The Nexus lineup of devices has made a fan following of its own, and rightly so. The series that started with Nexus One and continued all the way up to Nexus 5 has always promised a high-quality pure Android experience throughout the years, sans any manufacturer modifications (or bloatware, as we’ve come to know it) or delays in receiving updates enforced by the OEMs. It seems, however, that the line has finally come to a close, with Nexus project about to be discontinued. Fret not; it is being replaced by something bigger and better, which the insider sources claim to have been dubbed Android Silver program.
The new program will change quite a few things, with the biggest one being the target market. Apparently, the devices that will be released under the Silver label will be purely high-end smartphones that will run latest Android versions without being touched by OEM modifications. Not only that, but Google will also invest heavily in marketing these devices through in-store and carrier partnerships, providing exclusive Google Android kiosks in certain locations to promote the expensive handsets.
There are certain other objectives for Google behind this move, too. The Mountain View company is aiming at streamlining the user experience across Android Silver devices, with removal of extra software and prompt software updates that aren’t manufacturer dependent. The source also claims that LG and Motorola will be the first ones to manufacture these Silver devices, while the remaining ones like HTC, Samsung and Sony Mobile might take a while longer. It appears that the search giant is looking for a more granular level of control over what OEMs can do with its software.
The move overall is a rather interesting one for multiple reasons. It appears that Google has finally taken heed of the fact that a mere 14% of Android devices right now are running the latest Android KitKat, whereas with Apple, its major competitor, even the four-year-old iPhone 4 got the iOS 7 update, and in a pretty usable format. However, at the same time, the whole initiative is aimed at the expensive, top of the line devices, and the void that will get created in the mid-range market which the Nexus lineup currently occupies, will remain just that – a void.
Does Google have a plan? I guess we’ll find out.
(Source: TheInformation)
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