Why the lack of flair for Google’s Nexus 5 launch?

When it comes to Google, we’ve come to expect the literally insane for new product launches with skydivers and Google Glass or very low key events for Google+/Chromebooks. Someone tell me then why Google launched the Nexus 5 and their next piece of software with Android 4.4 KitKat with almost no fanfare? It feels as if the KitKat announcement some months back saw more press and activity than the actual launch itself.

Yes, one could argue that Nexus device sales are limited to the geeks and die-hard Android fans. Yes, one could say that KitKat is more of an evolution than a revolution and that Google didn’t need to go all-out yesterday as the ridiculous set of device leaks created all the buzz they needed. Still, this is Google and this is a Nexus and at the very least, Google could have at least done a small event to boost awareness.

There’s a real question about when or if the Android-buying masses will ever care about stock Android, updates, rooting, ROMs and everything in-between. Still, there’s something to be said for the last few days and the amount of attention Google has incurred based on rumors of a potential barge-based Google office building against the actual launch of their newest “flagship” device.

The good news? The device sold out within minutes and while we can’t say what the supply was, the demand is obviously there and that’s at least one checkmark in the positive column. I’d love to see more from Google regarding this news and I’d love to see something that talks more about the new features in KitKat that the general user base won’t discover on their own.

There’s no need to raise conspiracy theories or even go much further down the path of questioning Google’s ideology regarding product launches. I suppose it’s just the geek in me that would have liked to see some fanfare for the Nexus launch since we wait all year for this one day. Or maybe I’m just wrong altogether, and Google can do whatever Google wants whenever Google wants to do it.