Tony, while I definitely agree that the number of handset form factors is a big contributor to the lack of docks, I don't think that's the only reason. I just don't think docks are very popular, though I don't know why.

Even for the iPhone, there's a universal dock, but it's certainly not pushed very hard and it's always an afterthought. I'd be willing to bet the iHome dock is even more popular, which bothers me because all I want is a simple no-frills dock.

One possible reason for the lack of popularity might be due to smartphone cases. They all change the shape of the phone in question in different ways, so they would all have to ship with their own dock adapters (in the case of the iPhone). With my wife's 3GS, the case she liked happened to come with its own dock adapter, and that was great. However, just try to look for any iPhone 4S cases that come with an adapter for the universal dock. I couldn't find any, and I think it's because, as "universal" as the dock may be, they didn't anticipate that the iPhone 4 with a case would be wider than their previous phones (at least it looks that way to me, is that right?), so it wouldn't fit! Eventually I just took the adapter out and she plugs her phone in without it. It works but it's certainly not as attractive (and Steve wouldn't like it).


That really is the solution, isn't it? I'd LOVE to have inductive charging, even if it made the phone a little thicker. The next best thing, though, is the method the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus are employing. It's very nearly like inductive charging, because when I put my N1 in the dock, it's not like I'm plugging it in or making sure it's clicking into any kind of microUSB connector. I'm simply setting the phone down, and that makes a surprisingly large difference in the long run.

I think you'll be satisfied with how the Galaxy Nexus charges. It won't be your inductive charging, but it should be pretty close...