Google has stopped selling the 16GB version of its just-launched Nexus 7 tablet. Now, if you try to buy it on the Google Play website, all you can do is sign up to be notified when it becomes available again.
The Guardian reports it's because the device has been selling like hotcakes and has far outstripped Google's estimates.
It's believed Apple is planning to release an "iPad Mini" later this year to compete with devices like the Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire.Sources close to Google say the search giant seriously underestimated the demand for the 16GB version of its 7in Nexus 7 tablet, which has sold out from stockists and other sources while demand for the smaller 8GB version remains comparatively low.The company has now halted further orders of the 16GB version of the tablet, costing £199, on its Google Play store in the US and UK. Orders made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.While the 8GB model, which costs £159, is shown as "in stock" and being delivered in 3-5 business days, the 16GB version only offers an option to "sign up to be notified by email" when it becomes available.The 8GB version is only being sold through Google's own store, rather than physical retailers - but online buyers appear to have shunned it, surprising Google, which had thought that the cheaper version, despite having only half as much storage, would sell better than it has.The Guardian understands that Google's planners had thought that buyers on the Google Play store, more than from physical or online retailers, would be more committed to the company's "cloud" concept, and so would have more of their content stored online, rather than wanting to keep it on the device.
(Source: The Guardian)
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