3 MILLION Nexus 4 have been sold

[Scott7217]

Bingo. Carriers want you buying their own selection. My local store are not only unwilling to answer even simple APN questions about porting my phone to their service, the reps are downright rude about it.

That sounds totally unprofessional for someone at AT&T to not help you with your Nexus 4. I mean, you're willing to pay money to use their service! Did you ever speak to a manager or contact a customer service representative on their website? It sounds like they owe you an apology.

Perhaps T-Mobile is doing better. They're the only carrier in the US to sell the Nexus 4. I would be curious to see how the Nexus 4 performs in terms of sales with the rest of their product lineup.

 

[Scott7217]

Now, 15,000 - that's a number all you Samsung fan boys can make fun of. What a huge failure.

Instead of investing in the HTC First (and only selling 15,000 units), Facebook should have just put their software on the Nexus 4. If they wanted to sweeten the deal, they could have thrown their own subsidy on top of Google's subsidy. For example, maybe you can get $50 off a Nexus 4 if you get it with Facebook Home installed. So you would only pay around $250 to $300 for a brand-new Nexus 4. I'm sure people would go for that instead of the HTC First.

 

[TheLibertarian]

Which have sold more?

NEXUS 4 or HTC ONE?

Um, the One.

What is your obsession with unit sales, anyways? You're about the only member here who chimes in with updated figures.

 

[CoMoNexus]

What is your obsession with unit sales, anyways?

I can't speak for BookReader2, but sales figures are noteworthy because they determine the selection of cases and influence device vendor decisions about the market for vanilla Android versus all bloatware Android.

 

[Scott7217]

I can't speak for BookReader2, but sales figures are noteworthy because they determine the selection of cases and influence device vendor decisions about the market for vanilla Android versus all bloatware Android.

That is an interesting point. What would happen if the Nexus 4 was the best-selling phone in history?

If I understand you correctly, manufacturers would scramble to make accessories for the Nexus 4. There would be plenty to choose from, and I could just walk into any store to find something in stock. If you need a case, wireless charger, screen protector, car dock, or anything else, it would be available for purchase right away.

Vendors would stop selling phones with things like TouchWiz or Sense because it's much more profitable to sell stock Android phones. As a benefit, you would never have to worry about carrier-installed software on the phone throttling your data speed or blocking your tethering capabilities.

Since T-Mobile is the only carrier that officially offers the Nexus 4 in the US, they would get a boost in revenue. They may be able to speed up their network expansion and provide better coverage in more areas. If T-Mobile's coverage was the same as Verizon's or AT&T's, they would have to compete more on price for their voice and data plans.

There are certainly interesting possibilities that can result from increased Nexus 4 sales.

 

[CoMoNexus]

If I understand you correctly, manufacturers would scramble to make accessories for the Nexus 4. There would be plenty to choose from, and I could just walk into any store to find something in stock. If you need a case, wireless charger, screen protector, car dock, or anything else, it would be available for purchase right away.

Yup. Even when I go into TJ Maxx or Marshalls, there are at least a dozen models of iPhone cases to choose from. I don't recall seeing even one for an Android phone.

Vendors would stop selling phones with things like TouchWiz or Sense because it's much more profitable to sell stock Android phones. As a benefit, you would never have to worry about carrier-installed software on the phone throttling your data speed or blocking your tethering capabilities.

Yes and no. Yes, they might stop doing the things you list, but no doubt they would find other annoying ways to try to differentiate their products and wring out more revenue.

 

[hodan]

Yeah, you see cases at BB for phones like the HTC Hero, or Epic 4g. Lol. The lack of random accessories does kind of suck. Thank God for TPU!

 

[CoMoNexus]

Hodan, is that a rat terrier? Also, I used to live in KC (Fairway). Small world.

 

[amcity32]

Only reason it hasn't sold more is because Google and T-Mobile have barely marketed it and some casual users who don't know much about Android think Samsung is the only way to go.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Scott7217]

Yup. Even when I go into TJ Maxx or Marshalls, there are at least a dozen models of iPhone cases to choose from. I don't recall seeing even one for an Android phone.

I think part of the problem is that there are so many models of Android phones to choose from. In comparison, there are relatively few iPhone models out at one time. Retailers probably only stock what's popular and cost-effective for them. Still, it can be frustrating if you're looking for a compatible accessory for your phone.

 

[Scott7217]

Only reason it hasn't sold more is because Google and T-Mobile have barely marketed it and some casual users who don't know much about Android think Samsung is the only way to go.

