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Nexus 4 demand 10 times higher than Google expected

Ten times as many British phone fans wanted the Nexus 4 than Google expected, LG says, responding to stock problems.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Ten times as many British phone fans want the Nexus 4 than Google expected. LG has once again blamed Google for stock issues with the perenially sold-out smash-hit Android phone, saying the Big G had no idea of the potential demand.

Speaking to Challenges, LG France boss Cathy Robin pointed the finger at Google. LG says it simply built as many phones as Google asked for, a number based on the sales of previous Nexus phones, such as the Nexus S.

It turns out that Google severely misunderestimated how many people would actually buy the phone. Fair enough: who woulda thunk that a quad-core smart phone with the latest Jelly Bean software and a high-definition screen costing £240 would be super-popular? Who could have seen that coming? You'd have to be some kind of visionary or something.

It's not just here in Blighty that the new Nexus has struck a chord. As it turns out, ten times as many phone fans bought the Nexus 4 as anticipated in both Britain and Germany.

LG says it takes about six weeks to increase the frequency of deliveries. Happily, from mid-February, LG will ramp up production of the Nexus 4. Finally!

The Nexus 4 went on sale at the end of last year -- for about an hour. Since then it's been sold out at Google Play almost continually, barring the odd day here and there. If you're not one of the lucky few who managed to get in fast and bag a phone, the only way to get hold of the Nexus 4 is to get it on a contract from a phone network -- which costs a heck of a lot more than £240, in the long term. But which is better: an expensive real phone, or a cheap hypothetical phone?

Virgin Media announced this week it's adding the Nexus 4 to its line-up. Virgin joins O2 and Three in selling the phone.

Should Google have seen the demand coming? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.