back to article Googlephone sales top, um, 135,000

Google has sold a mere 135,000 Nexus One phones since the smartphone's much-ballyhooed launch on 5 January, according to the latest numbers from mobile analytics outfit Flurry. The estimate covers the handset's first 74 days of existence. By comparison, the inaugural Apple iPhone reached a million sales in its first 74 days. …

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  1. cdtplug

    VODAPHONE

    Now that vodaphone and no doubt a lot of other phone providers are going to offer this phone sales should start to jump, selling online only is a bit like argos trying to flog you a 3 piece, you want to see it in the flesh before you part with your money regardless of reviews

    1. Euchrid

      re: VODAPHONE

      As the story says, if you sign up to Verizon or Vodafone as a carrier, you still have to buy the handset via the Google Store. Although some news stories suggest otherwise, Vodafone doesn’t:

      Q. Will you be selling in Vodafone stores or via Vodafone online, eg Vodafone.co.uk?

      A.The Google offer is a new way to purchase a mobile phone so will only be available online through Google’s web store (www.google.com/phone )

      http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/google_nexus_one_phone.html

      I doubt that the Vodafone high street stores will be showing off Nexus One display units. I doubt many would-be punters would be impressed to be told that you can’t buy it there and then but have to go online and there’s hardly going to be a financial incentive for Vodafone store staff for pushing a Nexus One.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Google phone? What? Where?

    Seriously Google, I've been wanting to buy one since it was launched, but you don't sell it here. The money allocated for this phone has now gone towards funding my computer addiction instead. Cheers, and better luck next time.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Headmaster

      What are you on about?

      Google's model is to sell the phone from the website. If you want to buy it, go to http://www.google.com/phone and order one. They'll even detect you're in the UK and suggest you add a UK charger/adapter.

      Mine arrived in 3-4 days, and although you'll pay VAT (when the courier bills you) there's no duty on mobile phones. And the device will be fully warrantied and supported in the UK (it's not a grey import, it just happens to be shipped from the US).

      Alternatively, wait another 3 weeks (or maybe less) and buy one subsidised by Voda, through the same google website.

      1. Psmiffy
        Thumb Down

        Europe

        Yes all good and well, but what about the rest of Europe?

        Absolutely NO official or even rumoured date for the rest of us. The HTC desire will probably be released here before the Nexus One.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          re: Europe

          Actually, there had been a vague release date from Vodafone for the rest of Europe, that it would be in the Spring and very soon after the UK release - Germany and France were tipped to be the next countries.

          However, this was in January and since then, it's been rather quiet on this front but on the Google phone store, it says that the Nexus one in "coming soon" in Europe and still has the Spring 2010.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    googlephone

    Considering that Apple invested 100M on advertising, it is more than an autstanding achievment for a phone/operational system pratically unknow yet...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Pathetic spin...

    As clearly only Apple make and sell iPhones, but you can buy a "googlephone" from HTC and from other operators under different branding...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Headmaster

      No.

      The "Googlephone" is the Nexus One, and is only available from Google. There are plenty of Android phones, but only one Googlephone.

    2. Chris 168
      WTF?

      #CommentFAIL!

      No you can't

      You're confusing the Android operating system with the actual Google Nexus One smartphone

  5. Timo

    If it was so easy to launch a new phone, everyone would be doing it.

    Google has proven how many different conflicting interests are involved here.

    Yeah. It looks easy. But it isn't.

  6. Gulfie
    WTF?

    I don't see the problem here

    Only available from the USA, can't play with the phone up front, there is no surprise it's not selling well. Once it gets into the shops it'll be a different matter though. I ordered a Nexus One at 11am last Wednesday, it was signed for at my house at 10am on Friday. Beat that Royal Mail.

    My first impresson is that Android 2.1 on Nexus (or equivalent) is a better consumer experience than the iPhone. I have both now, currently using the Nexus. My only day one gripes are lack of built-in support for 'local' address book and calendar sync.

    Particularly enjoy not having to wait for Twitter to re-load each time I want to use it. Screen is fantastic.

    The next iPhone MUST have a high-res screen and support background processes to keep up with modern Android handsets. I can see why they are sueing...

  7. Gizzit101

    Meh

    ...each to their own, I guess.

    I suspect that the Motorola Droid/Milestone secured a fair lump of the Nexus One's prospective market share before the N1 was launched.

    I further suspect that the HTC Desire & Legend will eat some of N1's lunch, especially amongst those who feel the need to paw the goods prior to purchase.

    Then again, the impending launch of the N1 on Verizon/Vodaphone might increase the rate of sale, but maybe not.

