Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected. LG has once again blamed Google for stock issues with the perenially sold-out smash-hit Android phone, saying the Big G had no idea of the potential demand.
Speaking to Challenges, LG France boss Cathy Robin pointed the finger at Google. LG says it simply built as many phones as Google asked for, a number based on the sales of previous Nexus phones, such as the Nexus S.
It turns out that Google severely misunderestimated how many people would actually buy the phone. Fair enough: who woulda thunk that a quad-core smart phone with the latest Jelly Bean software and a high-definition screen costing £240 would be super-popular? Who could have seen that coming? You'd have to be some kind of visionary or something.
It's not just here in Blighty that the new Nexus has struck a chord. As it turns out, ten times as many phone fans bought the Nexus 4 as anticipated in both Britain and Germany.
LG says it takes about six weeks to increase the frequency of deliveries. Happily, from mid-February, LG will ramp up production of the Nexus 4. Finally!
The Nexus 4 went on sale at the end of last year -- for about an hour. Since then it's been sold out at Google Play almost continually, barring the odd day here and there. If you're not one of the lucky few who managed to get in fast and bag a phone, the only way to get hold of the Nexus 4 is to get it on a contract from a phone network -- which costs a heck of a lot more than £240, in the long term. But which is better: an expensive real phone, or a cheap hypothetical phone?
Virgin Media announced this week it's adding the Nexus 4 to its line-up. Virgin joins O2 and Three in selling the phone.
Should Google have seen the demand coming? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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javman05 18 January, 2013 10:13
I managed to get mine from o2 for twenty six quid a month after returning my xperia t after one day which I thought was a good deal. Loving both that and my nexus 7
Peter Hudson 18 January, 2013 10:23
That'll be all the fandroid sheep throwing their cash at google.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 10:34
i got mine as part of the promotion that o2 were running with a TV giveaway, so £180 for the phone upfront, and sold the TV for £300 which puts me quids in!
anonymous 18 January, 2013 10:35
I like being exclusive :-) I don't mind being a fandroid parting with a small amount of cash, much better than being ripped off by Apple!
I was lucky getting a Nexus 4, i live in London and have only seen one other person with one! I like being different, i would never want to be an iSheep!
Peter Hudson 18 January, 2013 10:42
There is no difference between 'fandroids' throwing their money that anything that has a google logo on it and 'iSheep' throwing their money at an apple logo.
It's all pathetic fanboyism.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 10:45
Lucky enough to have a Nexus 4 :-) love the term 'iSheep' lol
Damien2501 18 January, 2013 11:01
Buy the Nexus 4 16GB on Pay As You Go for £380 is still a better deal than buying the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC One X+, Nokia Lumia 920, 4G phones and some other phones on PAYG - there is an £140 difference in some cases.
And all Contracts are a rip off. You may be on a contract for £26 per month, but the networks will definitely make up some ridiculous charge and raise their prices mid contract.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 11:13
I changed my life around about 2 months ago, I have always been an apple fan and always slated android although I never used one, decided out of constant nagging from my sister to try android so I sold my iPhone 4 and bought a nexus 4 of eBay, got the 16GB for £300, must say I can believe how much more you can do and how much freedom you have over the iPhone, this OS is amazing it makes IOS feel about 20 years old, won't be going back cannot get over how much I been missing out, bye bye apple and hello android you now have a news fandroid
anonymous 18 January, 2013 11:37
@PeterHudson, pathetic yes you define the word, and yes take anonymous advice because you do sound like a spoon!
anonymous 18 January, 2013 12:11
the tough guy preaching about fanboyism must have a really cool non Apple/Google phone that he wants everyone to ask him about. too bad nobody cares
anonymous 18 January, 2013 12:40
@Peter Hudson. I doubt people are buying the N4 just because they feel the need to "through there money at Google" and more because its a beast of a phone with hi specs, the latest tec and height quality build at a very low price.
the last phone I bought was the iPhone 3g (witch I still have and use by the way). Since buying it no other phone appealed to me because first they all cost a stupit amount of money and second they didn't offer anything amazingly different to justify spending the kind of money being asked.
The N4 on the other hand is top of the line with a reasonable price point and as soon as it come back in stock I will be at the front of the Q ready to "through my money" at it with a smile on my face.
