Google CFO admits the company has been unable to keep up with Nexus 6 demand

During the company’s Q4 2014 earnings call, Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette addressed a few of the reasons for the company’s slower than expected quarter. Pichette said that one issue Google had was keeping up with demand the demand for the Nexus 6. Pichette noted that while the device was well received, the company simply couldn’t get the inventory to keep up with consumer demand.

Anyone who has tried to obtain a Nexus 6 since its launch back in November knows that the device has been incredibly hard to come by. The device has been out of stock on the Play Store for months and the best option has been buying it directly from Motorola’s website. Although, that option has only been slightly better than the Play Store.

During the call, Pichette had the following to say (note during the actual call he mistakenly referred to the device as the Nexus 7):

“While the Nexus 6 was well received as a new phone, we had real issues and were unable to secure sufficient inventory to meet the demand that we had forecasted.”

Unfortunately, Pichette didn’t hint at any improvements for the Nexus 6 availability issues, nor did he say what issues the company faced in manufacturing the phablet. availability issues have plagued Nexus devices every year, and since Google doesn’t offer specific sales numbers for the devices, it’s hard to know what it means when Pichette says it couldn’t meet the demand it had forecasted.

Google reported revenue of $18.1 billion, earnings per share of $6.88, with net income of $4.76 billion in Q4, which has sent its stock tanking in after-hours trading.