RIP Nexus: The Nexus moniker is officially dead and gone
It finally happened. After months of speculation, Google has officially killed off the Nexus program that we came to know and love over the last 6, almost 7, years. The introduction of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL helped kick off Google’s initiative for the future, even if we don’t know what the difference between the Nexus program and Pixel program will be.
According to The Verge, Google confirmed that there are “no plans for a future Nexus product”, making today an enjoyable but sad day nonetheless. The primary focus of the Nexus program was to provide a “pure Android” experience through partnerships with various manufacturers. This allowed Google to show off how they feel Android should operate and serve as a base for OEM’s to build upon after releases of new software versions.
Nexus devices were also intended for developers as this was the best way to develop applications and services while being able to diagnose bugs or issues without worrying about the overlays provided by OEM’s. Regardless of the intentions, the Nexus lineup was always seen as a way for Google to experiment with different ideas as was the case with the “Google Play Edition” devices.
These plans were further confirmed after the Pixel and Pixel XL announcement as the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X were pulled from the Google Store’s digital shelves. Additionally, Google removed the NVIDIA Shield Android TV, various Virtual Reality viewers (making room for Google Daydream View), and the Dell Chromebook 13 has also been removed.
We’ll have to wait and see what Google has up its sleeves for the Pixel lineup, but this may be a bit different than devices in the past if you go off the amount of advertising for the event. Then again, the Pixel devices could just be a change in the moniker for Google but still end up in the hands of the niche market that the Nexus devices fell into.