Incredible sales will likely be half of what they should have been

[rushmore]

I have one, first of all (since launch week). Have the 1750mah battery (extends life as advertised) and the black silicon VZW case. Luv the device and the over half-gig extra app space compared to any current device.

All that luvin' aside, I predict the Inc will sell half as many devices in these conditions:

1. Delays like this always kill demand, when competitive products are available or in sight.

2. In spite of far weaker 3G coverage, some will go to EVO in spite (Inc is better IMO).

3. More concrete info will likely be out about Droid 2 and Shadow. Some folks will think- "Heck, if I waited this long, I can wait a few more months"- or less, if rumors are accurate.

4. Thank heaven's for Tmo only having the half a55 MyTouch Slide coming out next month. Some may have bailed for a Tmo device too

Samsung's display supply issues put a mega-wedgie in Incredible sales and the only thing that will save it is if Shadow and Droid 2 info stays VERY scarce over the next month.

added:

Me thinks we may see a delay in launch of the new Motorola products, at least until August. Give Inc sales a chance to breath and let the product proliferate as it should.

 

[jayno20]

I absolutely HATE Motorola phones, I know every one of my friends feel the same way. That is the biggest reason I never bought into Android until the Incredible. Odds are good there are quite a few others out there with similar bad experiences with Motorola and thus will probably not be waiting for their next product over the Incredible now.

 

[zemerick]

While I'm sure VZ/HTC would love to sell more...it doesn't really matter in the end. The fact that they are back-ordered means the phone has already sold better than they had expected, so things are already well into the plus for them.

 

[freddyttt]

eventually Dinc will be caught up and in stock.

no?

 

[dennygreen]

eventually Dinc will be caught up and in stock.

no?

hopefully.

I'm holding off on ordering just because I dont like to pay and then have to wait 2 weeks.

 

[howarmat]

i dont know how many they "expect" to sell but something tells my it will see massive amounts seeing as there isnt much else on VZWs lineup right now

 

[jj3699]

hopefully.

I'm holding off on ordering just because I dont like to pay and then have to wait 2 weeks.

hit up best buy, most have received large shipments of DInc... wish I would have went that route
(but no use in crying over spilled milk )

 

[waynester]

Anyone know if any of the soon to launched phones use sammy screens?
If so they could be in the same boat as inc.
So the question would be , did they underestimate and place low initial orders to save $ and phones on shelves or overestimate spend the $ and place large orders hoping the phone sells well?

 

[illusionz]

God, I can't imagine how much those people who buy the Shadow are going to hate themselves for buying a Motoblur interface.

 

[mrjinglesusa]

The fact that they are back-ordered means the phone has already sold better than they had expected, so things are already well into the plus for them.

Not necessarily. It's known that the short supply is due to a shortage of displays from Samsung, not because they are selling more Incredibles than they thought they would.

We don't know if they have sold 25,000 or 250,000.

 

[Opivyattack]

The only reason that I even care about this is because more phones sold = better long term support. I do think that there are a lot of nice phones on their way out soon and this will hurt sales. The EVO sales will definitely go up because of the incredible shortages, no doubt. Other than that issue, I could care less since I have mine .

 

[Jakaro]

I don't think most people will "wait" for the Evo, i live in an area where there is no Sprint, 4g is only available in 10 cities.

Plus, wouldn't if you leave your 4g coverage city on travel, to a place with only 3g, your phone is useless unless on wifi correct?

 

[howarmat]

its backwards compatible, you should still have 3g as a fall back. Seeing that 4g isnt available everywhere they have to have 3G built into the phone also

 

[barrister89]

I wouldn't get an Evo even if it were free because of the spotty Sprint coverage in my area. Gotta like Sprint charging everyone anextra $10 for 4g that doesn't exist in most areas.

 

[emoltra]

1. Delays like this always kill demand, when competitive products are available or in sight.

Certainly didn't hurt the Wii. Product shortages can create the impression that it is a really good product (especially combined with good reviews), and increase demand even more.

2. In spite of far weaker 3G coverage, some will go to EVO in spite (Inc is better IMO).

People care more about the network far more than you think. The EVO will sell like hotcakes in major metropolitan areas, but anyone outside of that area is highly likely to have had a bad experience with Spring or know a few people that have.

3. More concrete info will likely be out about Droid 2 and Shadow. Some folks will think- "Heck, if I waited this long, I can wait a few more months"- or less, if rumors are accurate.

They're roughly the same specwise, and HTC makes much better handsets than Motorola does. Since putting out the Droid, they have released one of the worst Android handsets on the market (Backflip) and are continuing to put out a lot of terrible phones. Combine this with the fact that the Droid 2 / Shadow specs are on par with the Incredible.

4. Thank heaven's for Tmo only having the half a55 MyTouch Slide coming out next month. Some may have bailed for a Tmo device too

Again, see what I said about the carriers above.

HTC has nothing to worry about with Motorola, outside of perhaps Verizons ads losing their current focus on the Incredible.

 

[Jakaro]

I think whats going to limit the sales of this phone is the battery! Most people aren't going to spend another $50 on an extended battery just to last a day.

 

[howarmat]

that is one drawback i see with the phone and the average person out there.

I wonder if people realize that the EVOs battery is going to be even worse?