Andy Rubin, head of Android, denied that Google was considering opening retail locations. According to AllThingsD's Ina Fried, Rubin said, "Google has no plans and we have nothing to announce."
This is the opposite of third-party observers who think that Google does need retail locations. Rubin stated that consumers "don't have to go in the store and feel anymore," according to ATD. This is in contrast to what Apple experienced with their brick and mortar stores. The "feeling" of the product helped to popularize the concept of the iPad.
Rubin believes that consumers are better served by online tools, review sites and word-of-mouth recommendations from friends or even social connections. He added that he believes Google’s Nexus program is still relatively young, and not “far enough along to think about the necessity of having these things in a retail store.”
The Chromebook Pixel announcement last week highlighted that the company is still in an experimental mode when it comes to fielding its own devices. Google has to decide what works and what doesn't work before investing in brick and mortar stores.
Review based on an article by Darrell Etherington in Tech Crunch.
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