Re: Galaxy nexus released on the 18th
Some of the logic that I read in this forum makes no sense to me. People seem to forget that Google and Verizon do not exist to torment us. They're entities whose purpose is to make as much money as possible, plain and simple.
The "Verizon doesn't want to promote this phone because it won't have crapware on it" argument is silly when you think about it. They don't seem to have a problem plastering iPhone posters all over the store even though they can't put crapware on it. No business is going to dedicate resources and shelf space to a product it doesn't intend to sell. They had a choice - it's not like Google could force Verizon to sell the phone. If they didn't want to sell it, they wouldn't carry it in the first place. They passed up the GSII for the GNex because it's the first phone with Android 4.0 and it's got good performance and a gorgeous screen to boot. *That's* the selling point (similar to how the OG Droid was the first phone to debut with 2.0), and I think they're going to promote the heck out of that.
Crapware is small potatoes revenue-wise and annoys customers to no end. Consider that the Razr allows users to uninstall some crapware and hide the ones that cannot be uninstalled. If the crapware was really *that* important to them, would they have allowed this? ICS is going to have very similar functionality built in as well. The real money is in 2 year contracts. In the end, they just want to have a guaranteed revenue stream for 2+ years. If it's a smartphone and you're buying a hefty data package, then hey, that's even better. It doesn't matter all that much to them whether it's the Razr, Rezound, or GNex. They're making money hand over fist over the life of the contract regardless.
Likewise, the argument that Google only considers this a "dev" phone and doesn't care whether or not it's promoted is also frankly silly on its face. Yes, the Nexus is considered a "reference" phone for development, but it was made very clear when the GNex and ICS were announced that Google is working hard on ensuring Android is easy to use for the masses and is as polished as the iPhone. They made a point of launching the phone in the US on the largest carrier with the most advanced LTE network. Why? Because Google makes money through advertising, and they need phone users and eyeballs looking that those phone screens to deliver it. While Google doesn't openly discourage the custom interfaces like Blur, Sense and Touchwiz it's very clear they ultimately want to make them obsolete, so updating phones is easier. When all phones can quickly get Google's latest, best thing, Google makes more money more quickly. You can argue that Google stinks at marketing, but make no mistake that they want this phone in as many hands as possible.
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