I've been wondering if Google is afraid of offending their hardware partners if the Nexus line sells well, and that's why it doesn't make much of an effort in marketing the Nexus 4.

Do you think if people only bought the Nexus 4, the other companies (like HTC, Samsung, and Sony) would abandon Android? What I can't figure out is where they would go to if they did. It's not like Windows Phone (for example) is selling that well, either.

 

[jaredsutter]

I read on The Verge a quote from a Googler that said that the point of the Nexus line is that they have to have reference hardware for the engineers to work on and use Android in it's purest form. Since they're going through the trouble of designing and manufacturing a phone that their employees will enjoy and want to use, they might as well make a few million more and sell them to enthusiasts.

I don't think the point of the Nexus line is to make a profit, so much as get some use out of the effort that goes into making reference devices for the employees. If there are supply shortages, or if it isn't the best seller, it doesn't matter - no one in Google is getting worked up over Nexus sales. If having unlimited accessories, or having the same phone as all your friends is important to you, you probably shouldn't look at a Nexus.

All that said, I think 3 million is a pretty impressive number, considering the limited advertising and in-store availability, and being completely unavailable for the largest carrier in the US. I would guess there are few individual models of phones that sell that well in a given year.

 

[itic]

The low sales numbers could have something to do with the coincidence of people entering into or still within a carrier contract using a different device. Also, i'd think that with the nexus 4 being vanilla as it is most carriers dont want to go to the trouble of creating bloat wear in order to safeguard some of there premium services which with a google nexus 4 people can get without paying a premium. Like teethering/hot spot with any data plan instead of paying more for a data plan that includes teethering.

 

[CoMoNexus]

I've been wondering if Google is afraid of offending their hardware partners if the Nexus line sells well, and that's why it doesn't make much of an effort in marketing the Nexus 4.

Do you think if people only bought the Nexus 4, the other companies (like HTC, Samsung, and Sony) would abandon Android? What I can't figure out is where they would go to if they did. It's not like Windows Phone (for example) is selling that well, either.

No, they can't abandon Android. Google has them by the short hairs, and they know it. Oh, sure, some vendors are dabbling in alternative OSs such as Firefox and Tizen, but it's too soon to tell whether one of those will become the next Android or another webOS.

If Google were worried about alienating device vendors, it wouldn't have bought Motorola's handset unit.

 

[Scott7217]

No, they can't abandon Android. Google has them by the short hairs, and they know it. Oh, sure, some vendors are dabbling in alternative OSs such as Firefox and Tizen, but it's too soon to tell whether one of those will become the next Android or another webOS.

If Google were worried about alienating device vendors, it wouldn't have bought Motorola's handset unit.

Do you think there's a chance that some hardware company will fork Android, similar to what Amazon uses on its Kindle Fire tablets? The OS would be based on Android, but it would have its own app store, search, maps, etc.

As for Motorola, I thought Google bought it primarily for the patents. I was thinking they would cross-license the patents with the other companies to protect them against lawsuits from Apple and Microsoft. So, in this case, Google's purchase of Motorola wouldn't alienate anyone who uses Android.

 

[CoMoNexus]

Do you think there's a chance that some hardware company will fork Android, similar to what Amazon uses on its Kindle Fire tablets? The OS would be based on Android, but it would have its own app store, search, maps, etc.

Yes. It would have to be a major vendor in order to have the pockets deep enough to give that strategy a viable shot. Samsung is one obvious candidate. I could see Amazon giving it a go -- beyond what it already has -- by buying a device vendor such as BlackBerry.

 

[Scott7217]

Yes. It would have to be a major vendor in order to have the pockets deep enough to give that strategy a viable shot. Samsung is one obvious candidate. I could see Amazon giving it a go -- beyond what it already has -- by buying a device vendor such as BlackBerry.

I think you make a good point. Even if Amazon doesn't buy BlackBerry, it could at least contract them to make a phone. If I recall correctly, the first Kindle Fire was basically a BlackBerry Playbook with an Amazon-modified Android OS.

They could do the same thing with a phone. The OS would be a fork of Android, and the phone would be subsidized by Amazon. Amazon might also get some carrier deals in specific cases. For example, if you buy an e-book, an app, or a music MP3 from Amazon, maybe you could download it for free over cellular data. This wouldn't apply to movie streaming because that can be very expensive over 3G or 4G.

 

[wiseoldbird]

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[wiseoldbird]

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[Unicorn Rancher]

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