Nexus 4 Productions Issues Slowing Sales of Google’s Popular Handset, Possible Design Change Spotted
When Google made its attractive Nexus 4 smartphone available for sale back in November, it sold out in about half an hour in the Google Play Store. Clearly, LG (the actual manufacturer of the device) and Google grossly underestimated the demand for the Nexus 4, but there’s been no way to tell how many units were available in the first place.
However, some sleuthing and teamwork on the part of posters on the XDA Developers Forum reveals that the number of handsets LG manufactured could be as low as 370,000--70,000 in October, 90,000 in in November, and 210,000 in December.
The folks on the forum used a link to an LG mobile site where they could enter their phone’s IMEI number and receive a string of numbers and letters. When broken apart, that data appears to indicate the phone model, country where the device was made and where it was sold, how much storage it had on board (8GB or 16GB), the month it was manufactured, and more.
Assuming the XDA Developers forum members have indeed figured the code out, two things are clear: one, production is ramping up quickly, and two, Google and LG have still missed the mark on estimating sales for this phone. As of press time, both the 8GB and 16GB models of the Nexus 4 remain sold out in the Google Play Store.
Image credit: Auto-oMobile
Another minor development spotted by Auto-oMobile is that the back design of the Nexus 4 may be changing. Although the glass back of the phone with its glittery undercoat made for a unique look, there was some concern that it could crack too easily if (when) users dropped it. Apparently, according to the site’s sources, LG may be changing that glass to something sturdier, removing the glitter look in the process.
We were one of the lucky ducks who reviewed the Nexus 4; bang it here for our take on the smartphone.
However, some sleuthing and teamwork on the part of posters on the XDA Developers Forum reveals that the number of handsets LG manufactured could be as low as 370,000--70,000 in October, 90,000 in in November, and 210,000 in December.
The folks on the forum used a link to an LG mobile site where they could enter their phone’s IMEI number and receive a string of numbers and letters. When broken apart, that data appears to indicate the phone model, country where the device was made and where it was sold, how much storage it had on board (8GB or 16GB), the month it was manufactured, and more.
Assuming the XDA Developers forum members have indeed figured the code out, two things are clear: one, production is ramping up quickly, and two, Google and LG have still missed the mark on estimating sales for this phone. As of press time, both the 8GB and 16GB models of the Nexus 4 remain sold out in the Google Play Store.
Image credit: Auto-oMobile
Another minor development spotted by Auto-oMobile is that the back design of the Nexus 4 may be changing. Although the glass back of the phone with its glittery undercoat made for a unique look, there was some concern that it could crack too easily if (when) users dropped it. Apparently, according to the site’s sources, LG may be changing that glass to something sturdier, removing the glitter look in the process.
We were one of the lucky ducks who reviewed the Nexus 4; bang it here for our take on the smartphone.