Jason Dimopoulos 18 January, 2013 13:01
I have a nexus 4 and I live in London... Did you see me :-D
anonymous 18 January, 2013 13:05
Has anyone recently received there N4?
javman05 18 January, 2013 13:09
I managed to get mine from o2 for twenty six quid a month after returning my xperia t after one day which I thought was a good deal. Loving both that and my nexus 7
anonymous 18 January, 2013 13:15
I've got a Nexus 4 and haven't seen any other people with them.... It's a brilliant phone and i havent had an issue with it unlike iphone users and theirs.
Meleagru 18 January, 2013 13:36
I'm very happy with mine. I love the glass lip on the edge of the front screen. It feels just right. It's not a perfect phone by any means but it's damn good.For the price point, it blows everything else out of the water.
I can partly understand Google though. None of previous nexus models sold particularly well. I don't think they even bothered to do any market research on it or else this whole debacle wouldn't have happened.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 13:45
@meleagru I for one can't understand how they underestimated this. It Google for god sake! This is a company that other company's go to for market research data. They have all the resources in the world to make a proper informed decisions and they somehow dropped the ball or just didn't bother taking advantage of the power they have at there own door step.
Damien2501 18 January, 2013 15:37
@Peter Hudson, I didn't see your comment before. The difference between people throwing cash at Google and Apple is £250, the 16 GB Nexus 4 costs £279 (when its available on the Play Store) and the 16 GB iPhone 5 costs £529 from Apple's website.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 16:59
Fandroids out in force today. They are getting as bad as the iSheep (infact I think they've surpassed them)
anonymous 18 January, 2013 17:08
I ordered mine on 5th dec, and just this minute received a despatch email ...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 17:31
no doubt we'll be seeing a new 32GB version and maybe 4G (although they might stick to 3G to avoid hate mail). I'll bide my time till then..
And things I want in 4.3
Split screen
That is all.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 18:00
@anonymong 16:59 thank you for giving me the opportunity to laugh AT you! And at least android users aren't buying the same device year after year. Have a good day fool!
anonymous 18 January, 2013 18:33
"But which is better: an expensive real phone, or a cheap hypothetical phone?"
Very well put. The de facto non-existence of the N4 makes any comparisons irrelevant. Indeed, on the face of it, the situation seems to have been conceived as exercise in provoking anxiety amongst those who are in the market for a new phone.
My own interpretation of the events is that LG has pulled the plug since they didn't expect Google to price the N4 so low thus obliging LG to effectively undercut their own Optimus line.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 18:49
I've had I phones for 4yrs. I also own a Mac which I've had for 5yrs. You couldn't really call me fandroid.. my 1st tablet was a galaxy 7. I've had it 3 yrs & would never buy Samsung again as they only provided 1 update even though the hardware could handle it. That's cost they want you to upgrade. I sold my iPhone 4s 32gb for £350 & bought the N4 for £389 sim free from car phone warehouse. Here's the facts: my poine can no we receive and make calls 85% of tyhr time using the same sim. iOS6 had killed my phone signal. Jelly bean is a much better UI than iOS. Google now is better than Siri, Google's cloud services are better than I cloud, Google maps... no need to even go there. By the way, I rooted my galaxy tab & got jelly bean on it. (I've recycled), and ivy now set my sights on a N10 tab.so I'm talking from personal experience when I say... Android is better when its on a quality built hardware. N4 is glass, and its quality. N10 is quality too. Not a nice to touch as an iPad, but better spec screen and innods.
anonymous 18 January, 2013 19:29
Misunderestimate? Really? Big fan of George W. ?
Dave Phipp 18 January, 2013 19:32
ordered mine on 5th dec with 5-6weeks wait. Status in my play account still says est dispatch 16th jan. have emailed them and they are supposed to be looking into it
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:06
Just been notified today that mine's been shipped. Lucky Me!
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:24
"Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected. Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected."
NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all.
In French: "A titre d’exemple, les prévisions initiales de Google étaient 10 fois supérieures pour le Royaume-Uni et pour l'Allemagne. Nous en livrons donc beaucoup plus dans ces pays qu'en France."
I thought Cnet journalists were good...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:25
"Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected. Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected."
NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all.
