As Google’s Nexus One frenzy reaches pinnacle, the most radical question that is emerging right now is – Will this phone be able to challenge the invincible status of iPhone in the US and will it be able to gain the kind of market share that Apple has amassed in the recent past?
The iPhone had gained traction in the US market initially based on it hardware. The large screen that functioned on the consumer’s fingertips became a rage and consumers could not wait to experience the same. The seamless interface and later on the App store that allowed users to download need based applications and iSongs just kept adding to the craze.
In the recent past, there have been many touch devices introduced in the market and the interface too over the time has gone more intuitive. All this meaning that for a company which has just entered this space, Google would need to offer an ‘experience’ product in every sense. While, if one were to purely compare the product on specification features with others, Nexus One does score above all. Say for example, its unique voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields. One can speak a text message, tweet, or update Facebook, and even compose an email, via voice. It can also search Google, call contacts, and give driving directions by just speaking into the phone. Besides, the user replaceable battery, the built-in noise cancelling technology, and of course, the price, are just some features that make Nexus One the most superior product in the smart phone category. In many ways this device is the culmination of all the vision that Google had nurtured in regards to what a mobile device of today should be in terms of device as well as operating system.
But there are still some issues that need to be addressed before it can be dubbed as a killer for iPhone. Take distribution and the service provider for example, right now, the Nexus One only works on T-Mobile’s 3G network, but Google wants to change the way people buy phones with its Nexus One strategy, hoping eventually to break the lock that wireless carriers have on customers with exclusive phones locked into multiyear contracts. That’s easier said than done, since in the US we have several incompatible radio technologies and frequency bands in our phones.
As far as web-distribution model is concerned, it’s ‘too automated’, relying on user support forums, FAQs, and e-mail for more specific inquiries. By choosing to distribute the phone itself without the assistance of partners and sales channels, Google is absorbing all the headaches of distribution itself.