The Google Nexus 9 protruding camera makes more sense than the iPhone 6

You may not have even noticed the protruding camera on the Nexus 9, because the only promotional material that shows the right angle was the Nexus 9 promo video that Google put out. The reason for the camera jutting out a bit is the same as with the iPhone: Google wanted to make the tablet as thin as possible; so, the edges of the device taper down at the edges. Of course, you can't have a camera be at an angle and stay flush with a tapered edge, so half of it sticks out from the case, keeping it parallel to the rest of the device. 

Google could have moved the location of the camera to avoid this all together, but at least the protrusion won't be an annoyance like the one on the iPhone. With the iPhone, the camera makes it impossible for the phone to lay flat on a table, which really bugs some people (who may have slight OCD, we haven't done the proper research on that.) The Nexus 9 camera is flush with the body and should keep the device flat, even if the edge pops out a bit.