LG Mobile Vice President Kim Wong announced on Tuesday that his electronics firm will not be developing the Google Nexus 5 despite the success witnessed through sales of the Google Nexus 4.
Wong made the announcement on the same day he revealed a new white version of the Google Nexus 4.
While Kim called the Nexus 4 “a great success despite the production problems for us and Google,” he added, “We do not need such a marketing success again.”
While LG has found some level of success with the Google Android based device, the company must use a stock version of the Google Android OS ,which allows for no mobile software branding.
Another representative for the company says the firm will not work on the next Google Nexus, but “that doesn’t mean we would turn down the opportunity.”
Kim Wong also says that, unlike Samsung and the Galaxy S4, which will feature a vanilla Android installation option, his company plans to keep selling Android devices with their own “skins.”
Turning his attention away from smartphones, Kim says the tablet market is still fair game despite issues of segmentation.
Furthermore, Kim says he believes, “The current duopoly of Google and Apple is not healthy for the market.” Unfortunately, that statement only leaves us with more questions. Will LG move away from its reliance on Google Android and instead create something exciting and new? Or will they wait for someone else to enter the market and then further fragment their own devices between multiple operating systems.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions in the smartphone and tablet market. Customers are still figuring out what they want, and manufacturers are still figuring out how to deliver on those desires. One thing is for certain: At least for the next few years, LG and Google are in bed together.
