Google has finally figured out how to sell out a smartphone: Make so little of it it’s impossible to get.
According to a Google executive, the Nexus 4 is impossible to find because LG was apparently not equipped to meet the massive demand for the phone.
We found the Nexus 4 to be flawed, but so cheap relatively speaking that it made sense to buy one. But then again, nobody’s been able to buy one. LG has already stated that Google lowballed the number of phones they needed, so now it’s Google’s turn to point a few fingers while customers wait for their new phone to show up:
Dear all, I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue. Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed.
If we had to guess who was right, we’d have to say both. Google probably didn’t expect the Nexus 4 to be as popular as it turned out to be, and LG’s supply chain probably hasn’t been able to keep up with demand.
Which leads us to wonder why, precisely, Google bought an entire freaking cell phone company of its very own. Couldn’t you just solve these problems in-house, guys? Didn’t you spend $13 billion not to deal with this crap?