In French: "A titre d’exemple, les prévisions initiales de Google étaient 10 fois supérieures pour le Royaume-Uni et pour l'Allemagne. Nous en livrons donc beaucoup plus dans ces pays qu'en France."
I thought Cnet journalists were good...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:26
"Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected. Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected."
NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all.
In French: "A titre d’exemple, les prévisions initiales de Google étaient 10 fois supérieures pour le Royaume-Uni et pour l'Allemagne. Nous en livrons donc beaucoup plus dans ces pays qu'en France."
I thought Cnet journalists were good...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:26
"Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected. Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected."
NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all.
In French: "A titre d’exemple, les prévisions initiales de Google étaient 10 fois supérieures pour le Royaume-Uni et pour l'Allemagne. Nous en livrons donc beaucoup plus dans ces pays qu'en France."
I thought Cnet journalists were good...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:26
"Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected. Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected."
NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all.
In French: "A titre d’exemple, les prévisions initiales de Google étaient 10 fois supérieures pour le Royaume-Uni et pour l'Allemagne. Nous en livrons donc beaucoup plus dans ces pays qu'en France."
I thought Cnet journalists were good...
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:27
oops. sorry for duplicated posts..
anonymous 18 January, 2013 21:56
I want one too because its a great phone. But LG and Google are probably the most stupidest companies ever!!
The phone is quad core, has an amazing screen, latest version of Android and its ridiculously cheap...HOW DID THEY NOT THINK IT WOULD BE THAT POPULAR????
anonymous 18 January, 2013 22:49
"NOT AT ALL
There is no such affirmation in the Cathy Robin's interview.
It is written that Google forecasts in UK and Germany were 10 times higher than in France. So there are more deliveries in these countries than in France. That's all."
thanks for pointing it out... I was going to make the exact same comment.
Thanks for checking the original interview rather than the different approximate translation that anybody can find on the web (unfortunately it's not the first "news" I see with this exact same mistake so I tend to believe the original interview on Challenges.fr was not checked).
anonymous 18 January, 2013 23:13
Enough with the finger pointing. LG saw the interest after launch, why didn't they adjust their production? Is it cause the nexus doesn't bring in much money per unit? My guess is yes. I almost bit the bullet the other day and got one off eBay, but since then, I have grown angry and don't want to support LG and all this bs. They played the good guy with the price point and then they hold us hostage with 'production delays'. Google would do themselves a huge favour by going back to Samsung and charging $100-$150 more off contract. Not sure Sammy would like that but LG has proven themselves useless.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 01:18
Not having close to enough devices at launch is probably Google's fault. Not having any in stock more that two months later....., more likely LG's inability to meet demand. Why don't these two companies put on their big boy pants and take responsibility for this debacle???
anonymous 19 January, 2013 01:46
Brits always tightwads..so stingy you cannot even afford an Iphone. Apple does not need the UK.
We need china..stay stuck up in your small insignificant country. Europe is bigger than the UK. Quit the European Union and you are on your own.
You have already being warned by our white house
anonymous 19 January, 2013 04:14
So, to the trolls earlier in the thread... basically anyone who has a smartphone is a fanboy? Or are BlackBerry users the only ones who buy phones because of features/quality/value rather than our of pure rabid loyalty?
anonymous 19 January, 2013 04:34
anon 01.46 get off cnet uk & go back to your traitor country where you belong. This small insignificant country is the reason you exist you moron. Yank ***** living in a daydream. Yes & start practicing your bowing to your new asian masters.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 07:55
How on Earth can demand be measured if the Google Play store won't let anyone order it and there's no way of registering interest or pre-ordering from that site?
It has only been on sale there for a few short periods too.
Meanwhile there are plentiful stocks with phone resellers and service providers. So not exactly "Sold Out".
More smoke and mirrors to hype up this phone, maybe?????
anonymous 19 January, 2013 10:07
Received my Nexus 4 on 27 December having ordered it on 4 December. Am very pleased with it, build quality is brilliant, its lightening fast and Android 4.2 is shiny!
If loving my new phone makes me a fan droid so be it, at least its a cheap addiction......
anonymous 19 January, 2013 10:12
anonymous at 18 January, 2013 22:49 is right.
