Did they actually expect this phone to sell?

[richie021501]

Ok let me start off by saying that I have the nexus one and love it, I definitely think its better then the iPhone and is one of the better android phones. With that said though, I can't say I'm suprised with the lackluster sales, and I can't see that changing anytime soon for a couple of reasons

First, I haven't seen any advertising for this phone, no commercials or anything, just a banner or 2 here and there online, which definetly isn't enough since most people like myself don't pay attention to all those things when we're online. You can't sell something without advertising it, that's pretty obvious, you've seen what Verizon's ad campaign has done for the droid and the same thing should have been done for this phone

Second, they released the phone right after the holiday season which is a horrible time to release it considering that by then, most people had already gotten their smartphone fix. They should of released it earlier if possible

I also think people aren't used to buying phones in this manner, they're used to just going to the phone company nd buying the phone they want, so that might have something to do with it as well. Either way though, its just a shame that such a good phone is going to see lackluster sales, but maybe that will change once Verizon's version comes out.

But hey maybe I'm wrong and have no idea what I'm talking about lol it wouldn't be the first time! Thoughts???

 

[DellyBelly]

Honestly, I don't think they really wanted it to be the biggest phone ever. It sounds to me like they were using this as a testbed for the future as opposed to creating the perfect system on their first try.

 

[richie021501]

That could be true but if it is then they made one hell of a test haha and it would be interesting to see what the future brings.

 

[BiGMERF]

whatever the case may be. the nexus one better be able to handle future os updates.. what you think?

 

[kaotix]

I agree with the OP in saying that the marketing for the Nexus One is non-existent and shocking to say the least.
I only knew about it because I'm on the internet 24/7/365 reading articles on phones and other computer equipment (lol) I have never seen a single advertisement for the phone and I am simply amazed that Google could expect to sell any at all.
The 20,000 sales that was quoted literally sums up the market of people who follow android OS, the iPhone or any other smartphone. It is safe to say that the iPhone has a far better chance of being successful at any time it is sold due to Apple's marketing techniques and their image as one of the 'best' manufacturers of high end computer equipment.

I also agree with BIGMERF in that I hope the Nexus One supports as many software updates as possible as the hardware is outstanding and the software is only slightly lacking in my eyes. That being said after maybe 24 hours of use so far!

 

[gibson6594]

To you guys saying this phone didn't advertise, did you not see it on Google's frikken HOME PAGE?

There is no better advertisement than that.

 

[finesta101]

I think that Google is a pretty successful company and thats because the people running it are pretty intelligent and know what their doing. Google could have easily been able to market this phone with carriers and also advertise more, but they obviously know exactly what their doing.

Also, when Engadget had their last show that guy was there from Google and he announced that they are very happy with the sales, they did better than he expected... So that should mean something.

Whatever it is Google is doing, im sure they have a good reason for it.

 

[richie021501]

To you guys saying this phone didn't advertise, did you not see it on Google's frikken HOME PAGE?

There is no better advertisement than that.

Yea but still, TV is the best advertising spot I would say, people aren't gonna be sold just by seeing it on the google homepage

 

[grainysand]

To you guys saying this phone didn't advertise, did you not see it on Google's frikken HOME PAGE?

There is no better advertisement than that.

That ad/link disappeared pretty fast, though. I suspect they're intentionally limiting initial sales, hence the one-carrier-only approach.

Me, I lol at this whole "BAWWW no carrier subsidy" thing. In most parts of the world, you buy phones unlocked all the time anyway, no contract required.

 

[richie021501]

Yea you guys are probably right, Google's a smart company so they must know what they're doing! Just doesn't seem like they've been trying to get a high sales figure as of yet

 

[vikingisson]

That ad/link disappeared pretty fast, though. I suspect they're intentionally limiting initial sales, hence the one-carrier-only approach.

