't really.
How has the Nexus line evolved and doesn't evolution imply improvement? Well it isn't the same Nexus brand any longer, I think that much is clear. Your hope of a Pure Google Experience isn't going to happen on VZW. At least not in the image Google originally intended and the image most of us share. But, I'm going to say that’s OK, in fact I’ll take it one step further and say overall it's a good thing. Here's why.
Consider for a moment the purpose of a Nexus phone, to be a showcase for Android and a reference model for developers and manufactures. I believe that's still the case. Google compromised, yes, but not because they wanted to kill the Nexus image, because they wanted to grow the Nexus brand.
In the US at least, the original Nexus model can't be successful. Phones are still products and products need to be sold. Manufactures won't keep bidding to build Nexus phones if they can't sell them. Since I showed you that you need carriers to do the selling, compromise is a requirement and the only way you can make the Nexus brand thrive. We know this, we knew this back in the Nexus One days. People asked the question then 'How can Google possibly sell a phone without the carriers?'. They can't, at least not well.
The evolution is taking the Nexus brand from an ideal dev phone to consumer product. Google needed to commercialize the Nexus brand, give in a bit to the carriers to get the device in the hands of your average consumers in order for them to experience Android the way Google intended it to be.
I won't say if that's a good or a bad thing. I just believe it to be true. However, it's still a Nexus, at least to me. I think having average consumers picking a Galaxy Nexus over a RAZR or a Rezound in a VZW store does way more for Android than arguing the principles and pureness of a Nexus phone. An argument which is completely irrelevant because for those of use that care enough about those principles we can just unlock, root and change whatever we want about that phone. So long as that is the case, it's a Nexus to me. Yes, compromises were made and Google backed down, but I believe the core values that make a Nexus, a Nexus are still as strong as ever.
Just my perspective. I'm not writing this to do anymore the outline an opinion that I've been quietly forming for several weeks as we've waited for this device. Some will disagree, that's what forums are for and it's your right, provided it remains civil. I know the release of this device has been a pain point and caused a bit of tension as we all get more frustrated waiting for it.
I think what we're seeing here with the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon is an Evolution of the Nexus Brand and I believe a necessary one.
We have this perception of what a Nexus phone should be. Most of it is rightfully based off of the image that Google created the Nexus brand in and what the Nexus One was, years ago. The idea of a perfect, pure phone that is completely un-touched by the carriers. Sounds great and some would argue that Nexus One was.
But, in the US carriers are kind of a big deal, why? Because Americans are addicted to our subsidized phones and the carriers love us for it. A model like we see in the EU and what Google tried to accomplish with the Nexus One just doesn't work here on a large scale. The vast majority of folks won't buy an un-subsidized phone. Us phone geeks might, but we aren't a big market share.
We find Google between a rock and a hard place. They want the Nexus brand to be successful but they'll never sell them in large enough quantities unless the carriers are doing the selling and subsidizing the phones. But, if you do that, you are giving up some control and carriers love control
So let's move forward to the Nexus S.
Google compromised a little bit on the Nexus S here in the US, but not too much. Early on there was some Sprint branding in the Market and of course there is Google Wallet which is only officially on the Sprint version. The fact that Google Wallet never made it to the GSM version of the Nexus S is a dilution of the Nexus Brand. You could argue the reason it didn't get to the GSM model, I won't.
We have also seen a divergence in the upgrade paths between the WiMax and the GSM version. They don't get upgrades at the same time. I'm sure that happens for lots of really good reasons, reasons I would probably agree with. The Nexus S phones are not equal and Google is not in control of the devices the way the Nexus name implies or how they were with the Nexus One. But, the Nexus S sold fairly well, much better than the Nexus One did, lending credence to the argument that you need carriers for a phone to be successful.
Now we're at the dawn of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. We have all been drooling over a Nexus device on VZW since the Nexus One. Combining the awesomeness of a Nexus with Big Red's stupidly fast and reliable LTE network seems perfect, almost too good to be true.
However, Google was yet again faced with a dilemma. They know that a Nexus phone on VZW will expose the brand to many millions of people that wouldn't have thought about leaving VZW for any reason, growing the mindshare and giving consumers more choice. But, that can't come without compromise and I think VZW is holding most of the bargaining chips. Again, Google is forced to dilute the Nexus brand further by letting VZW controlling the launch date, installing bloatware (if you believe it's bloatware), excluding Google Wallet, probably greater control over the upgrade paths and who knows what else. It sucks, VZW sucks, Google sucks, you crapped on my hopes, dreams and everything important to me and I hate you for it, but I don't really.
How has the Nexus line evolved and doesn't evolution imply improvement? Well it isn't the same Nexus brand any longer, I think that much is clear. Your hope of a Pure Google Experience isn't going to happen on VZW. At least not in the image Google originally intended and the image most of us share. But, I'm going to say that’s OK, in fact I’ll take it one step further and say overall it's a good thing. Here's why.
Consider for a moment the purpose of a Nexus phone, to be a showcase for Android and a reference model for developers and manufactures. I believe that's still the case. Google compromised, yes, but not because they wanted to kill the Nexus image, because they wanted to grow the Nexus brand.
In the US at least, the original Nexus model can't be successful. Phones are still products and products need to be sold. Manufactures won't keep bidding to build Nexus phones if they can't sell them. Since I showed you that you need carriers to do the selling, compromise is a requirement and the only way you can make the Nexus brand thrive. We know this, we knew this back in the Nexus One days. People asked the question then 'How can Google possibly sell a phone without the carriers?'. They can't, at least not well.
The evolution is taking the Nexus brand from an ideal dev phone to consumer product. Google needed to commercialize the Nexus brand, give in a bit to the carriers to get the device in the hands of your average consumers in order for them to experience Android the way Google intended it to be.
I won't say if that's a good or a bad thing. I just believe it to be true. However, it's still a Nexus, at least to me. I think having average consumers picking a Galaxy Nexus over a RAZR or a Rezound in a VZW store does way more for Android than arguing the principles and pureness of a Nexus phone. An argument which is completely irrelevant because for those of use that care enough about those principles we can just unlock, root and change whatever we want about that phone. So long as that is the case, it's a Nexus to me. Yes, compromises were made and Google backed down, but I believe the core values that make a Nexus, a Nexus are still as strong as ever.
Just my perspective. I'm not writing this to do anymore the outline an opinion that I've been quietly forming for several weeks as we've waited for this device. Some will disagree, that's what forums are for and it's your right, provided it remains civil. I know the release of this device has been a pain point and caused a bit of tension as we all get more frustrated waiting for it.
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