The popular LG-developed smartphone has sold out again,
leaving some buyers out of luck as they attempt to complete their
holiday shopping. Google (NASDAQ:
GOOG
) currently lists the 8GB Nexus 4 as being
sold out
. The company left a familiar message for eager customers: "We
are out of inventory. Please check back soon."
While the 16GB model is technically in stock, the message is
much less encouraging: "Ships in 5 - 6 weeks." With less than
four weeks until Christmas, it seems unlikely that the order will
arrive in time for the holiday -- unless Santa magically delivers
one early, of course.
This is not the first time that the Nexus 4 has sold out. Less
than two weeks ago, customers were
unable to purchase the device
on Google Play.
With so many business divisions, it is hard to determine the
impact that the Nexus 4 may be having on Google's value. The
stock has risen nearly six percent since the new smartphone was
released on November 13. Google has grown more than 20 percent in
the last six months. The search engine giant is up nearly five
percent year-to-date.
Unlike other high-end smartphones -- such as Apple's (NASDAQ:
AAPL
) iPhone 5 or Nokia's (NYSE:
NOK
) Lumia 920 -- the Nexus 4 does not support 4G LTE. Google wanted
to sell an inexpensive device for everyone, not just those who
live in a market where 4G is up and running. Consequently, the
firm chose to sacrifice the faster format. While this may have
hurt the sales of some smartphones, it does not seem to be
affecting sales of the Nexus 4.
Apple was in a similar position when it released the iPhone
4S. The company was largely expected to add 4G support. When it
chose not to, some analysts dismissed the product and expected it
to flop. But it did not flop. Rather, the iPhone 4S went on to
become the
fastest-selling smartphone
of all time. Thus far, the iPhone 5 has
outpaced
the sales of the iPhone 4S.
Despite the company's continued success at retail (lackluster
iPad 3 sales
excluded
), investors have been wary of Apple. The company is up slightly
today, but the company is still recovering from a three-month
decline of more than 13 percent. Year-to-date Apple is still up
more than 42 percent. Assuming that no major events occur before
the end of the year, Apple should be able to retain that growth
as it crosses over into 2013.
Nokia has not said exactly how many units it has sold since
the Lumia 920 began shipping on November 2. Since then, Nokia
completely sold out
of the device in Germany and experienced a share increase of more
than 16 percent. Despite a plethora of bad press for the
struggling cellular device manufacturer, the company has actually
risen more than 15 percent over the last four months, and nearly
25 percent over the last six months. Year-to-date Nokia is still
down more than 36 percent.
Research In Motion is experiencing a similar growth spurt. In
the last month alone, RIM's value has increased by more than 33
percent. The stock grew more than 74 percent over the last three
months, and more than 20 percent over the last six months.
However, year-to-date RIM shares are down more than 25
percent.
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