Me, I lol at this whole "BAWWW no carrier subsidy" thing. In most parts of the world, you buy phones unlocked all the time anyway, no contract required.

exactly. To me the whole point of the N1 is to slowly get us sheep in N.A. used to the idea of what most of the world does. You can't convince people with traditional ads that paying $500 for a phone and then not getting a contract is the better way. Who needs tv ads and whatever traditional marketing is out there? The target market knows about it. They want the early adopters and people that get the idea that phones shouldn't be tied to the provider. This will finally give viable options over the status quo. We'll see how it goes, I think google is doing the right thing.

 

[richie021501]

Yea I'm not saying they aren't doing the right thing, it could turn out to be a good strategy.

 

[mkrmec]

Mouth to mouth is still the best quality selling. Things that need adds to sell aren't quality... that's quantity.

Plus you have to take in mind that if they annonced it and advertised it they probably couln't meet the demand. The phones sales keep rising anyway they don't have to worry.

 

[grainysand]

I'm still wondering why they pulled that little ad from google.com's main page. It wasn't even prominent. In fact, I haven't seen any mention of the N1 in any google ads flashing across my gmail inbox for a while, though admittedly I adblock the everliving daylight out of google-analytics and similar.

Mouth-to-mouth is a tough cookie. Most people aren't anywhere geeky enough to appreciate the device and would rather go for the toddler-friendly iPhone OS. I will go with the theory that they don't, in fact, expect (or want) this phone to shift massive quantities of units in the first month or two.

 

[Bill]

I think this article where gigom interviews Google's Andy Rubin, says a lot.

Google

 

[vikingisson]

Mouth-to-mouth is a tough cookie. Most people aren't anywhere geeky enough to appreciate the device and would rather go for the toddler-friendly iPhone OS. I will go with the theory that they don't, in fact, expect (or want) this phone to shift massive quantities of units in the first month or two.

But they are getting the word to the market they want right now. That's the point. They aren't going after the couch and van crowd and thus saving millions without trying. If the industry starts changing and we stop hearing "When will phone xxx be coming to provider yyy" then what google is doing will start to make sense to everyone else. I have no problem with the $0 for a provider phone and then 3 years of servitude to the masters as long as I have the option to bring my own phone and then pay less per month.

 

[Fabolous]

Well, I watched the Engadget show a couple of weeks back with Erick Tseng on it, and he was, while unwilling to release actual numbers, "very pleased" with Nexus One's first week sales.

Since then, the same firm that estimated 20,000 units sold on the first week is saying 80,000 units in the first month.

So...take those numbers how you want. I think it's pretty good, especially with no carrier support at all. I mean, if you went into a Tmobile store, there's no mention of the phone at all, right?

We'll see how Verizon reacts when the phone is released for them. If they embrace it, you can be damn sure there'll be a big advertising campaign for it. If they follow the same model as Tmobile, then, the sales numbers may be similar (well, maybe even lower, since the Tmobile version is being bought by customers worldwide).

 

[Air Force One]

With all the money Google has, they aren't short cash to spend on advertising...IF THEY WANTED to.

For whatever reason, this is how Google wants to do this launch.

The Nexus One isn't going anywhere and at some point Google will start advertising so much that folks will be coplaining about overexposure.

IMO, this is a soft launch and the hard launch will come when it hits Verizon.

Something tells me they know what they are doing...if for no other reason than they made a pretty darn good mobile device...I think they can handle promoting it. I also agree with fabolous...if they've managed to sell 80,000 units doing it this way, I can only imagine how many they will sell on hard launch.

 

[mi_canuck]

they are doing better... if Google's goal (per the snippets from the article pasted up above) is indeed 150,000.... they're getting closer... considering the sales outlet... they've quadrupled between 1 week and 1 month sales... percentage wise, the sales are growing at a better pace that the other two devices compared...

Nexus One Sales Continue to Lag: Just 80,000 in First Month - Nexus one sales - Gizmodo

 

[Neemo]

My personal take on this is as follows...

The 20,000 units sold in the first week is a load of crap. As mentioned previously they have been *very* pleased with the sales at google and I don't think they're talking about numbers such as the 20,000 mentioned.

