No Google Nexus 6 after all?

Google NexusThere may not be a Google Nexus 6 after all. Despite comments by none other than Sundar Pichai, Google’s Senior Vice President of Chrome and Apps, rumours continue to surface that the Nexus program is on its way out. The latest comes from none other than the usually reliable @evleaks who indicates that not only will there not be a Nexus 6 but that we can also say farewell to the Nexus program.

A second tweet also restores hope: “Don’t worry, there’s a silver lining to this cloud…” @evleaks’ choice of words suggests that Google may not be getting out of the hardware business completely. The reference to a silver lining may well be to the rumoured Android Silver program expected to replace the Nexus one. Rather than Google-branded devices, manufacturers participating in the program would offer devices running the latest version of Android with a stock or near stock user interface.  Google would require that updates be rolled out within a certain amount of time. It could also impose various other requirements such as limits on the amount of non-Google software that can be preinstalled or hardware ones such as being waterproof . Whether these devices launch under a Google brand name is still unclear.

When Pichai was asked about the Nexus 6, he answered, “I can assure you that it will not launch in the first half of the year.” Many, including us, interpreted that to mean that it would come in the second half of the year. Looking back at that statement with hindsight, it certainly does leave the door open to it not launching in the second half either.

Assuming that the Android Silver program replaces the Nexus one, we could still see the Nexus 6 later this year but it would launch under a different name.

The rumour that Google would retire the Nexus program first surfaced early this year. It now appears that the Nexus program will not even see out 2014. Could Google announce Android Silver at Google I/O 2014 which takes place in late June?


Sources : evleaks.at (1) // evleaks.at (2)