Previous summer, I decided to buy a new smartphone. I set a price range for myself, and started searching the ultimate smartphone that suits my needs. I really loved what Sony did with their Xperia products. I made a pro/con list for several phones, and some of the features I considered was: USB on-the-go support, HDMI/MHL, NFC and size (it does matter). My final decision was Xperia Sola, and ordered one in July. The next day, I friend of mine from MIT asked me a favor, and offered to bring me something from US when she returns. I canceled my order for Xperia Sola, because I could buy Xperia P for the same price at Amazon.
On 29th of October, Google announced Nexus 4, in the same price range with Xperia P. All my thoughts had changed… Unfortunately, Google Play Store for devices is not available in Turkey, as well as other stores besides apps (music, books, movies). Yesterday, at the release day of Nexus 4, I set up my Wallet account with my card information and the address of my friend. Since I cannot reach the store from Turkey, I needed a VPN service from US. I used a free one that can be found in Google search results. Then, I read that Nexus 4 sold out. I was about to give up, however a miracle happened. I refresh the article to see the newest comments, and I saw the update in the post. I refreshed the product page every time I see “Coming soon” on the page. I saw “Available” several times, managed to add to cart, but I couldn’t proceed to checkout. It run out of stock!
The “refresh until it is available” lasted two and a half hours until I can buy a 16 GB model of Nexus 4. I felt like I am waiting in line in front of the Apple Store for a new i-Product. I cannot say that the launch was a failure, but I expected a better experience from Google. Now, waiting for my friend to come back to Turkey, I just wonder how many Nexus are sold yesterday. Any predictions?