The good and bad from the UK launch of Google's Nexus range

So Google's new Nexus range went on sale in the UK on Tuesday and within 20mins - they'd sold out of the Nexus 4. Great yeh? Not so fast, it was a bit of a Google Play Store cock-up. However, the items went out on sale again and this time they did sell out - properly. Now obviously we don't know exact figures as yet but it certainly is a good start and a good piece of PR for Google.

Should we be surprised by this? I don't think so. I blogged before about the quality and potential of the range and without gloating too much - it seems I was right. Consumers are being offered a brilliant, high-end phone at an extremely aggressive pricing - where's the decision? The projected flaw (over-analysed by the likes of TechCrunch) was the lack of 4G in the Nexus 4, however, with 4G still young in penetrating the UK market most are happy to continue at current internet speeds.

Don't forget that it is not just the Nexus 4 that has sold out. Unsurprisingly the 3G Nexus 7 and other Nexus 7 models at the reduced price sold out inside 24hrs. Perhaps more surprisingly the Nexus 10 has also sold out, again inside 24 hours. This is brilliant news for Android and suggests there is a positive word of mouth around the Nexus 7. Importantly for Android it seems we could be seeing the Android OS finally gain traction in the tablet market and against the might of the iPad don't they need it! Whilst Apple have put up little fight to the Nexus 7 with the iPad Mini, it will still sell and this is by no means the beginning of the end for the iPad.

It's a shame Google couldn't get it spot on with a smooth launch but that doesn't hide the fact that the Nexus now appears, for the first time, to be in the mass-consumer range. The timing couldn't be better either, and with Christmas fast approaching we could be in for some monstrous sales figures.

Thanks for reading. All thoughts welcome. Considering buying any of the Nexus range? Already have done? Or no interest at all?
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Google's incredible new Nexus range

Much of the tech world waited in anticipation for Google's launch event on Monday only for it to be postponed because of Hurricane Sandy. We weren't left hanging though. Google gave us plenty to talk about by announcing the new Nexus range. And even the most optimistic Android fans were rendered speechless by what was announced.

Okay, our expectations were high but, in short, Google announced a series of the best spec models available, for an outrageously reasonable price. I mean, beyond anything we could have imagined.

Let's start with the Nexus 4 Phone - by far the most exciting announcement on Monday.
This phone packs a quad-core processor, 8 megapixel camera, 2GB RAM and a 4.7" high-res screen with Gorilla Glass. That's not all either; the Nexus also has NFC capability alongside wireless charging and HDMI output. All this for £239 (8GB version) or £279 (16GB version) - less than half the cost of the now inferior Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5. Seriously, I'm not joking about those prices!
Sold? You should be.

It's not all amazing though, Google have missed off LTE (4G for us in the UK) on the Nexus 4. A shame considering everything else is brilliant but that it wont matter too much. I'm also not a huge fan of Android devices following the Apple-route of not offering expandable memory. This is the situation with the Nexus 4 and whilst the memory won't be a problem at 8GB or 16GB, I like having the option. Let's be honest, for the cost of the Nexus 4 we can have few complaints over what are absolutely minor faults.
       Il be the first to admit I was slightly disappointed to see LG given the Nexus phone but every LG weakness will be covered for by Google on the Nexus Phone. LG make superb hardware and that is what they are being used for here. What's not to like?

So what else did Google announce? Well they've released the 32GB version of the Nexus 7. Okay - not particularly exciting but again the excitement comes through the subsequent pricing. Google have hit bang on the pricing note with the Nexus 7. A few days after Apple announced the iPad Mini at a premium price, Google drops the price of the superior Nexus 7 (16GB) to £159 - £110 less. All of this right before Christmas. In my eyes it's gone from being a contest to Game-Set-Match to Google in the 7" tablet sector. Why would you buy an inferior product for closing in on double the price? Okay, it's not that simple. I'm not including convenience of staying with iOS for example, but the pricing will really make consumers take a step back and consider whether it's worth £110 for convenience, especially on the 7" tablet.
      The Nexus 7 32GB version is £40 more - and if you want one compatible with mobile internet it will cost you £40 more. That is still only £239! An absolute dream. Complete bargain.

I guess the weakest launch in the new Nexus range is the Nexus 10 tablet. Now let me clarify, this is not weak because the Nexus 10 is a poor product, far from it. This is a spec-packed piece of kit but my disappointment is that it's been priced at the same as the iPad. When they've priced the Nexus phone SO competitively, why not do the same with the tablet where, let's face it, Android is still struggling. Anyway, consumers should still be wowed by what is on offer: Dual-core Exynos 5 chip supported by 2GB RAM. In addition the Nexus 10 has an extremely high-res screen with Gorilla Glass alongside NFC, both-facing cameras and a 9hr battery life.

Now its over to Google to market the Nexus range effectively. Up til now the Nexus phone in particular has been the toy for the more tech-minded. Google needs to convince the mass-population to join in. Given what is on offer and the price listed; this should not be difficult. I'll be sitting on my hands for a little while to stop me from buying the set!!

Comments and thoughts welcome. Will you be buying? Which item are you most impressed with? Have I been too positive about it all? 

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The iPad Mini and Apple's other surprises

(Anyone think it looks a lot like the Galaxy Note? Also - these slogans are getting ridiculously bad)

A friend of mine (and big Apple fan) said - before the launch - that he believed the iPad Mini was pointless. I didn't agree. I believe a 7" tablet does hold a practical and financial benefit to a consumer and Apple offering a cheaper alternative to the iPad for consumers is the right move. If you've got an iPad you don't need the Mini but for many, the iPad Mini should be the affordable option. However - £269 at the cheapest end!? What were they thinking? Many consumers were waiting around for the iPad Mini before buying the Nexus 7 and I would assume that they had expected a more competitively priced option - perhaps up to £200. It smells of Apple just grinding out another £70 because of the label. In my opinion consumers willing to spend £269 should seriously consider go the whole way and just buy an old iPad 2/3. It seems the investors agree. Kevin Cook from Yahoo Finance summarised

"But when the slide of pricing schemes for the iPad Mini were shown, the stock dropped hard and fast, trading from above $629 down to $622 in only 3 minutes on over 800,000 shares."

What is good is that we now have a direct comparison and competition to the Nexus 7 which I said we needed before it could be judged properly.

(Source: http://ow.ly/eIR8d)

So the Google Nexus 7 has more power, an HD screen and a quad-core processor - all for cheaper. Okay, the iPad Mini has a bigger screen, offers more storage (at about £100 quid an upgrade) and is a bit lighter but still; is that worth the hike in cost? That's up to you to decide I guess.
     We all know it'll sell, and it'll sell well, but, in a straight up comparison with the Nexus 7 - it loses in my opinion.

Anyway what else did Apple announce? Controversially Apple have unveiled a new 4th gen. iPad which also ceases all production of 'the new iPad' which was just 6 months old. This has angered many consumers who, after investing a lot of money, have now seen a newer model soon after their purchase. Now with any other company this wouldn't necessarily be seen as controversial but because of Apple's 18 month 'cycle' this is peculiar. So what does the iPad 4 boast? Apple is shouting about the new iPad having retina display...even though the iPad 3 did as well... The processor is apparently twice as fast without affecting battery-life, 4G is now for everyone and the cameras have improved. All round, good improvements.

Apple also announced an impressive new 13" MacBook Pro (good specs but for a whopping price) and a beautiful new iMac (it really is beautiful):

Lots of excitement! Next up Microsoft take the stage on Friday....


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