    Personally, I bought a Nexus One, and am very, very happy with it, and what it can do. I've been an Android user and fanboy since May 2009.

  8. Tony Hoyle

    Google don't care

    N1 is an excellent phone - I wouldn't part with it.. but A million Droids plus however many HTC <insert name here> is all Andorid phones getting into the hands of punters. As far as google is concerned that's the goal. Which hardware you're running it on is somewhat irrelevant.

    A barely marketed (really.. it's hard to find people that have heard of it) phone sold from a single website in the US selling 135,000 isn't that bad, either.

  9. dave 46
    WTF?

    Google seem ashamed of it

    I'm surprised it's selling as well as it is considering the (lack of) push Google has given it.

    To be fair this is what they should have done from the off, release android as open source if you must but the google phone should been first and it should have had deals in place with phone stores and networks in all the major markets on release day.

    The mere fact they have a google phone is surprising - it must have come as something of a shock to the incumbants, that they aren't pushing it is I think a nod in their direction.

    We shouldn't be surprised though, Google don't do execution or strategy, they just throw stuff out there until something sticks and then run with it. We forget the bad eggs and praise Google the all knowing.

    It's easier to forget software and services though, when you have a hefty chunk of your own cash tied up in a lame duck phone you are more likely to remember Google latest about turn.

  10. Shady
    Joke

    But, but, but....

    ....Google would have you believe that the Nexus is at least eight times better than a Jesus Phone, so therefore, only needs to sell 1/8 as many handsets!!

    Oh, bugger it, economics was never my strongest suit.

  11. Oninoshiko
    Badgers

    Meh

    I'll just keep useing whatever the boss hands me for free.

  12. Neur0mancer
    Unhappy

    It seems nice

    But I like to play with things before I buy them.

    1. Gizzit101
      Thumb Up

      Ok, so....

      ...wait till next month, then go into your local Vodafone shop, and ask to play with an HTC Desire. If you love the HTC Sense UI overlay, and can't live without the optical touch-pad thingy, then buy a Desire. Be aware however, that the Sense UI might well cause delays to future updates.

      I reckon that handset manufacturers believe that the o/s should be static for the lifetime of the phone, and that they regard the tailoring of updates to be an unnecessary overhead. That was a good part of the reason I went for a Nexus One running "vanilla" Android 2.1.

      Of course, the plus side of all the customisation and variety is that there is an Android phone for everyone...diehard hardware keyboard fans included.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Coffee/keyboard

      Google the merciless

      "But I like to play with things before I buy them."

      Personally, I like to play with things a while...before annihilation.

  13. karolbe
    Unhappy

    I want 3!

    135k is not much but I would buy 3 Nexus One phones straight away if I could (one for me, one for wife and one for my brother), I know that some of my colleagues would like to buy one or two as well.

    Too bad that I can't buy them here (Poland), unless I am OK to buy an imported one for $200 more. And I am not OK for this..

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Halo

    haha ANOTHER "iPhone-killer"

    What a joke. You sorry Google fanbois must be gutted.

    Give it up and get an iPhone. You lost. deal with it.

    1. Alex Rose
      FAIL

      @ haha ANOTHER "iPhone-killer"

      That's right. You won. Oh, hang on a minute.....you're NOT Steve Jobs, you're NOT Apple?

      Rather than opening your mouth and confirming that you are a retard why not keep quiet and have us merely suspect it?

      (For the record I don't have a Nexus One, I just loathe idiots like the above poster with a passion)

  15. b166er

    try before you buyers

    isn't there an Android emulator? I seem to remember there was.

    Google needs to be the carrier, it's about time the cellular industry got it backside dragged into the present.

    1. Law
      Thumb Down

      there is one - but that's not the point

      "try before you buyers" want to see what the actual phone is like, not an emulation of the os on a computer.

      You get no idea of the build quality, speed/lag, touch responsiveness, camera quality, or just "feel" of a phone if you go the emulator route... it's like viewing a sandboxed test drive video of a car, rather than doing it yourself in person.

  16. Sim~

    fair sales

    Chrome wasn't really pushed into the marketsphere initially either, but it's doing well for itself today. Google play the long game, I don't really see this as signs of failure, more like typical Google strategy. Demand is there, and it will grow.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    What is the obsession with Nexus sales?

    Seems a lot of people are obsessed about nexus one sales. But what makes you think Nexus one is more than a showcase product for the enthusiast?

    Vodafone already announced Desire and Legend so it would be surprising to see Nexus One making decent numbers there. However compared to last year (Magic with Google vs Hero) finally Vodafone is providing decent choice and not just going for with google logo.

