The Motorola Nexus 6 is still not available for purchase after pre-orders sold out in less than 24 hours, but Google now promises to refresh inventory every Wednesday.
As a reminder, Google took the wraps off its latest generation of Nexus devices last month, on Oct. 15. While the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player have both made their commercial debut, however, the Nexus 6 smartphone is still not available for purchase on Google Play.
Nexus 6 unavailability prompted many to assume that Google has some inventory issues with its latest smartphone, just as it did with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 in the past. Google had offered no statement in this regards, but the company has now promised to make more efforts to fill inventories and meet the likely high demand for the Nexus 6. As part of this effort, Google encourages Nexus 6 fans to check its site every Wednesday, when it will make more devices available.
Google further reiterates that the Nexus 6 will also be available subsidized from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular, but carrier versions won't launch until later in November.
These supply issues apparently affecting the Nexus 6 already raise some serious concerns regarding the smartphone's availability. These inventory restraints could stem either from issues along the supply or manufacturing chain from Google and Motorola, or from a severe underestimation of demand for the handset. Either way, Google could be in for some serious criticism if the situation persists and the Nexus 6 continues to suffer such stock issues.
Meanwhile, Google's promise to replenish Nexus 6 stock every Wednesday suggests that the Nexus 6 may not be as readily available as many hoped, which may be a strategy to boost excitement and demand for the device. Just recently, for instance, OnePlus went under a firestorm of criticism for its strategy of making its OnePlus smartphone available in small batches, making customers jump through hoops for a chance to purchase the handset.
"We are getting more Nexus 6 devices in stock as soon as possible. To make things simpler for you, we will work to make more devices available each Wednesday and encourage you to visit the site then," Google states on the Nexus 6 product page. "The Nexus 6 will also be available in AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular stores later in November. Please check with your local carrier store for more information."
If Google plans to make the Nexus 6 available only in limited quantities and only on Wednesdays for now, however, customers may either get tired of trying to purchase the handset or ultimately decide to go for a carrier subsidized version later this month. On the other hand, while getting a carrier version of the Nexus 6 could be more convenient when it comes to the smartphone's availability in the future, these models usually come with some strings attached.
