Google pulls an Apple; Nexus 4 sells out in an hour

New smartphone sold out in U.S. and U.K., release scrapped in Netherlands to meet demand

When you hear that a device sold out in minutes, the first thing that most people probably assume is that it was an Apple device. That is where you see the long lines of people waiting in the cold for days. But maybe the days of Apple dominance are starting to come to an end, as another manufacturer can now say that it also sold out of its devices just minutes after going on sale.

Google’s Nexus 4 smartphone went on sale today, and has been selling like hotcakes around the world, even selling out in some of the biggest markets.

The new smartphone sold out within minutes of going on sale in the United States, CNet reported Tuesday, and Google was also forced to cancel their plans to launch the phone in the Netherlands and Belgium because of the high demand in other parts of the world.

The phone also sold out in less than an the United Kingdom, which Google confirmed to ZDNet.

"The Nexus 4 is sold out on the Google Play store in the UK," a Google spokeswoman told ZDNet. "We're not sure when it will be available again."

The Nexus 4 smartphone, with its 4.7” inch display, was developed along with LG.

It comes in 8GB and16GB versions. The 8GB Nexus 4 will sells for $299, while the 16GB will go for $349. They will be available unlocked and without a contract in the Google Play store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada.

The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a two-year contract.

A Google+ post from earlier today confirms that the device did sell out in some countries, but did not specificy which ones.

"There’s been so much interest for the Nexus lineup that we’ve sold out of some of our initial stock in a few countries! We are working hard to add more Nexus devices to Google Play in the coming weeks to keep up with the high demand. You can learn more about Nexus devices and stay updated at play.google.com/nexus," the company wrote.

The last time I heard of anything like what seems to be going on with the Nexus 4 was with the iPhone 5 in September, which sold out within the first hour. The demand for that phone was so high that the websites for Apple, AT&T and Sprint all went down due to high traffic.

Other Nexus devices on sale

Two other Nexus devices went on sale Tuesday: the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10.

The Nexus 7 tablet is a seven-inch tablet, along the lines of Amazon's Kindle Fire and the new iPad Mini.

It comes in 16GB and32GB versions. The 16GB will sells for $199, while the 16GB is on sale for $249. It is be available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, and also through Google's retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and Walmart.

There will also be a version of the Nexus 7 with HSPA+ mobile data, which is available only with 32GB. It will be sold at  $299 unlocked.

The Nexus 10 is  made for watching movies or reading magazine, so Google gave it a 10.055" display at 2560-by-1600, over 4 million pixels.

It also has an extended battery, that will allow for up to nine hours of video playback, and over 500 hours on standby. It also comes with a set of front-facing stereo speakers.

The 16GB version of the Nexus 10 sells for $399, while the 32GB version will be priced at $499. Like the other devices, it will go on sale on November 13  in the Google Play Store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

(Image source: https://allforthecustomer.com)