Nexus 4 shortage traced to 'scarce and erratic' supply by LG

The highly desirable but indefinitely unattainable $309 Google Nexus 4 flagship smartphone has been in notoriously short supply since it launched a month ago. The devices have been out of stock for the most part and while they have been made available on occasion, supplies sell out within minutes.

Google’s UK and Ireland managing director Dan Cobley was the first to acknowledge the issue and quite frankly, lost opportunity for Google and LG since demand  for the Nexus 4 is red hot).

“Dear all, I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue,” he wrote in a reply to an original post about Google Zeitgeist. “Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed.”

This indicates that the problem isn't with Google but with LG. The Nexus 4 and LG's flagship Optimus G are nearly identical devices and this is the first time that a Nexus smartphone shared such a close design reference with an existing and potentially competitive product. Prior to Cobley's post, neither Google nor LG acknowledged that there was any issue or problem delivering stock

According to the TechCrunch report, Cobley told commenters that orders originally in the 3-5 day shipping estimate range were being pushed through, and to expect a credit refunded to their play account for shipping charges. Orders with pre-Christmas shipping estimates were also said to be going through shortly.

Source: TechCrunch