Update on Nexus 4 availability — kind of.

Update: We’ve heard back from Google. Sorry guys, no news from them for now.

We’ve got the message guys. We know you want to know when the Nexus 4 will be returning to Australian shores. We’ve read your tweets, considered your emails, and even received a few of your carrier pigeons at our Sydney balcony. We want to know as much as you do!

We’ve reached out to Google Australia for any information they have, however while we wait for an update, we can give you some news out of the UK, which may hint at what’s going on here. Customers who have purchased the Nexus 4 online via the Play Store in the UK have received an email update from Dan Cobley, Managing Director of Google UK. Cobley has given further detail about the problems Google has faced in selling the Nexus 4 direct via the Play Store:

Dan Cobley, the Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland, has been pulled into the Nexus 4 stock crisis, with an email from the big boss of Google giving more detail on the dreadful problems the company has had in selling the Nexus 4 direct to buyers.

I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue. Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed. I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process.

For those that originally received a 3-5 days shipping estimate, your orders are now in process for fulfillment. You can expect an email notification early this week which will include tracking information. Although you will be initially charged in full, you will receive a credit for the shipping charge soon after.

For others that received pre-Christmas shipping estimates, we anticipate processing your orders for fulfillment this week.

I realise that the people who ordered the Nexus 4 so early are among our most committed and loyal users and we are doing all we can to put things right.

In Australia, as elsewhere, the stock issues experienced by would-be buyers of the Nexus 4 are affecting other models too, with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 completely unavailable in Australia, and only the Nexus 7 (non 3G variants) available at the moment. We’ve been unable to place orders for the Nexus 4 in Australia virtually since the launch day, however in the UK, orders placed nearly a fortnight ago — and promised 3-5 day delivery — remain undelivered.

It seems almost guaranteed that the same stock issues from LG are the cause of delays in Australian availability just as they are in the UK. If we receive further word from Google, we’ll let you know.