According to original set of rumours, Google was about to unveil its Nexus 5 and Gem smartwatch yesterday i.e. October 15, but word on the web is that the Government shutdown in the US has caused unwanted delays and now the devices may be launched on October 31.
The ongoing US Government shutdown as caused delays wrt to the FCC approval process, which is required to be obtained before any gadget is sold in the US. Without the approval, Google will not be able to sell the smartphone or the smartwatch and there is no point in unveiling Nexus 5 if it can’t start selling it right away.
Amazon started offering its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 on pre-order in September 2012 without the FCC approval – something that Google could also do. However, it seems that the search engine giant has resorted not to.
Earlier in the day, a Google Plus post on Android 4.4 KitKat page hinted at a possible October 18 release. But this seems to be limited to the operating system as the Government shutdown is still in effect and it wouldn’t be diligent on Google’s side to expect their Nexus 5 to be cleared straight away after the government reopens.
There were reports by PhoneArena that Best Buy had a Google display in one of its stores and the manager over there confirmed that it was indeed for the Nexus 5.
