The interwebs lit up yesterday with the rumors of a non-Nexus Google built phone due to an article from The Telegraph. Now let’s start this off by saying this entire rumor should be taken about as serious as fables of rainbow crapping unicorns. There are so many reasons why, aside from Project Ara, we will probably never see an in-house Google built phone but let’s set those aside for a bit. Instead, let’s take a look at what kind of possibilities and advantages a 100% Google bred phone would afford. So put on your tinfoil hats and let’s take a quick jaunt into the land of unlikely.
The Nexus idea is not always ideal
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“>Apple is still the only company to deliver OS updates to all of its devices at 
one time. Granted, your update may be lacking a couple features if you’re on older hardware but if you’re device is listed as getting an update you will get it the same time everyone else does. Outside of the land of the fruit is a waiting game though. This stands true even for Nexus devices sometimes.
I used to be a huge Nexus guy and I remember the pains of waiting for my beloved old Nexus S 4G and Galaxy Nexus to get updates. Sometimes I waited months after an update was released before I saw it on my devices. In all fairness, this was the carrier’s fault largely but still a slap in the face to someone buying a Nexus branded device. Other times the various manufacturers of Nexus devices are to blame. Let’s face it, pushing an update to so many different bits of hardware is a huge endeavor. Because of this, having a Nexus device only guarantees you a pure Google experience. It doesn’t even mean you’ll get updates before other phones as was the case back when the Moto X got Lollipop before the Nexus 5.
With that said, a Google phone built in-house would allow them control over the updates of said hardware much like Apple has had from the beginning. Google has more than enough power to make sure that the carriers are on board with updates or to figure out a way to bypass the carriers altogether. Apple has done this for years so there is simply no reason Google couldn’t make this happen with a theoretical phone that’s produced by them.
Google doesn’t necessarily mean Android
Something I’ve yet to see in any article reporting on this rumored Google smartphone is the possibility of said phone NOT being an Android powered device. That may sound crazy, absurd, or ludicrous but is it really? I don’t think so. As a matter of fact if Google were to release it’s own device this would be the most likely route it would take. Something sandboxed, not open sourced, and completely under their control.
Google wants you to use their services period point blank. That’s their goal. They want you to use their services so they can use your data to power their ad machine, buy services, and click ads. It’s really that simple. This is why almost all Google apps are available on iOS. Android is just a gateway to this goal with their packaged Google Play Services. They could easily accomplish the same thing with an entirely new OS made available to the masses while still doing so with Android and iOS. More of their services in more hands means more money for them.
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“>Furthermore, if Google were to release a non-Android device it may not even be to compete in the same market. It could be to offer an uber cheap smartphone meant for developing markets like the now defunct Firefox OS fro
m Mozilla. Something simple, possibly web based, and able to be ran on really inexpensive hardware. If Google could get their services into people’s hands that normally can’t afford a normal smartphone it could bring them a whole new source of revenue. Let’s also not forget that there is still a decent amount of people out there that don’t/won’t own a smartphone. People that aren’t tech inclined and are all out petrified of using the modern smartphone. We all know these people. They make comments like, “I wouldn’t even know how to make a phone call on that thing.” This is a market that every manufacturer out there wants to tap into yet have had very little success in doing so.
Reeling it in
As said earlier, this whole rumor of an in-house non-Nexus Google phone should be taken with a grain of salt. It is probably nothing more than a rumor. Google is doing a great job in the mobile market. They more than likely wouldn’t attempt to go head to with the very manufacturers that made their products so loved. Four out of every five smartphones out there are powered by Android and even the ones that aren’t usually have easy access (sorry Windows lovers) to Google services. However, if on the small chance these rumors prove to be legit it doesn’t mean it would be a bad thing. Pending on the scenario or the way you look at things a Google phone could be a very good thing. What do you think?
