Rumor: Google to kill off Nexus program in favor of Google Play Edition in 2015
An interesting (and, depending on who you are, disturbing) rumor seems to have crossed the wire this morning. Leakster extraordinaire Eldar Murtazin supposedly has it on good authority that Google is looking to kill off the Nexus program at some point next year. The downfall of Nexus would make way for Google Play Edition devices, which are stock Android versions of existing consumer devices which get software upgrades directly from Google.
We’re obviously going to be taking this rumor with a large grain of salt, but it’d be interesting to see if Google really does plan on going this route. Nexus devices have become more symbolic than anything else, giving Android enthusiasts and developers an inexpensive, yet highly capable option for use and development. There are three things the Nexus program is still known for:
- Fast updates
- Stock firmware with no bloatware
- Cheap price
All of that hasn’t exactly translated well to Google Play Edition devices. More often than not, these devices get upgrades to Android later than their Nexus counterparts, and cost just as much as if you were to buy the handset off-contract straight from carriers and retailers. They still do offer stock firmware with no bloatware, though, so there’s that.
It’s said Google would favor this route as they don’t want to eventually run into a situation where they’re chastised for favoring one group of devices over another. Giving everyone a chance to make Google Play Edition devices would definitely solve that issue, though consumers probably won’t be too happy with what would effectively be see as the death of Android’s most iconic series of devices.
We’re not throwing all our eggs into Murtazin’s basket, though, so don’t get too worked up about this rumor just yet. If anything, just remember that we still have at least a great couple of years to go before we’d see anything like this go down.