Google Play edition devices disappear from store Read

[jamezr]

Google Play edition devices disappear from store

Maybe new GPE phones are coming???

There is a little bit of a mystery going on over at the Google Play Store as a number of handsets have strangely gone missing from the inventory. Google Play Editions of several smartphones and tablets have disappeared from the online store, leaving just three devices in attendance. The products that have been removed were earlier changed to "no longer available" before being taken down entirely.
What is strange about it is that Google silently killed off the products without any announcement that now was the time to get your hands on one. The missing devices are the LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play edition, Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition, and HTC One (M7) Google Play edition. That leaves just the HTC One M8 Google Play edition, Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, and the Moto G Google Play Edition.
Initially we suspected it was just a bug in the website, but since the products have not returned we are less inclined to think that now. So what is going on? Considering it appears that the removed devices will never return and be stocked again, we are leaning towards them being replaced by new products or that Google has just removed some aging devices as they are not selling well.
That latter theory would certainly lend itself to the HTC One M7 GPE and the Sony Z Ultra GPE, two handsets that are more than a year old. The LG G Pad 8.3 is still a part of LG's core tablet line up, but the company has padded it out with other screen variations. It is a possibility that the G Pad just didn?t sell well as a Google Play edition and joined the Ultra and M7 on the scrap heap.
The more exciting theory is that these devices are all being replaced with new products. This idea falls slightly to scrutiny, simply because the HTC One M7 already has been replaced by the M8 Google Play edition. Perhaps the G Pad will be replaced by one of the newer slate offerings from LG, such as the G Pad 10.1, while Sony could be launching one of its current flagships to the Play Store to replace the Z Ultra, the Xperia Z2 maybe.

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http://www.mobileburn.com/23130/news/google-play-edition-devices-disappear-from-store

 

[MRU]

I still don't know why they don't sell these GPE devices outside of the google play store in the USA

Removing them has little bearing outside of the US as they are not on our store at all.

 

[unlinked]

I still don't know why they don't sell these GPE devices outside of the google play store in the USA

Google is very strange. Not sure what logic is behind Android Wear and Nexus devices being available in Ireland but not Chromecast.

 

[MRU]

Google is very strange. Not sure what logic is behind Android Wear and Nexus devices being available in Ireland but not Chromecast.

Yeah exactly ...

Did you notice Google Movies has just launched in Ireland a couple of hours ago... Perhaps they may add chromecast to the store now?

Either way we get Sean the sheep for free ... Yay ... As if the Kingdom hasn't got enough bloody sheep lol

 

[unlinked]

Did you notice Google Movies has just launched in Ireland a couple of hours ago... Perhaps they may add chromecast to the store now?

Makes sense. Wait until everyone buys one in Argos , then release Google Movies and sell chromecast in their own store. Google is an odd one all right.