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No Verizon Partnership For Google's Nexus One
starglider29a writes with news that Google and Verizon Wireless have abandoned plans for a partnership that would bring the Nexus One to the carrier's network. "Without a Verizon partnership, Google loses access to the carrier's more than 90 million customers, potentially blocking the phone from gaining more widespread popularity. The breakdown of the deal signals Verizon may view Google as a competitor rather than a partner when it comes to Nexus One sales, which are probably at less than half a million since the phone's January debut, said BGC Partners's Colin Gillis." A Google spokesman said, "We won't be selling a Nexus One with Verizon and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem." In a brief blog post, Google recommends a similar, Android-based phone from HTC for customers who want Verizon service.
Hey, don't laugh. It took Apple almost 75 minutes to reach the milestone of half a million iPhone users.
Let me break this genty to you.
Google makes jack shit from Android "sales" because it's a free operating system. Even if there are 10 billion Android phones out there, ultimately the deciding factor is the quality of the apps, developer mindshare, and broad consumer acceptance.
Keep in mind, Android is not a phone. It's an operating system. In a greater scheme of things, consumers aren't buying Android. They're buying a Verizon smartphone or Motorola smartphone with their respective brands. So to say that "Android grew X % over Y period of time" is not really helpful for any meaningful metric.
iPhone is still the leader and will continue to be unless a strong competitor emerges out of the bunch and presents a unified front where they can clearly differentiate between devices.
So, you are telling me that the target market for the Nexus One are people with multiple cutting edge cell phones? That would explain why sales are so low, but then raises the question, why would any company want a market that small?
I confess, I don't really follow your second sentence ... Are you saying that iPhones sell for more than the cost of the phone plus early termination fee? A quick check on ebay suggests this may be true, but I'm not sure how that ties into switching to T-Mobile.