If Google wanted to get the Nexus 4 out of its way before setting up the eventual release date of the Google Nexus 5, it's doing a fine job. The Nexus 4's 8GB variant, which the company recently put on a nearly third-off sale, has sold out. And it's almost certainly not coming back.
That is a great sign for people who want a Google Nexus 5, the rumored new Google handset that the Mountain View company has yet to make official. It's not great news for people who wanted a cheap, high-function, unlocked flagship phone from the discount carrier of their choice. However, it's certainly another step towards a new Google Nexus 5, which is what most are clamoring for.
Less than a week ago, Google dropped the prices by about $100 on both the 8GB Google Nexus 4 and the 16GB Google Nexus 4. Both smartphones became a great deal, and with the 8GB variant of the Google Nexus 4 being just under $200, apparently the deal was too good to last long. Droid-Life was the first to find the "out of inventory" sign on the Google Play store for the 8GB version of Google's 2012 flagship smartphone, and when The Verge checked with Google, following the "Please check back soon" posting with due diligence, they were told that the Nexus 4 would not be restocked.
So what does this mean for the Google Nexus 5? It means that the general release date timetable suspected by many is probably correct. The Nexus 4 was announced last October and released early November, and if Google wanted to sell out of last year's flagship before announcing this year's, early September is when you'd want to empty the shelves. Expect the announcement of the Google Nexus 5 to come at around the same time frame as the Nexus 4, with (hopefully) some leaks to come in the next few weeks, as supplies for the Nexus 4 diminish.
Now, would someone go and buy up those pesky remaining 16GB Nexus 4s already?