Second, I don't think massive advertisement pays off as much as a well planned viral campaign. We've all experienced the massive buzz around the nexus one prior to it's release. In any case people who love gadgets aren't going to keep it to themselves when they get a hold of this kind of a device. First they are going to go rub it in iPhone users' faces and second they're going to youtube with loads of unboxing and review videos.

On a personal note I don't mind if Google puts it's money on R&D instead of marketing. I think it's a win-win situation when you have a great device that just keeps getting better and the thing literally markets itself.

edit: There is also a image question that comes in mind. While the way you market something affects it's percieved image, also choosing not to market (in the traditional sense) can be a way of profiling the product.

Perhaps they've wanted the nexus one to appear as more of a 'pro' device for educated individuals (read: geeks ) instead of the trendy everyone-and-their-dog-has-one iPhone.

 

[mi_canuck]

the less they sell, the less they have to fix... ie. more manageable to assess the initial bugs on a small volume of devices than 100,000+ devices... that's probably why the vzw and voda units weren't sold initially.... otherwise any issues would have magnified 10 fold

 

[Soupdragon]

I also think people aren't used to buying phones in this manner, they're used to just going to the phone company nd buying the phone they want,

Is that what actually happens?
I'd think it's more along the lines of going into the shop to buy a phone, being sold (pushed into) a contract which allows you to chooose from a range of phones, then, when the contract is nearing it's end , hey, guess what, you have a choice of a bunch of new phones - the customer loyalty is directed towards the network provider rather than the company making the phone.
I'm not entirely sure where Google are going with this - is the Nexus One a Google platform, an Android platform or a HTC phone - all of the above I guess.
By naming it the Nexus One the implication is there's gonna be a Nexus Two, Nexus Three, etc, etc.. are they going to be HTC/Android too?
My reasons for buying it - I didn't want an iphone (daft prejudice), didn't want Winmo and wanted the best Android phone available - it was the only thing that fitted the bill.... but I was only aware of it's imminent arrival because I researched for the latest phones on the internet - there'll be millions of peeps who still don't even know it exists and that ain't good marketing.

 

[vikingisson]

...there'll be millions of peeps who still don't even know it exists and that ain't good marketing.

I think it is great marketing. keeping the phones in a market that better understands than to everyone. Things will ramp up later on.

The question that gives me chills is "When will the N1 be coming to xxxxx?" That is the person that doesn't get it yet. This phone wants to be free as in freedom, not shackled by provider's contracts and their crippled firmware. If I ever see this phone in the provider store (or Walmart or anywhere that resells contracts) I'll have to say no thanks, I'll bring my own.

 

[turbosol16]

I don't care how many they sell I have one and love my N1 so they can stop selling them now for all I care. I really just care about the Android operating system and how well that does. I hope they keep the unlocked model/store going I was sick of buying unlocked Nokia's and will gladly get the Snoke when it is released.

 

[SnotF]

I don't care how many they sell I have one and love my N1 so they can stop selling them now for all I care. I really just care about the Android operating system and how well that does. I hope they keep the unlocked model/store going I was sick of buying unlocked Nokia's and will gladly get the Snoke when it is released.

while i understand the "i have mine, eff everyone else attitude" it's pretty shortsighted. when i bought my blackberry 83xx, it was a pretty uneducated decision. i bought it towards the end of the run, and had it for about six months before they stopped selling it. about six months after that, i found myself having to sift through massive amounts of software for other BB models in the hopes of finding anything for my model. six months more and the support, even from RIM directly was all but nonexistent.
while i realize that google/htc dont have 10+ models to support, i think my point is valid and clear. the longer the N1 is sold and in greater quantity, the better support we can hope to see. i don't know about you, but i'm past 14 days, and i've sunk a good chunk of money into what i believed to be a phone with staying power, and if they "stop selling it now" i think that support will be the next thing to go out the window... what little there is to begin with.... and i don't think anyone here wants to call the N1 a dead loss.