• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Mobile
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Mobile
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Mobile
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Mobile

Sign up for our daily recaps of the ever-changing search marketing landscape.

Note: By submitting this form, you agree to Third Door Media's terms. We respect your privacy.


Google’s Take Two On Mobile Handset Retailing With Nexus 2

Google is rumored to be rolling out a “Nexus 2” — or if it were a movie sequel “N2” — on November 8 with Samsung. Google’s Nexus One (built by HTC) was a failed experiment in direct selling to the public rather than through carriers. Despite public statements to the contrary, the move angered carriers […]

Greg Sterling on October 28, 2010 at 11:48 am
  • More

Google is rumored to be rolling out a “Nexus 2” — or if it were a movie sequel “N2” — on November 8 with Samsung. Google’s Nexus One (built by HTC) was a failed experiment in direct selling to the public rather than through carriers. Despite public statements to the contrary, the move angered carriers and, together with the fact that people weren’t buying them online, eventually caused Google to shutter the project and change strategy.

That new strategy, at least in the UK, involves an exclusive deal with retailer Carphone Warehouse. According to reports Carphone Warehouse will be the only retailer in the UK selling the N2, which will be the first device running “Gingerbread” (Android 2.3). It’s another Google effort to sell directly to the public (and it’s a statement about the importance of offline stores vs. e-commerce too).

It’s not clear what the US rollout for N2 will look like. Given the carrier-centric nature of the US market it’s likely that the Google-branded handset will launch with a carrier or carriers plural — probably Verizon and maybe others. But I’ve seen nothing on that.

Meanwhile Apple is doing something potentially event bolder according to GigaOM: working with a SIM-card maker in Europe to integrate the card directly into the iPhone. The move, if true, would allow consumers to buy online or directly from Apple stores and then choose a carrier and activate with minimal carrier involvement. The different structure of Europe’s mobile markets permits this approach and would relegate carriers to bandwidth providers, fully subordinating them to the device and Apple.

Apple could develop a dual CDMA-SIM phone for the US that might permit the same strategy once AT&T exclusivity is gone. (Verizon and Sprint are CDMA, AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM.) But there are more technical challenges in the US as I understand it because of the parallel systems.

Even though Google wants the option to sell directly to the public and circumvent carriers it will continue to work with carriers as the “anti-iPhone” that allows them to compete with Apple’s device and gives them control they wouldn’t get from Apple. The entry of a viable Windows Phone would potentially complicate that role for Google. But the viability of the new Microsoft mobile device hasn’t been proven yet.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes about the connections between digital and offline commerce. He previously held leadership roles at LSA, The Kelsey Group and TechTV. Follow him Twitter or find him on LinkedIn.

Related Topics

Channel: MobileGoogle: Mobile

Sign up for our daily recaps of the ever-changing search marketing landscape.

Note: By submitting this form, you agree to Third Door Media's terms. We respect your privacy.


We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

ATTEND OUR CONFERENCES

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

May 21-22, 2019: SMX London

Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2019: SMX Advanced Europe

November 18-19, 2019: SMX Paris

February 19-20, 2020: SMX West

March 18-19, 2020: SMX Munich

June 8-10, 2020: SMX Advanced

November 11-12, 2020: SMX East

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Gain new strategies and insights at the intersection of marketing, technology, and management. Our next conference will be held:

April 15-17, 2020: San Jose

October 6-8, 2020: Boston

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • The Ultimate Agency Guide for Choosing the Right Marketing Automation Vendor.pdf
  • How Good Partnerships Should Reduce Your Workflow
  • Digital Insights 2019: How marketers confront the obstacles of digital customer engagement
  • 14 Industry Experts on the Future of Attribution
  • The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Ad Spend from Invalid Traffic
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • The Fantastic 5: Emerging strategies to drive conversions & growth
  • CCPA Goes Live in Weeks: Is your marketing measurement ready?
  • 4 Ways to Get Started With Agile Marketing
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Enterprise SEO Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Search Engine Land’s Guide To PPC

Master the Elements of PPC
Sign up for our NEW daily brief.
Search Engine Land
Download the Search Engine Land App on iTunes Download the Search Engine Land App on Google Play

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX West
  • SMX London
  • SMX Advanced
  • SMX East
  • MarTech West
  • MarTech East

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • Search Marketing Expo
  • MarTech Conference

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Advertise
  • Marketing Services
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Youtube
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2019 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.