    Certainly, if Google was in the business of hardware, the direction of Android would be quite different. Also I doubt Google would allow Nexus one manufacturer HTC to launch Desire. ( Nexus one + Sense + a few modifications).

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    google's cheerleaders

    i wonder where are those posts of over excited google cheerleaders who think google will save their day ?

    Of all IT corporation i see around silicon valley; the one i fear most is Google. owned by a small board of billionaires who have the ability to get some top official in the white house come to their rescue in international affaires. "money talk obviously"

    Search engine is the only thing they've made that doesn't feel like a beta release. Over glorified by its share price which can only be bought in large numbers by super wealthy elites, Google remains a huge advertising cash machine.

    For those advocating openness; I say that we all live in a controlled world even if we like to think our freedom is taken for granted. Good products have got to have a controlled and even closed policy or they never get finished.

    Order is key!

    Even google does it, although it claims it doesn't and that makes it a a multibillion hypocrite corporation.

    1. Gulfie
      Thumb Up

      Choose your walled garden...

      I agree with your sentiment. Apple and Google have both produced walled garden phones, with Apple its the app store, with Google its integration with the greater Google. I had to open a gmail account to activate my Nexus One - I regarded this with the same trepidation as those who wanted an iPhone but not iTunes. The first thing I worked out how to do was to switch off all the cloud sync with my shiny new gmail account - which I won't use. I'm currently working out how to sync contacts and calendar with my Mac...

      1. Law
        Happy

        Sync applications!

        I sync music/photos with Sailing Media Sync... it's exactly the functionality I wanted from my mac with my Hero, that I lost when I dropped my iPhone (with it's auto-sync via iTunes)... basically being able to "intelligently" sync new photos and modified playlists without resyncing the whole library every time. It's paid a free app for dumb syncing, paid for the intelligent syncing.

        As for contacts etc, I'm a google ho so I do it over air - but I think there is an application from markspace called Missing Sync... basically does everything for you, backs up your entire phone, and mac friendly... only reason I didn't go with them was the lack of free updates (you have to pay for new versions).

        http://www.markspace.com/products/android/missing-sync-android.html

        They both work with multiple android phones though.

        Auto-Sync/Backup applications for Android are going to have to become alot better advertised and more stable in the future for android to become a proper all-purpose device for "normal" people - maybe the networks can strike deals, or google could purchase one of them and give it out for free... but I think tech-dumb punters prefer the itunes style route than sifting through the web for applications, or drag/dropping media manually.

  19. wgae
    FAIL

    Just 135,000 sold phones?

    Clearly a fail, given all the hype and marketing power from the folks in MV. They must be weeping in the corner of the boardroom, I guess.

  20. Skrrp
    Thumb Up

    I have a computer in my pocket, screw other phones

    For everyone mentioning 'try before you buy', you are clearly idiots and don't know your own rights. When I bought my Nexus, I had 7 days to try before I bought. Read the T&C page on Google and you will find a clear and simple section about the EC and DSR. Now name me which physical store I could have gone to to get a 7 day trial model. (Mobile network signal guarantees notwithstanding.)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      re: I have a computer...

      "Now name me which physical store I could have gone to to get a 7 day trial model. (Mobile network signal guarantees notwithstanding.)"

      I can't name a single one, but if you asked what physical stores give a 14 day cooling off period, there are quite a few...

  21. roy lovelock
    WTF?

    i went to purchase but......

    My trusty g1 bit the dust and i wanted the N1 - I had all the etching done etc then went to pay for it, sorry your card is invalid WTF.

    After a bit of digging i found out maestro cards are not accepted anymore, I dont use credit cards online, no pappy pal etc, sale lost!!.

    went and got a milestone insted.

    Google you need to realise that maestro cards are used all over the place in europe - not everyone uses credit cards.

    I had used the card previously on the market place - now its no longer accepted.

    Until google accept all debit cards they will never be number 1.

    ipod dont even go there yuck....

    1. Jay 2
      WTF?

      Very brave

      You don't use credit cards (someone else's money) online, but you will use a debit card (your money)?

      After being fleeced/skimmed/etc in a shop for £100 a few years back (refunded by bank) I don't use my debit card anywhere apart from cash machines (preferably those inside banks if possible). I now use credit cards for virtually everything, and pay it off every month.

      If you don't use credit cards for moral/ideoligical/etc reasons then fair enough, but not using them for security reaons and using a debit card instead is a bit silly in my opinion.

  22. benoit

    Remember this bit

    If you get an iPhone, most likely you aren't paying $600 for it because you're getting it on some promotion/contract/whatever

    How many N1 sales are this way?

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