Google no longer thinks it makes sense to sell Nexus devices, Chromebooks, smartwatches, and other physical products through Google Play — the digital storefront where Android users typically go for apps, music, and movies. So it's not going to do that anymore. Today, the company has announced that all hardware is being separated from Play and moved to a new destination that's simply called the Google Store.
"You can shop Nexus phones and tablets, Chromecast and Chromebooks, learn more about newer technology like Android Wear, Nexus Player and Nest, and stock up on accessories like cases, keyboards and chargers," the company wrote in a blog post revealing the change. There are massive, colorful graphics across every page; just look at how big those watches appear below. That's a bit too big, maybe. Throughout the store, Google tries to answer the question of why you need these products. You'll also see plenty of overviews covering Chromebooks, Android Wear, and other devices that remain unfamiliar to some consumers.
So the end result is pretty simple: you'll still head to Google Play for apps and media, but Google Store is now the home for physical products that showcase Google's services — like that new Chromebook Pixel. Google's old device pages were already pretty thorough in explaining features, but clearly Google wants to put a bigger focus on how its own software (Drive, Gmail, etc.) ties everything together. "You’ll see how the Google apps you already know — like Search, Maps and YouTube — work seamlessly with all these products," the company said. You can see how that looks in the below screenshot. If you've purchased any hardware from Google Play in recent days, your order will automatically be transferred to Google Store. But we must end on a sad note: Google confirmed to The Verge that it will no longer be selling the Nexus 5.
Update March 12th, 3:17AM: Added confirmation that Google will no longer sell the Nexus 5.