4 ms·

It sounds like buying Nest has been a total disaster for Google

22 points by tangue 11y ago

vr3690 11y ago
"Total disaster" sounds like hyperbole. None of the bullet points justify that description. It might not be as successful as Google might have hoped, but they probably had the appetite for such a risk.
outside1234 11y ago
Correction: Tony Fadell is a total disaster for Google.
massemphasis 11y ago
Google got hustled. Nest was a disaster from the start. They are barely even a one-off. The best thing Google got out of their 3.2 billion dollar purchase was a patent troll. These silicon valley companies made these horrible buyouts in the billions, and they have yet to feel the effects. Or.. Maybe they are just working on their thug life portfolio? A bit sidetracked at best.
daodedickinson 11y ago
I think total disaster would have been widespread adoption preceding a devastating exploit.
robtaylor 11y ago
That is not an article that is a teaser for some paywalled content.
kennyasare 11y ago
https://daringfireball.net/misc/2016/03/the-information-tony-fadell.pdf https://daringfireball.net/misc/2016/03/the-information-tony... PDF Link to article ^^ it is worth reading.
vogt 11y ago
My nest cam is a cool device but hardly functions the way it should. Super frustrating. Not really very surprised by learning all this.
mikestew 11y ago
I flagged this in the hopes that URL is changed to what user kennyasare posted. In the meantime...I read the PDF. Meh, internal squabbles I care nothing about. What I do suspect, as an owner of the first-gen Nest thermostat and a Nest camera, is that they're a one-hit wonder. The thermostat is okay, and it continues to do the task for which I bought it. However, where's my Apple HomeKit integration? Guess that went out the window with the Google purchase. Nest cam? Well, to start with they bought DropCam, which is fine. But the product? Meh, nothing special that isn't made by a dozen other name-brand companies. When I went go buy another camera, I thought I'd try another brand and ended up with a Withings. Head-and-shoulders above Nest in features and usability, and aesthetics if that's important to you. Integrates with other stuff, including HomeKit. Don't need Flash running in your browser to view the camera (unlike Nest). Much more responsive iOS app. The smoke detector is so lacking in improvements over a standard wired detector that I just skipped that one. In summary, I was fired up about the potential of the Nest thermostat, and was happy enough with it that I blindly bought the Nest cam. But the honeymoon is over, and as a customer I don't give two poops about their internal drama, Nest needs to step up their game on the product side or they'll be just another commodity gadget manufacturer.

22 points by tangue 11y ago

"Total disaster" sounds like hyperbole. None of the bullet points justify that description. It might not be as successful as Google might have hoped, but they probably had the appetite for such a risk.

outside1234 11y ago

Correction: Tony Fadell is a total disaster for Google.

massemphasis 11y ago

Google got hustled. Nest was a disaster from the start. They are barely even a one-off. The best thing Google got out of their 3.2 billion dollar purchase was a patent troll. These silicon valley companies made these horrible buyouts in the billions, and they have yet to feel the effects. Or.. Maybe they are just working on their thug life portfolio? A bit sidetracked at best.

daodedickinson 11y ago

I think total disaster would have been widespread adoption preceding a devastating exploit.

robtaylor 11y ago

That is not an article that is a teaser for some paywalled content.

kennyasare 11y ago

https://daringfireball.net/misc/2016/03/the-information-tony-fadell.pdf https://daringfireball.net/misc/2016/03/the-information-tony... PDF Link to article ^^ it is worth reading.

vogt 11y ago

My nest cam is a cool device but hardly functions the way it should. Super frustrating. Not really very surprised by learning all this.

mikestew 11y ago

I flagged this in the hopes that URL is changed to what user kennyasare posted. In the meantime...I read the PDF. Meh, internal squabbles I care nothing about. What I do suspect, as an owner of the first-gen Nest thermostat and a Nest camera, is that they're a one-hit wonder. The thermostat is okay, and it continues to do the task for which I bought it. However, where's my Apple HomeKit integration? Guess that went out the window with the Google purchase. Nest cam? Well, to start with they bought DropCam, which is fine. But the product? Meh, nothing special that isn't made by a dozen other name-brand companies. When I went go buy another camera, I thought I'd try another brand and ended up with a Withings. Head-and-shoulders above Nest in features and usability, and aesthetics if that's important to you. Integrates with other stuff, including HomeKit. Don't need Flash running in your browser to view the camera (unlike Nest). Much more responsive iOS app. The smoke detector is so lacking in improvements over a standard wired detector that I just skipped that one. In summary, I was fired up about the potential of the Nest thermostat, and was happy enough with it that I blindly bought the Nest cam. But the honeymoon is over, and as a customer I don't give two poops about their internal drama, Nest needs to step up their game on the product side or they'll be just another commodity gadget manufacturer.