The Google Nexus project is not going anywhere, a Google official confirmed, which means that at least one new Nexus device should debut this year.
Recent rumors have claimed that Google was working on a new Android Silver project and would drop its Nexus lineup as a consequence, but such reports now seem to be inaccurate. Google's Head of Engineering and the Nexus program, Dave Burke, has officially denied such claims and said the Nexus hardware line is not going anywhere.
"People just get excited and forget why we do things. We are still invested in Nexus... People have been commenting about Nexus because there is something else and they think that means the end of Nexus. That is the totally wrong conclusion to make," Burke told ReadWrite in an interview.
The Nexus lineup is also a major part of Android. More specifically, when Google's engineers are working on the open source code for new Android version, another team is also designing a new Nexus device at the same time, envisioning the hardware to take full advantage of the new Android features. The two development processes for the open source code and the Nexus device to show it off go hand in hand, and that's not about to change.
"When we are working, there are sort of two outputs. We're building a Nexus device and we're building the open source code. There is no way you can build the open source code without the phone or tablet or whatever you are building. You have to live and breathe the code you are developing.
You can't build a platform in the abstract, you have to build a device (or devices). So, I don't think it can or will ever go away. And then, I think Nexus is also interesting in that it is a way of us explaining how we think Android should run. It is a statement, almost a statement of purity in some respects. I don't see why we would ever turn away from that, it wouldn't make sense."
Consequently, if things were a bit hazy up until now when it came to the future of the Nexus lineup, it is now clear as day that Google has no current plans to ditch its popular Nexus brand.
Burke offered no comment on Android Silver, but the new project could very well coexist alongside the Nexus program and the newly-announced Android One initiative. The latter aims to push sub-$100 smartphones to emerging markets. Once Android One and Android Silver materialize, Google will have three hardware projects targeting the low-end, mid-range, and high-end segments of the market.
