Google USA launches Moto G Google Play Edition.. Why?

Google launches Moto G Play Edition.. Why?

I promise I’m not going to use this site to write nothing but stories relating to Motorola, but it seems that an awful lot of things are happening in a very short space of time.

On Monday this week, Motorola announced the release of Android 4.4.2 for the Moto G, a day before it launched the six-month old Moto X in the UK. But then, if that wasn’t enough, Google announced a ‘Google Play’ edition of the Moto G in the US – both 8GB and 16GB versions.

But I have to ask one simple question: Why?

I can just about get why Motorola would release the Moto X, given it could be easily be brought to market to bridge a gap between the last high-end Motorola and whatever is to follow. But this? It’s going to be virtually unchanged from the existing Moto G!

The customisation on the Moto G is incredibly minimal, and it already got updated to the latest version of the OS. So unless Google knows something we don’t (like it won’t be updating to 4.4.3 or 4.5 anywhere near as quickly from now on as it did this time around), I can’t see the benefit of buying the Google Play edition.

Is it for the Google Experience launcher? Well, download the required APKs and job done.

Can anyone tell me what the point of this version is, as I’m left very confused.

The only thing that makes sense is what TechCrunch has already suggested, and that being that Google is aiming to offer Play editions for as many devices as possible, to keep an element of control on the software – and also have a single place to sell phones direct to customers.

Google tried that early on, without much success, and the lack of Google Play editions elsewhere in the world suggests this plan might not yet be working as planned.

Meanwhile, whatever you do – don’t be put off getting a normal Moto G.