[Op - Ed] The Galaxy Nexus: Another Great Device, another Botched Launch

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Ugh.

This is really starting to irk me. Yet another great Android device comes to market and, as usual, the launch was botched, marring the public Android perception and proving once again that Google ain’t no Apple (for better AND worse).

This isn’t the first time I’ve been unhappy with an Android launch (see my rants about the ASUS transformer launch here. (Quick aside: I take my words back at the end of the article about being concerned by ASUS’s support of the device. That end has been wonderful and I wish more manufacturers would keep up. I’m looking at you Motorola…). But this is the newest Nexus device for Christ sakes! This is the device that is supposed to embody pure stock Android; essentially the best the platform has to offer before carriers get in and muddy the waters with their bloatware, superfluous software and, now, Carrier IQ. This latest Nexus launch ruined all that and here’s why:

Bloatware

Bloatware. That ugly word that describes the pre-packaged software that comes with a lot of devices being sold by a particular carrier. The Android Nexus devices were supposed to be free of this stuff. Sure there are only two apps thrown in (My Verizon Mobile and Verizon’s backup assistant), but its more the violation of principle and the Nexus methodology at stake here than any particular application. The Nexus devices are supposed to be free of all bloatware and pre-installed software. Keep it that way. I’d hate to see the 6th iteration of the Nexus line shipping with MotoBlur (or even worse TouchWiz).

Timing

I have to go back and look up exact dates here, but the Galaxy Nexus timeline looks roughly as follows:

  • Google Announces Ice Cream Sandwich; shows off some of its features
  • Google Delays Galaxy Nexus announcement to respect the passing of Steve Jobs
  • Google finally officially announces Galaxy Nexus in Hong Kong
  • Everyone wonders where the heck the Galaxy Nexus is for almost six weeks
  • Rumors fly that the Nexus is launching later this we— oh wait just kidding
  • Repeat last step several times
  • Verizon is selling the Galaxy Nexus starting three days after the day before yesterday! Oh wait… that’s tomorrow.

Critics will point out that the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus has been available for a few weeks now, at which I will ask them how many of those devices sold? Until Verizon officially started selling the Galaxy Nexus, the device has not been considered ready for public consumption, which is the date that people really care about. You can’t harbor hardware in beta forever. Sorry, the market is not that forgiving.

What I’m really getting at is that the device should have been ready to go right along with the announcement of Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus is Ice Cream Sandwich’s flagship device, right? So why isn’t it ready to go when the ICS hype was first peaking? While all the techies and some not-so-technical people were salivating over the new operating system with its new features, that was the prime time to release the device. I know software delays and hiccups happen, but Google is a big boy; they should have been able to account for these things. If that means lighting a fire under Verizon’s tail to make sure they are ready to go ASAP, or God forbid nixing the exclusivity BS in favor of a fair market situation in which whoever could effectively port ICS the quickest and best gets to sell it first, so be it. What happens when Apple announces the ‘next big thing’? They’re already got a release date and distribution channels set up so the public knows when and where they can get their hands on the newest shiny thing. They capitalize on the market hype. That’s why their devices sell so much better. Its this minute attention to detail (or lack thereof) that leaves IOS feeling like a polished product and Android as some engineer’s side project they’ve worked on (hard too mind you, dumping many hours of mountain dew, sweat, and coding into) while stashed in their mother’s basement. Sorry I had to go there, but someone’s got to say it. Step your game up Google.

Marketing

Which brings me to another point. Where was the marketing for the Galaxy Nexus? The actual launch date came as a surprise to me, and I’m sure it did the same to many others. Why weren’t there more definitive advertisements saying THIS DEVICE WILL BE RELEASED ON XX/XX/XXXX? Lets take a look at another launch done right: Skyrim (its what all my friends have been talking about since forever ago. Bear with me). Everyone knew the date Skyrim came out months in advance of the actual release. People planned social events around the release of this video game y’all!!. I strongly believe that if Android devices are marketed properly and the software experience continues to progress as it has been, a Nexus launch could generate similar hype.

