Google’s Nexus One Web Store Shuts, Advantage Apple
So Google, the #1 website, wasn’t selling enough Nexus Ones through the web-only route, and is changing strategy. They say people want a hands-on experience when choosing their phones.
Just want to point out Apple has a huge advantage in this department, what with 287 stores nationwide. Hands on experience is one thing, but add onto that great customer service and a place to go when things go wrong. They’re also dedicated stores, versus a Best Buy / cell phone store where some salesperson with no Google ties won’t be all that motivated to push their phone.
Apple’s retail stores are a huge advantage which its competitors are going to have an extremely difficult time matching. And to think some once thought the stores were a bad idea.
There’s also the thought that cellphones are a mainstream consumer product which requires a traditional approach to marketing. Apple has this down. You can’t target a mainstream product at early adopters and wait for the masses to “catch up,” and particularly not in the cellphone business, when Apple is releasing a new phone annually. Losing several months with a misguided strategy could be fatal. Not long from now, Apple’s new iPhone will arrive, drowning out whatever ground gained with the Nexus One.