The LG France Mobile division director didn't say that people in the UK and Germany ordered 10 times as many handsets as expected by Google. She said that Google's sales predictions were 10 times higher for UK and Germany than they were for France. So, while stock produced to be sold in the UK and in Germany was too low, stock to be sold in France was MUCH too low.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 10:58
I ordered my phone on 5th of December and still haven't received it. I just called google and they said they haven't actually received all the stock from LG as expected, and so are struggling to get it out. So it still appears as if LG have supply issues, even its just supplying the correct amount to Google!!
anonymous 19 January, 2013 13:06
Yippee. Have just had an email from Google Play to say they have shipped my Nexus 4, that I ordered on Dec 5th, by TNT and that I should have it this Monday 21st Jan, so things are starting to move.
Angelos Bogatinis 19 January, 2013 14:08
Ordered my n4 on the 5th got by the 9th well chuffed I was... And yes its bloody good value for money n4+n7 3g under £500!
anonymous 19 January, 2013 16:53
Oh god no! "Misunderestimated?"
anonymous 19 January, 2013 17:19
I own iPhone and iPad but ordered nexus 4 on dec 6th dispatched today jan 19th after 2 emails 6 weeks wait not good , but phone looks good seen in ee shop running . I'm not android or apple whatever is best or both
anonymous 19 January, 2013 19:14
Had to get mine through carphone warehouse in the end. £130 upfront on £26 a month t mobile. Still cheaper than an iPhone but i would've taken a sim free one over it any day
anonymous 19 January, 2013 19:43
I blame LG. Bunch of lying ********. They are the ones manufacturing it not Google. LG is a greedy capitalist company as it threatens it's own line up of phones.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 21:30
@anonymous 19 January, 2013 19:43
"....as it threatens it's own line up of phones."
It is one of their own line up of phones.
It's marketed by themselves and sold through all the usual LG distribution channels
It's not even a unique phone in their line up, as the Nexus 4 is just an Optimus G running straight Android and housed in a slightly different bodyshell.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 22:18
Got my nexus 4 through o2 contract on Jan 4th. 400 mins, unlimited texts, 500mb. £105 upfront and £15.50 a month. Beat that! Great phone, and everyone comments on it.
anonymous 19 January, 2013 22:21
And it was a 16 GB nexus 4.
anonymous 20 January, 2013 01:00
That sucks it's already obsolete. No 4g lte? No thanks I'll stick with the beast...Samsung Galaxy S3!!
anonymous 20 January, 2013 05:57
As someone already said, LG just took their Optimus G, removed the 4G and swapped the camera for a cheaper one .....and Bingo, it's a Nexus 4.
anonymous 20 January, 2013 12:01
The average mental age in here was six till I commented. Get a life.
Newfination 21 January, 2013 06:16
iSheep? Leave aaappplleeeee alooooooneeee!!!
Charbax 21 January, 2013 08:42
BS. LG wants to sell more Optimus G phones than Nexus 4. Exact same has happened for every single Nexus device previously released.
HTC wanted to sell more HTC desires and Droid Incredibles than Nexus One.
Samsung wanted to sell more and first the Galaxy S1 than Nexus S.
Samsung wanted to sell more Galaxy S2/S3 than Galaxy Nexus.
Asus wants to sell more of the higher capacity Nexus 7 than the $199 NExus 7, ergo only higher capacity $249 Nexus 7 is sold in retail stores.
ExGoogle can only decide supply of Nexus once Google makes the Nexus themselves, which can hopefully happen sooner rather than later now that Motorola is due to release the first Google devices this year.
anonymous 21 January, 2013 09:00
thunk - an abrupt, dull sound: the thunk of a shutting window.
i think you meant thought.....
anonymous 21 January, 2013 10:31
"Misunderestimated"? Are you serious? Quality journalism.
anonymous 21 January, 2013 17:51
i have one.
truth is, it's not that great a phone. perpetually dead battery, life far too short.
scrapes and scratches on the front "glass". people tell me it shouldn't be possible.
uncomfortable in the hand.
anonymous 24 January, 2013 22:14
I'm not sure that Google deserve that much abuse for underestimating demand. The Galaxy Nexus was a really good phone too, but it didn't have anywhere near as much hype as the Nexus 4 does.