Nexus Q wont be making another appearance at this year’s Google I/O, does this mark the end for the device? [RUMOR]
It was earlier today we heard from Google’s new Android lead, Sundar Pichai, that this year’s Google I/O would have a stronger developer focus, with the company steering away from announcing new hardware of any kind at the developer conference.
While that nixes a possible X-Phone unveiling, it doesn’t exactly rule out current hardware like the Nexus Q. Seen by some as nothing more than a $300 paper-weight, the Nexus Q offered Google Play connectivity to television sets, allowing users with NFC enabled devices to play music playlists, or YouTube videos straight from their tv’s. Because the entire device was produced in-house at Google’s HQ, it didn’t exactly come cheap. Google made the device available for pre-order before eventually giving them away to those that pre-ordered, postponing the consumer launch in the Play Store. The reasoning? Google had listened to feedback and simply wanted to make the Nexus Q “better.”
So, will this new and improved Nexus Q make an appearance at this year’s Google I/O? Not according All Things D and their inside sources. It was our hope — as it was many’s — that Google would simply head back to the drawing board, making the Nexus Q a Google TV device instead, offering the same functionality it had before, only with the added benefit of a smart TV. Guess that wont be the case at all. With the possible absence of the Nexus Q at Google I/O 2013, we can’t help but wonder if this marks the official end of the device, silently going the way of Google Reader and SMS Search.
[via GTVSource]