Analyst: Blame Google, T-Mobile for Poor Nexus One Sales

Analyst firm Trefis isn’t pulling punches, saying Google can only blame itself and carrier T-Mobile for what it calls “weak” sales of the new Nexus One smartphone thus far. Trefis estimates just 80,000 of the devices were sold in the first month after they became available.

Trefis points its finger at Google for a lack of marketing effort to promote the phone and says the search giant’s Web-based storefront has thus far been inadequate. The firm is also critical of T-Mobile’s network, which has a smaller reach than competitors AT&T, Verizon and Sprint – but that’s not all. Trefis says T-Mobile “has had problems with its 3G network that have cast a negative light on [the] Nexus One.”

But it’s not too late for a turnaround. The analyst firm believes distribution through Vodafone and Verizon could result in the sale of 5 million Nexus Ones in 2010. The FCC is soon expected to give the green light to a CDMA version of the Nexus One that could run on Verizon’s network, and Europe’s Vodafone is expected to get the Nexus One in April. But greater coverage doesn’t necessarily guarantee greater success. The reception for the the Palm Pre and Pixi on Verizon’s network has been fairly mediocre.