Back towards the end of October, we covered the news that there were some indications the Nexus Player was starting to look like a product which might be discontinued. Most of the evidence for this came from the fact that Target had dropped their Nexus Player into the clearance bin with a rock bottom $24.99 price. At the time, it seemed like a strange move for Target, as this is essentially $75 off (or 75% off) the full listed price of the Nexus Player. Although, also at the the time, you would have been unlucky if you paid more than $50 for the device in any store, as all stores had seem to congregate on $50 being the current valuation for the device. As such, although there was no confirmations of the discontinuing, it did seem likely that this could be a possibility.
Since then however, although not outright, in various interviews and dialogues Google has implied that the Nexus Player is not being discontinued. Instead, the company has suggested that they are still very much developing for the device and we should see some interesting updates coming through soon. So all is well with the Nexus Player, right? Well, yes, if you can actually find one.
Here’s the interesting bit for a device which is supposedly not preparing to be discontinued – right now, you virtually cannot buy it anywhere. Obviously, the Nexus Player is a product you can no longer buy from Amazon, as the company decided to stop selling all Google streaming products at the end of October. However, if you head over to the Google Store, it is out of stock with no clear indications of when it will be back in stock.
So no availability through Amazon or through Google. Not to worry, you can always pick one up at Target right? and maybe even at clearance again. Well, no, it is also out of stock.
And out of stock at Walmart too.
And you won’t be able to find it at Newegg.
Or Staples either. Who interestingly, do not seem to even be listing it anymore.
In fact, the only place that you can buy the Nexus Player today is through Best Buy and what makes their availability so interesting, is that they have the Nexus Player listed at $79.99. Which although is cheaper than the listed $99 price and is according to Best Buy “on sale”, is probably the highest we have seen the Nexus Player being sold by a retailer in months. They will price match of course, although you will need to find it in another store to be able to price match.
With a price as high as $80 on Best Buy, it would seem to suggest that Best Buy are trying to get every cent they can from what stock they have. Although, with the likes of the SHIELD seeing discounts, it seems hard to believe that many would be willing to pay such a high price for the Nexus Player. So what’s with all the unavailability? Now the obvious answer is, it is Christmas and all the Nexus Players are flying off the shelves at record rates and stores can’t keep them in stock long enough? But does that seem realistic? Not to mention, this ‘surge in sales’ would be occurring after what has been a sustained average low price through all retailers and over months. In fact, if the Nexus Player was continuing to be available, surely right now in the run up to Christmas, you would expect stores to have access to ample stock. It just does not seem to make sense that in one of the busiest sales periods of the year, you cannot buy the Nexus Player easily. Which again, does lead to some very mixed messages coming through. For a device which is not being discontinued, right now, in the run up to Christmas, it is a device which is strangely very hard to find.