The release of the Galaxy Nexus had great potential. Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) brings some really great features to Android, and this phone was to be the first to show all that off. The Galaxy Nexus was supposed to be ICS done right; it was supposed to set the bar for all subsequent ICS devices to be released. It hasn’t. I really hope Google gets its act together with respect to the finer points of selling tech hardware (as opposed to offering software as a service) like Apple has done. Of course that leads us down the road in which one argues that Google is not selling Android hardware, they are just selling the software to promote usage of their other products. But that’s an argument for another day. Maybe we’ll discuss it in the backchannels (via via twitter or Google Plus)

  • USCCoder :3

    I can agree with you on most of these gripes, as seeing verizons dirty hands on the device (branding and bloatware) tarnishes the Nexus name, but with that aside (and removal of said apps) the phone itself is a remarkable device and performs well. None of this will stop me from getting it next week.

    - Drew

    • Anonymous

      Oh I’m not saying it won’t be a great end-user device because I’m sure it will once a few bugs and kinks get worked out.  I’m mainly kinda perturbed by the fact that the Nexus ‘branding’ doesn’t mean quite what it used to anymore.

  • Chase

    I have a few problems with this article.  The nexus showcases a TI processor which is better than even the 1.5 GHZ dc in a select few other devices and while the TI has a 1.2 GHz dc the nexus out performs those device with respect to graphic applications and vector based processing.  I think the nexus has therefore done not an exceptional but still a good job paving the way for future android devices.  Google has never tried to dominate the market with advertising through third party channels like Apple nor have they tried to corner the market with their latest Nexus as we can see in past releases.  Google advertised the device through their domain and through techie hype.  This has always been Google’s prerogative.  While you can fault them for not having released the Nexus during the prime hype of ICS, I’d much rather see them delay it then release an enormous disappointment like we saw from Apple.  Apple’s biggest advancement in their latest device was SIRI, a service that Google already offered perhaps not as polished but through their extensive voice search.  Of which SIRI uses as a search api I might add.  I could go on but to compare Apple’s latest product as “Polished” over the Nexus is just unfounded.  Google absolutely promotes software as a service; hmm let’s see if I can name a few of there software services where they make money through advertisements:  Google+, Google Docs, GMail, Google Shopping, Google Search, Google Finance, Google Music, Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Picasa, Youtube, and the list just goes on and on.

    Now I can certainly agree with a few points of yours.  If google announces a release date they should stick to it and make sure their partners are ready to go.  The Nexus should also be completely free of bloatware and Google should have ensured that Verizon would not “ban” an app from the device like google wallet.

    Bottom line:  This is a developers phone.  The nexus has yet to be the right phone for the masses and I for one hope it remains that way.  Every bit of engineering Google does on their Nexus has the tech crowd in mind because that is where their money comes from.  With out developers to put products out on the Android Market there is no Android.  I’m thrilled with the release of the Nexus and it is everything I hoped it would be.

    • Anonymous

      I’m not arguing against how good of a device the Nexus Galaxy is; its going to be a great device for end user consumption and for development.  I’m just saying that Google is not doing itself any favors by failing to market this flagship device properly.  

      At the end of the day the end user doesn’t care that their device is running Android or IOS, they want something cool and trendy and they want it now, and to an extent, Google has to cater to that, or risk Android being deemed a niche device for techies, the linux of smartphones so to speak (I know it is running a linux kernel so that’s exactly what it is, but lets face it, linux scares the average consumer). 

      Of course Google promotes software as a service; that’s what they do.  I was using that phrase to express the frustration that following a software as a service model isn’t going to cut it when you’re trying to sell hardware for widespread consumption.  You can’t just put your product out there and let its merits shine through in the free market.  Sadly we’re hitting a day and age where specs don’t matter to the end consumer.  ”Advertising through third party channels” does.  You call apple’s latest release an “enormous disappointment” but remember this enormous disappointment posted record sales.  While the more technically minded were disappointed with Apple’s product, the market seems pretty satisfied, and we know Apple is satisfied, posting record revenue in the past quarter.

      However, all in all, I’m excited about the Nexus release.  This will be a great device and I love to see Google continually pushing the envelope with their Android software releases.  I just think there is more they could and should be doing to promote Android and make it a smoother and better marketed experience.