[rumor] Google discontinuing the Nexus line.

[Ravynmagi]

On the same day we learned Google is selling Motorola there are also some rumors that Google may also discontinue the Nexus line by 2015.

http://bgr.com/2014/01/27/google-nexus-discontinued-rumor/

Google will focus on adding more Google Play Edition phones intead.

The rumorer also goes on to talk about Google and Samsung developing a closer relationship with some Samsung features becoming more integrated into Android which others would need to license (not clear on what this means). And Samsung will abandon Tizen phones.


And another related rumor is the Nexus 10 2 won't happen. Instead Google will work on a 8 inch Nexus tablet later this year.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/536287/20140129/google-nexus-10-2-release-date-specs.htm#.UumoaRBdV8E


Both rumors sound plausible. Google Play Edition gets the pure Android experience into user hands and Google won't have to deal with supporting hardware anymore or appearing to be competing with it's partners. Unfortunately we'll lose out on those great Nexus prices.

And nobody really seems to be buying 10 inch Android tablets. No surprise Google is giving up on that size. While 8 inches is all the rage.

 

[abj13]

Honestly hard to believe either of those websites, BGR is nothing but an Apple fanboy/anti-Android site. Just take a sample of their "articles."

Ibtimes is not even a real tech website, they simply make up stories in order to generate google news hits. Trust me, take a look at one article about something like the Nexus 10, they will update it every several days in order to generate site hits. They came up with dumb rumors like that the Nexus 10 would be released on Black Friday... dumbest fake article ever.

 

[postmortemIA]

So Google had to pay somehow for Samsung caving in to Play experience instead of their own. Since Samsung has no desire to make another Nexus phone or tablet, they see it as a popular competition to their offerings.

 

[s44]

I believe the first part totally true and was about to make a thread about this myself (but got sidetracked by, uh, working).

Why? Because BGR sucks, but here were only reposting rumors from Russian tech site guy/rumormonger Eldar Murtazin.

Why didn't I post this on Monday, when it first came up? Because this one seemed really doubtful:

4. Google won't be competitor in hardware for Samsung or any other brand. Moto is under question in that landscape. They will be reprofile

Um... yeah. Now I believe them all. Let's look at the others in order, shall we? The first five were about the Samsung/Google patent deal.

1. Samsung get not only patents from Google but also secure own development. More and more Google play edition smarts from Sammy

2. Samsung will stop developing Tizen for smartphones, that's own decision, Google doesn't care about it. TouchWiz aren't in focus

3. TouchWiz will evolve in extra features - some of them will be an integral part of future android versions. Others will get it for $

5. Android will be closed/restricted from use by some companies like Microsoft - looks like Normandy will be killed by google/Samsung

Then, the Nexus bombshell:

Nexus line by Google is over in 2015 Yes - this line will be replaced by Play Edition (current name, it will be rebranded)

 

[s44]

As far as "no one buying 10" Androids"... just wrong. The Pro line is and is going to be huge. The main problem here has been that Google has failed to deliver the killer app at this size: multiwindow. The patent trade and TW-feature integration should hopefully bring that to AOSP.

Note Pro GPE with full pen and multiwindow support? Yes pls.

 

[Ravynmagi]

As far as "no one buying 10" Androids"... just wrong. The Pro line is and is going to be huge. The main problem here has been that Google has failed to deliver the killer app at this size: multiwindow. The patent trade and TW-feature integration should hopefully bring that to AOSP.

Note Pro GPE with full pen and multiwindow support? Yes pls.

Well nobody is actually buying Samsung Pro tablets right now (seeing how they haven't been released and all), so I'm not sure how that's a counter argument to my opinion that nobody is buying 10 inch tablets.

I hope Samsung's tablets do well. But there is currently not a single 10 inch Android tablet that even remotely interests me. And I think most people no longer want to spend $500 on an Android tablet anymore. So IF Google did give up on the new Nexus 10, I'd totally understand why.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Yeah, I find this talk about a Google and Samsung deal to be interesting... but not sure in a good way or not. Samsung totally dominates the Android market. To many regular folks Android is Samsung. Samsung will have use of Google patents, and point #3 s44 quoted, TouchWiz features will be integral part of future versions of Android and it sounds like others would need to license these features.

