Not sure that
Cade has an axe to grind necessarily. This whole episode as reported has show quite a bit of inconsistent behaviour and explanations on Googles part.
1. Google secretly helps develop a phone but denies it all the way until they finally release it to the surprise of no one.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/13/the_googlephone_exists/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/05/google_nexus_one_announcement/
2. This annoys their partners somewhat after they have outlaid a bucket of cash in promotion etc by selling their own phone in competition and then invite them to join the Google store, but claim they are not in competion.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/06/the_googlephone_store/
3. Then when things are perhaps not going so swimmingly on the phone selling front globally they decide to sell the N1 through partner retail channels.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/27/google_backtracks_on_nexus_one/
4. They then close the Google store.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/14/google_to_stop_selling_nexus_one_online/
5. Finally they close up on the whole thing and claim it was a huge sucess and now it is a developer phone.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/01/schmidt_on_nexus_one/
Now don’t get me wrong I have an HTC Desire and really like it and the whole Android platform, however I not exactly convinced by many of their explanations of the whole episode.