I honestly think that HTC and Moto deserve a place in this world.
They do if they earn it. Samsung has earned their place- the Nexuses don't threaten their lineup. If Moto and HTC have built brand loyalty then they will survive.
If not then oh well. Its not worth keeping them around just to have more choices if the choices are bad.
But wasn't that the point of Android?
The point of Android is to lock Google into the next Windows.
I'm fine with Nexus phones too, but why do they have to come in and severely undercut the ENTIRE MARKET.
I don't think you can say Google undercut the entire market. It is more like Google put a new tier in the smartphone market- middle-upper range. Not quite as good as the best, but better what was a mid-class phone a year ago. Especially in America where the outright cost simply doesn't matter and is a niche option.
In the tablet market Google is fixing a broken Android tablet market before Amazon steals it all. From the Xoom the Android tablet market has been broken when it comes to pricing and positioning. Google just fixed that.
I think many of us would be fine with a Nexus phone priced at $599 just like a $599 SGS3.
I think the pricing should be set by market demands. I personally would pay hundreds more for a SGS3 over a new Nexus because I hate LG build quality and I like expandable storage. My mom might pay extra for the SGS3 because the commercials made her like the brand.
The Nexus as a brand really doesn't have an identity with consumers, and therefore is priced as a commodity as it should be.
So while ASUS gets paid off for the Nexus 7, SOMEONE absorbs the loss. Furthermore, it probably eats into ASUS' own sales.
The Nexus 7 sales are Asus sales. You just assume its sold at a loss. Maybe so many people buy 16gb models that the overall line turns a profit. If it is thin margins then fine, we are basically back where computers are.
Samsung is or they wouldn't bid for the Nexus. If anything I bet Samsung isn't looking at lost sales to the Nexus compared to sales the Nexus will bring from customers of other value tablets. No Samsung tablet so far has been priced aggressively.
Does LG have an incentive to sell the Nexus 4?
Sure they do:
1. They get better experience with Google's code and early shots at updates, which as we have seen with Samsung can help with your non-Nexus lines.
2. It gives LG some legitimacy in the community. Until the Nexus we NEVER talked about LG phones. It doesn't exist to me because of (expected from LG) build quality issues, but the fact they are finally being talked about in the Android space is huge.
3. The Nexus lines run for about a year. That price-point will eventually be profitable within the life of the phone if it isn't now.
Traditionally, hardware is meant to profit, and now we're throwing a curve ball at them.
Not really. Look at the computer OEM market.
When I pay as little as possible for quality products. In some ways the new Nexuses are the first acceptable Android devices to a whole new audience.