Droid fizzles on opening day
By Michael W. Jones
When the Motorola Android smartphone finally went on sale yesterday after a pre-release period full of hype and frenzy, the reaction of consumers at Verizon stores was not exactly red hot.
To be fair, that underwhelming reception makes two smartphone releases lately that did not live up to projections. The iPhone opened a while back in China with a thud that could be heard across the entire sub-continent, attracting a mere 300 or so people to the gala opening at a Shanghai China Unicom store. Now there are reports that Verizon outlets in the U.S. were much less than mobbed by shoppers wanting to be in the first wave of Droid owners.
Reports coming in Verizon Stores from New York City to San Francisco were the same: very few people in line and not much excitement, according to a CNET story. A line consisting of 20 people in Manhattan was about as good as it got. It was a little better at a special event at midnight the night before, with perhaps 200 people at a store in New York, still a far cry from the lines-around-the-block syndrome that is common when Apple introduces a new model of the iPhone.
David Samberg, a Verizon spokesman, said the store that was open on Thursday night sold about 85 Droids in the first 45 minutes. He went on to say that “Long lines forming outside are flashy. But it’s not really the goal. What we really want to see is this: a steady stream of people coming today and for the next few weeks buying new phones.”
The reviews on the Droid have been generally good, but a few flaws have been pointed out by reviewers and potential customers as well. The camera is apparently very slow and the handset itself is very heavy, even for a multi-feature smartphone. As always, reviewers only tell part of the story and the Droid’s acceptance by actual customers will be what defines the phone’s future. It may be wise to wait a month or so before declaring the Droid the winner of the smartphone wars.
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Stumble It!
November 7th, 2009
Considering that from the advertising to date its hard for the non-geek to even figure out what is being advertised (a phone) and where to get it (Verizon), its not surprising the launch is a flop. Come on Verizon, advertise the thing for what it is and more than just tech geeks will show up to buy one!
November 7th, 2009
We at Motorola Android think the Motorola Droid is great!