Nexus 4 Delivery Hitch Update: Google Admits Supply Chain is Erratic
Few days into Christmas, Google remains grappling on how to solve its Nexus delivery problems and the best it can offer this week is an apology and admission that its supply chain for the hit devices is "erratic."
According to Droid-Life, most models of Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are marked 'Sold Out' on its last check at Google Play store, indicating that buyers of the powerful but affordable smartphones and tablet will have to wait beyond Christmas and even New Year to unbox the gadgets.
In a statement, Google UK managing director Dan Cobley takes responsibility for the delivery miss, which he explained is happening because "supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed."
Mr Cobley said that customers who so far supported Google's hardware foray are now experiencing inconveniences, which he stressed, is unacceptable. "We are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue," he added.
However, the Google official also acknowledged that deliveries in the days ahead cannot be warranted at the moment, adding that "I do not want to cause any more disappointment by making a commitment until we are 100 per cent sure we can deliver on it."
As of this writing, Google would not commit on any specifics regarding the issue and Mr Cobley has indicated that he would first gather information on the matter before issuing any updates to affected customers.
Once cause blamed for the acute stock outs, specifically of the Nexus 4, was LG's production priorities, TechCrunch said.
If indeed there are snags on component and assembly supplies for manufacturing the Nexus 4, it would be natural for LG, which Google has contracted to produce the smartphone, to first ensure that its own smartphone rollouts will not be hampered by the same problem, the tech site said.
Not that save for some minor omissions, the Nexus 4 is essentially the generic version of LG's flagship handset, the Optimus G.
Since Google is failing to meet the heavy demands generated by its signature smartphone, buyers were compelled to buy from sources outside of the normal channels, blog reports said, with sellers making a killing on the handset via Craigslist or eBay.
It is not uncommon to find these hot mobile phones on the mentioned sites, TechCrunch said, where sellers offer them with significant mark ups on retail price.