Google has exhausted stocks of its Nexus 4 Android smartphone in the Australian Play Store for a second time, just hours after the device went back on sale yesterday following a two month long hiatus.
The flagship Android phone first went on sale through Google's Play Store in mid-November last year, but both the 8GB and 16GB models were listed as "coming soon" less than an hour later.
Both models of the Nexus 4 were available to order on Google's Play Store yesterday for the first time since the initial launch, but stock of the 16GB model lasted less than seven hours. The phone is now listed with the message "temporarily out of stock", and the store advises customers that the company is "out of inventory."
The 8GB model of the Nexus 4 is still currently available to purchase in the Australian Play Store, but it is listed as "ships soon", with a 2-3 week wait denoted.
PC World Australia has contacted Google to clarify stock levels and sale availability several times since the Nexus 4 went on sale. However, the company has not responded to inquiries and refuses to comment on stock availability or any further details.
Google is heavily promoting and selling its own-brand devices like the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 tablets directly to customers, but the company has severely struggled with stock levels since the mid-November, worldwide launch.
In addition to online sales, the 16GB model Nexus 4 went on sale "exclusively" through Harvey Norman retail stores today for $496. The outright price through Harvey Norman is $97 more expensive than the Play Store, though Google charges $19.99 for shipping
A quick search on the Harvey Norman website indicates that most retail stores are already out of stock of Nexus 4 devices. A message on the site reads, "we’ll be getting more stock really soon and you can still buy on back-order." Australian Android blog Ausdroid reports that additional stock is set to arrive in the first week of March.
In addition to outright sales, selected Harvey Norman stores offer the Nexus 4 on a range of Optus post-paid mobile plans starting at $35 per month over 24 months ($15 per month handset repayments + $20 Optus plan) and ranging up to $130 (no handset repayments on the $130 Optus Timeless plan).
Did you manage to purchase a Nexus 4 yesterday from the Google Play Store? Will you pay more for a device from Harvey Norman? Are you annoyed about the stock shortages? Let us know in the comments below!
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