Not so fast Google! Why are you trying to secretly discontinue one of your mobile phone ventures? Yes, the once purported “iPhone Killer” has itself died. Or at least put out of its misery by it’s creator. Google is discontinuing it’s Nexus One smart phone, the latest death, in what I believe will be a series of tragic, albeit, silent deaths of the many smartphones that just can’t hack it in the mobile jungle. Many will try, many will fail.
So why is Google trying to keep this one under wraps? Mostly because of one thing…they don’t want to stoke the successful fires of the iPhone. While Apple recently released the iPhone 4 to sell 3 million devices in as many weeks, breaking all records, RIM is seeing their market share shrink by the day. Google has seen some success with Android, although it was also just discovered that a recent estimate of Apps in Google’s App Store was over exaggerated. That kind of shady news as well as the discontinuation of the Nexus One can’t feel good to the search giant.
Although Android phones are quite functional, reports from the field indicate the customer satisfaction is quite a bit lower than that of iPhone users. Even with this latest iPhone 4 antenna debacle, Apple and AT&T are seeing HALF the return rate with the iPhone 4 as with the previous generation iPhone 3GS which had no purported antenna problem.
So, it’s no secret why Google must try and keep this secret. Goodbye Nexus One…thank you for trying.