What Does the Nexus Store Mean for Consumers?

So the word on the street is that up to five device manufacturers will be manufacturing Nexus devices for Google and their new device store via Google Play. But what does this mean for Android consumers? Well for us kiwis, probably not a lot, as the device store is locked to the US at the moment. That situation will change as the US test case for the device store is passed. What it actually means is that device manufacturers will get hold of the Android code a lot quicker which means a quicker update for you and I. But there are other trade offs. How do you differentiate the pure Android experience on different devices?

I can see a hardware war ensuing as each Android Nexus device manufacturer tries to out do the other. And this also begs the question, do we want multiple devices running pure Android? Won't we end up with a situation as seen on Windows Mobile? All the devices are similar hardware running the same WP7.5. Not a good choice for consumers in my opinion. I'm certain that we'll still keep those devices running the manufacturer version of the user interface such as HTC Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz. Carriers can also discount the price of the device when you go on a plan. With the Nexus store you might not get that. Google will have to be very competitive on price.

Let me touch on the benefits again. We don't have to wait for a carrier to test the Android code and put their own bloatware on the device. We get the updates as quick as Google can serve them up. We'll also get to taste a range of Nexus devices, smartphones and tablets. To be honest these are the only benefits I can see. Have I missed any?

When we talk about fragmentation, we refer to the multiple versions of the Android operating system out their in the world. This new strategy by Google may create two fragments of the Android universe. A pure Android Nexus world and a device manufacturer/carrier user interface ecosystem.

What are your thoughts? I'm currently on the fence as I figure out the best way to digest this news and look at the repercussions. Android is already the most popular operating system in the world. Will this change in strategy for Google further cement Android's leading position? Only time will tell.

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