Could the renamed Nexus series be hiding behind the Pixel initiative? We get acquainted with the author's opinion.
If 2016 is remembered in the context of two significant events in the world Android, then they will be the failure with the Note 7 and the launch of the Google Pixel. In the first case, there is a topical media occasion for weeks or even months ahead, but the significance of the second event cannot be denied. The Pixel line is important not so much for current smartphones as for future devices. It is not often that a company specializing in software and services undertakes a full cycle of device release. When Microsoft did this with its Surface lineup to make Windows more touch-oriented, the PC world was shaken and the impact of the shock was seen over the past year. In the Nexus series, Google has set an example for partners like LG, Motorola, Samsung, but in the case of the Pixel, it does not set an example, but sets the gold standard. Or not?
Rumors are often dismissed by us as something outdated and useless, but they can tell a lot about what lies ahead. In the case of the Nexus, a reliable rumor can tell us what to expect from the new announcement, and the past year has been no exception. First came the information about Pixel / Pixel XL, new Nexus devices in production HTC. Even before the very concept of the Pixel smartphone came to the fore, the Pixel Launcher was billed as a Nexus Launcher, which makes us wonder if Pixel devices were actually the second coming of the stock Android, which we are so persistently reassured of. Google. Were these devices designed from the ground up by Google, which company representatives spoke about from the stage at the October 4th event? Or are we still seeing more Nexus devices without a logo HTC on the back?
Our first impressions of the Pixel and Pixel XL were positive. Much of the Pixel is done right, but there are moments that leave users scratching their heads in bewilderment. For example, promoting devices as exclusive only for Verizon, while being available in unlocked version for any other US operators. The average user will be confused by this situation, not to mention those who have a certain understanding of the world Android. There is no doubt that with the help of the Pixel, Google is targeting ordinary users, but at the same time they do not in any way support their intentions with a properly built promotion strategy. How does Google expect to get the attention of regular users? Of course, it’s much easier to tell someone “this phone is made by Google”, then to explain the relationship between Google and the chosen partner that has been built each year as part of the release of the new Nexus device, throwing dust in the eyes and hiding who actually released the phone. Verizon may be one of the two largest carriers in the US, but each carrier already has its own transition service for users of competing plans and people do not want to be tied, and given the sad user experience with the Galaxy Nexus, it’s a miracle that Google succeeded again. ” return 'to the Verizon directory.
But you can't limit yourself to such marketing, positioning in operator stores and online sales. Of course, we can bet this is a 'first time' for Google, but that's not the point. Since its partnership with Samsung on the Galaxy Nexus, Google has sold Nexus smartphones directly to the consumer, which in the end has never worked. It is not enough to give the device a new name and develop your own hardware, you need to make sure that new products are available after the announcement and that users know how to get them. And now that Pixel devices are already 'temporarily out of stock', you can understand that Google has not succeeded in any of these.
This kind of device proliferation is perhaps the most obvious confirmation that the Pixel series is in fact a renamed Nexus series, the online services around which often offered users far from the best and most understandable experience. I remember buying a Nexus 5. I was lucky to order a smartphone five minutes after the start of sales in the UK. I chose the standard Nexus 5, paid £ 300 and was asked to pay for shipping. In general, it was a little offensive to pay for a rather expensive product, but the very fact that I had to rush to place an order to receive it is laughable. This is not China, this is not a land of super-cheap smartphones with the marketing tactics of quickly selling out stock in order to increase profits. Google should have worked better on this, then, that this year.
For a long time, we've heard rumors and reports of how Nexus has built relationships with companies like Huawei. The general agreement stipulated the design of the device, its characteristics, then Google bought a limited number of devices produced by the partner. For this reason, Nexus devices often ran out too quickly in warehouses and did not return to shelves so quickly, as the manufacturer needed to make more devices at the request of Google. The number of parties declared in the contract was often determined by the time during which the devices were sold, at least so they write. Pixel and Pixel XL are now in production HTC and we are already seeing a shortage of devices that is typical for Nexus: all Pixel and Pixel XL models in the Google Store are either out of stock or postponed, maybe thereby Google gives HTC time to release a new batch? Despite all the questions, such significant new items are not sold, and even more so those devices that are intended for the average user.
Yes, it is likely that Google did not expect such a positive response, but this is a weak excuse for the fact that the product was out of stock after only 6 weeks after the announcement, not to mention the pre-New Year period. This is Google's classic lazy approach to selling devices that the company has taken since the Nexus One hit the market. Be it another company, be it recognized by the majority of the Google networked world, one brand is no longer enough to attract customers. People will, but not as much as the Pixel deserves. After all, it's not for nothing that Google is self-selling various advertising offers on the web, and there is a reason for activating Google's own marketing machine to launch the Pixel. For the Pixel to be a fresh start and truly feel like a Google device, it needs to be widely available in the POS and catalogs of all major carriers around the world. Samsung made a big hit when it launched the Galaxy S3 on all major carriers simultaneously. And that's a scenario Google needs to plan for the next-gen Pixel, because right now the new series actually feels like a rebrand of the Nexus.
Original material by Tom Dawson
Despite the feeling of logical incompleteness in the material, the author raises a rather urgent question: if Google actually positions the Pixel as a line of its own devices and wants to achieve mass sales, then why the company has not yet understood that it is unrealistic to press the market leaders in the absence of devices in availability? In a hurry and underworked? Maybe. Have you looked at Samsung's explosive experience and preferred relatively small batches of quality devices? Then it is not entirely clear what kind of sales we are talking about.
For Pixel to be successful, it's the moment with the availability of devices, otherwise they will remain the lot of geeks and enthusiasts. It is gratifying that the new products from Google have nevertheless reached Russia, this, of course, is not a Popup store, but at least some opportunity to try the devices in operation. But whether Google will help abandoning the promotion standards inherited from Nexus is a completely different question.