I thought Samsung and Google were Frienemies with Samsung duplicating all of Google's apps and service in a threat to fork Android. And now this rumor has them like BFFs.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

As far as "no one buying 10" Androids"... just wrong. The Pro line is and is going to be huge. The main problem here has been that Google has failed to deliver the killer app at this size: multiwindow. The patent trade and TW-feature integration should hopefully bring that to AOSP.

Note Pro GPE with full pen and multiwindow support? Yes pls.

Compare Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 sales. I'm pretty sure the N7 sales won easily by a 4:1 margin or more. Just look at XDA boards to see how dead the Nexus 10 boards are.

I'm not saying no one buys 10" Androids--just very few. I like the N10 a lot and I'd buy a next generation tablet, but the fact is judging by discussions here too, that most people recommend the Nexus 7. It's hard to find people on AT with a Nexus 10.

 

[Red Storm]

I personally don't know how to feel about the end of the Nexus line. I liked having a high end, unlocked phone that sold for an amazing price. GPE phones are too expensive.

 

[podspi]

5. Android will be closed/restricted from use by some companies like Microsoft - looks like Normandy will be killed by google/Samsung

Too bad they don't actually have the right to do that, though. Android is still open-source, last time I checked. Not that I think Microsoft would want to use Android, but I'm sure Google would like to prevent Amazon from using it if it could

 

[Red Storm]

Android is open source, but that Android does not come with any of the Google Apps, most notably the Play Store.

 

[poofyhairguy]

This all makes sense. Google wants out of the hardware business. Plus in a way Nexus was a failure.

Hear me out: Nexus was meant to push Android in a certain direction by giving OEMs an example of where the platform should go. But that idea failed- what is the point of forcing no removable storage or onscreen buttons if the actual top selling Android phone has both?

With Google Play, developers can actually develop for top phones as the Play aspect gives them an experience on consumer devices they can stomach.

The downside is the loss of a cheap flagship in the Android lineup, but I think next year armed with quad cores, LTE and 1080p screens the Chinese companies will take up that space.

 

[openwheel]

A $349 Moto X Google Play edition is as good or better as the Nexus 5 in my eyes.

 

[s44]

Eldar elaborates at length here. (It's in Russian, so use Google Translate -- as he himself suggested on Twitter.)

The anti-MS bit seems quite plausible, and makes sense of the otherwise cryptic news we recently got about Samsung laptops.

 

[Ravynmagi]

A $349 Moto X Google Play edition is as good or better as the Nexus 5 in my eyes.

Is there a GPE Moto X? And I think it was Google's influence that the Moto G and eventually Moto X were priced so well and Google is selling Motorola.

I worry the time of low priced quality pure Android phones may be coming to an end next year.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Eldar elaborates at length here. (It's in Russian, so use Google Translate -- as he himself suggested on Twitter.)

The anti-MS bit seems quite plausible, and makes sense of the otherwise cryptic news we recently got about Samsung laptops.

I'm still reading through the story (it's a long one, my ADD required I take a break). But wow, the drama. I should have gotten a bucket of popcorn for this.

Google teams up with it's biggest partner Samsung to defend itself against Microsoft (and I presume Apple) and maybe even go on the offensive. Samsung wants to reduce it's patent payments it's paying to Microsoft. And they are cutting back on Windows laptops and trying to focus more on Chromebooks. Samsung is declaring war on Microsoft.

And if all this is true, it seems like Google is no longer treating all it's partners as equals. I wonder what this means to the other Android partners that are already struggling like HTC? Sounds like HTC might go from having to pay Microsoft licensing fees to paying Samsung licensing fees (if HTC wants to use Samsung features that may allegedly be added to Android's core). Sounds pretty bold.

