Google’s Nexus One:
Why the ‘Superphone’ failed*

*Ok, ok, failed may be a tad harsh, but if you call anything ’super’, you can expect a backlash when it doesn’t live up to expectations!

In a time when Android continues to go from strength to strength, what was supposed to be the landmark handset to earmark the operating system’s dramatic introduction to the market, the Nexus One seems to be slipping into the mire of Google’s ‘could have beens’.

Tipped to be the ‘superphone’ that would challenge and revolutionise the smartphone market, it has now be dropped by two major MNOs in the states, and has had absolutely no impact on the continual rise of Android. There are people who stand by the handset, continuing to herald it as the best handset they have ever owned, but unfortunately it seems that the majority have lost faith.

Only 20,000 handsets were sold in its first week, and other Android handsets such as Motorola’s Droid heavily outsold Google’s HTC manufactured offering. Goldman Sachs originally predicted that there would be 3.5 million Nexus One sales this year. Not long ago that number has been slashed to just one million.

So where exactly did the Nexus One go wrong? Here’s my thoughts:

It’s no Apple! – There is no doubting that Google is an extremely strong global brand, however in a market that is led (and led pretty damn well too) by Apple, it takes a true army of fanatics to make an outright market leader. Considering this was Google’s first ‘hardware’ outing, there was nothing to precede it to ensure the established market initiated sales.

Consumer Trust – Google’s products continue to come under scrutiny for their issues relating to privacy, and therefore consumer trust in the organisation is delicate enough as it is. Considering that the mobile phone is already a very personal and private device makes it an even easier decision for a consumer to not trust their personal, location and financial data with Google.

Poor marketing strategy – This was supposed to be a SUPERPHONE! There was nothing super about the marketing campaign to support the launch, and if anything was overshadowed by the brilliant campaign for the Motorola Droid. Google too heavily relied on what they thought was the geek/tech communities excitement too cause a buzz, when in fact they neglected to target the average joes seeking an iPhone alternative. Without the hype and major marketing strategy, it was always going to be flawed.

Selling Direct – “If it ain’t broke, dont fix it!” – Trying to sell directly to the customer is a risky business for any handset manufacturer, especially at the first attempt. Apple does it, but this is not exclusive, and instead partners with MNOs/carriers as well. When there are plenty of operators who would have taken on the handset and supplied great customer service support, why did Google think it could manage it all on its own?! Especially with the following point in mind…

Poor Customer service – After launch, the decision to have an online only customer service centre for the Nexus One backfired, and the publicity behind this decision put a dramatic halt to sales as the issues causing complaints leaked out very publicly. This also caused a significant delay to the UK launch, by which time many ‘shoppers’ looked elsewhere.

Stronger Android handsets – Even after the launch of the Nexus One in all its markets, it was evident that there were (going to be) better Android handsets available, mainly from HTC. The Desire in particular which is awfully similar to the Nexus One, but has the impressive Sense UI from HTC, and Flash 10.1 support.

The Nexus One is no doubt a brilliant phone, but it has failed to be the major catalyst for Android adoption and competitor to the iPhone that Google had hoped. Its just as well that Android continues to grow stronger with the support of HTC and Samsung who are regularly releasing handsets utilising the operating system. Will the Nexus Two learn from the lessons of its older brother? Lets hope so…