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According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will partner up with multiple Android handset manufactures to produce several Nexus-branded phones each year, rather than releasing just one.
Here’s what the Journal had to say:
Google’s strategy is a shift from its previous practice, when it partnered with only one hardware maker at a time to produce seven “lead devices” that showed off the newest Android software features, before releasing the software to other device makers. The change is a bid to exert more control over the apps that run on smartphones and tablets powered by Android, thus reducing the influence of wireless carriers over such devices, these people said.
The WSJ also points out that the move will also relieve the concerns of companies concerns that Google’s pending acquisition of Motorola will lead it to favor Droids.
If true, it could solve many of the persistent problems in the Android ecosystem. Google desperately needs to reign in the platform. Developers often complain that there are too many different devices running too many different versions of Android. This move could help standardise the experience for users across devices. [WSJ via Business Insider]
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This will be a smart move from Google (if it turns out to be true). The Nexus lines OEM partner gets a huge head start over it’s competitors with the next version of Android. By partnering with several OEMs it means that the update lag, the lag between Google releasing a new Android version and all OEM’s releasing Phones with it (and updating old ones) will be much reduced.
This is definitely good news for us, more options.
If true, this pretty much confirms a Motorola Nexus then. Could this possible spark a move from custom skins to vanilla? I hope so, but I do believe skins have a home on certain devices.