 

[s44]

I worry the time of low priced quality pure Android phones may be coming to an end next year.

Remember that *this* year's value midrange phone will have 1080p and quad-A53.

 

[Mopetar]

Big news if it's true. Call me skeptical for now though.

And another related rumor is the Nexus 10 2 won't happen. Instead Google will work on a 8 inch Nexus tablet later this year.

Seems strange that they would have a 7" and an 8" tablet. Is there enough differentiation between the two so that they won't step all over each other? I think they should probably try a 9" tablet, which might work out better for them.

 

[s44]

Here's an English language piece rehashing much the same ground:
http://www.unwiredview.com/2014/01/...l-like-alliance-to-dominate-mobile-computing/

Seems strange that they would have a 7" and an 8" tablet. Is there enough differentiation between the two so that they won't step all over each other?

I'd guess the 8" swallows (replaces) the 7", with bezel reduction keeping the size. Could be wrong though.

Or the 8" could have a pen or something, using the new Samsung cross-development and/or Nvidia's cool tech?

 

[Ravynmagi]

I just got to the part were the Russian blogger talks about app stores.

Google wants to entice Samsung and others to abandon their third party content and app stores. So Google will allow manufactures to add their own stores directly into Google Play. And the manufactures will get a part of Google's share of revenue from those apps. While the manufactures will be getting less per app, they should make more money since people are much more likely to buy from the Google Play store than from some manufacture specific store. So Samsung and others can phase out their existing app, music, and videos stores.

He also talked a bit more about the TouchWiz features being integrated into Android. Google wants to unify the look of Android and get rid of all these third party UI's that slow the update of Android. And it sounds like Samsung would basically have more influence over the Android UI and be adding TouchWiz features into Android and having them Samsung exclusive at first, then overtime other parties will be able to license the TouchWiz features. I'm not a fan of TouchWiz, but if Google and Samsung were working more closely, perhaps they could smooth it out.


... Still more to read. But I'm not sure if this alleged Google-Samsung super alliance is really awesome or really scary. It would mean Google has given up on the other partners like HTC and LG who have been struggling. Would this eventually lead to only Samsung making Android phones?

 

[Red Storm]

... Still more to read. But I'm not sure if this alleged Google-Samsung super alliance is really awesome or really scary. It would mean Google has given up on the other partners like HTC and LG who have been struggling. Would this eventually lead to only Samsung making Android phones?

I don't see it that way, more like this will become a framework for how other vendors can also make deals. Maybe this will push each company to develop truly useful features instead of useless bloat in hopes that they will become integrated into Android, which means an exclusivity period before that happens?

Really does seem like Google is going all out against Microsoft, Samsung cutting their notebook production in half and promising to make more Chromebooks is a big deal.

All I know is, today we are one step closer to a GPE Note device, and that's awesome.

 

[blairharrington]

GPE phones are expensive. A world without a Nexus would really suck for consumers.

 

[gorcorps]

A $349 Moto X Google Play edition is as good or better as the Nexus 5 in my eyes.

In my eyes I consider the Moto X to be in the same boat as a Galaxy S3 (yes, that's a three). People have wildly different opinions of what they want in a phone, and for me personally the Moto X for $350 is an okay deal at best. Today I'd still pick a GS3 for the same price because being stuck on 16gig on the Moto X is absolutely not an option.

 

[desura]

Makes sense to me. Nexus is like a geek's android dream, but I don't think it really gave them much profit. Would make more sense to work more closely with the biggest android producer.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The Nexus is a great phone too, and I don't think it failed. They could've moved millions from day 1 if they just sold to other countries. Selling a Nexus One at $599 to the US that doesn't even understand the concept of unlocked phones doesn't make sense. Look at how many iPhones were selling in the gray market before Apple opened up to the world?

I think Google had a good chance with the Nexus and in a way it screwed itself with the low prices because now they're almost locked in. I suppose there's nothing stopping it from making a 2014 edition that's priced at $399/$449 and is more competitive with flagships, but once again it still might piss off OEMs.