No Nexus Two; Nexus One Major Success for Android, Says Google

This is a two-parter, neither truly shocking. First, there will be no Nexus Two; the Nexus One is the end of the line for Google-sold Android phones for the foreseeable future. Second, the Nexus One was so successful that the Nexus Two is unnecessary. (You may be scratching your head in bewilderment at this point.) Here’s the quote from Eric Schmidt:

The idea a year and a half ago was to do the Nexus One to try to move the phone platform hardware business forward. It clearly did. It was so successful, we didn’t have to do a second one. We would view that as positive but people criticized us heavily for that. I called up the board and said: ‘Ok, it worked. Congratulations – we’re stopping’. We like that flexibility, we think that flexibility is characteristic of nimbleness at our scale.

While I didn’t predict that Google would nix the Nexus Two (there were rumors swirling that N2 would be a business-oriented Android device), I agree that the Nexus One was a smashing success. I wrote back in March:

[The Nexus One] set the bar by which other Android devices are measured. Google wasn’t looking to necessarily outsell the upcoming HTC Incredible, for example. I believe it was simply looking to protect the brand by demoing Android on well designed hardware and avoid regulating the ecosystem it has fought so hard to keep “open.” Think of the Nexus One as the model by which Android should be measured. That’s what Google wants you to do.

Viewed from this lens, the Nexus One was an overwhelming success. I have come across many enthusiastic Nexus One owners on Buzz who are evangelistic in their love for Android. The Nexus One was the prototypical Android device that propelled the platform forward. It comes as no surprise to me that Google is declaring mission accomplished.

[via IntoMobile]

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