Speaking in roundtable discussion with reporters, Rubin denied that Google is planning a retail launch. He argued that Google simply does not need any.
“Google has no plans and we have nothing to announce,” he said.
Rubin thinks online is the way to go and consumers can get informed through reviews and some grapevine. He does have a point there, but then again picking up a device and trying it out yourself is not the same as reading a review written by a paid shill.
On the other hand, what would Google sell in retail stores? Nexus phones are harder to get than bacon in Tehran, the Nexus 10 is in also short supply and even Google’s top selling Nexus 7 is not doing nearly as well as Apple’s iPad. Chromebooks are gaining some traction, but we still don’t have any sales figures and we don't think they are impressive anyway.
More here.