Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Pulls Plug On Nexus Player in Google Store

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Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Pulls Plug On Nexus Player in Google Store

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is no longer selling the Nexus Player set top box in its online store having run out of stock. Other retailers that have also run out of stock of the $99 hockey puck-shaped device including Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY), and Tiger Direct.

Nexus Player Demise

Even though Alphabet has pulled Nexus Player’s store listing entirely, it is still available in some retail outlets. Released in 2014 and co-developed by Asus, the set top box was the first to run Android TV. However, it was not the tech giant’s first attempt on its push to take over consumer’s living rooms.

The demise of Nexus Player does not come as a surprise given that it was not that powerful. However, it allowed Google to get Android TV into the market. Major retailers have in the recent past discounted the set top box as an indication that it was struggling in terms of sales.

Failure to rack up desired sales would have made it impossible for Google to continue supporting it. There is no word on whether the tech giant will continue providing software updates for Nexus Player.

Android TV Staying

Alphabet has already released what is believed to be the next version of Android N that could find its way into the next Nexus player. What this means is that Android TV is not going anywhere even with the demise of the $99 Nexus player.

The operating system has already found its way into Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE), and Sharp set top boxes. NVIDIA’s Shield is another hardware running on the popular OS.

“Android TV continues to be a living room favorite as one of the best smart TV experiences. We are pleased with the success and have seen millions of activations so far,” said one Google spokesperson.

Some electronics manufacturers have however switched their attention to Google Cast to power their set top boxes. Vizio has opted for the platform because of its simplistic interface that allows for the integration of streaming capabilities.