[BAND] Sold out!!!

[TheZuneLune]

You are all also missing the biggest issue: The Band is not some premier device that is meant to take on the health/smart industry. It is a demonstration device for Microsoft's technology and Health platform.

Why else are they licensing the hardware/sensors and software out to anyone who wants it? This Band is the equivalent of a Microsoft Surface. It is meant to set the standard so that their OEM partners can go out and make their own version of it.

Microsoft is not here to crush Jawbone and Fitibt, they want them to continue to make their devices but with Microsoft integration. By having a limited supply and little advertising, they can walk the fine line of getting this device out there and not completely pissing off the other OEMs. This is meant to light a fire under their ***, not destroy them.

I can say with authority that all the other health/fitness band OEMs were briefed within the last week about the Band and Microsoft's plans. It was an olive branch, not a declaration of war.

So no, no marketing conspiracy, just a shrewd business move.

Exactly. I would also add that this is less about device functionality today and more about Microsoft's larger health strategy, that has been in the works for quite some time. Right now, the only other company that has a competitive health platform offering is IBM. Both have agreed to make their cloud platforms compatible with each other. There is a lot more money to be made in selling licenses and reaping patent royalties than selling devices to consumers.

 

[phelme]

Early version scratched too easily, hope v2 won't.

I'm guessing they figured that out and that's why they offer the Zagg protector for free.

Mine is supposed to be delivered Monday morning. We'll see how well the online/printed sizing guide worked. I'm not optimistic about that.

 

[smoledman]

It might not be as popular as you think:

Microsoft Band Day 1 Review : Fitness

It doesn't seem very popular - the Microsoft store where I bought it had nobody looking at them, and the salesperson mentioned this was the first one he had set up (it was late at night). Not a spectacular launch.

also:

JB52 1 point 1 day ago
That's my thought as well as the kiosk I visited in a mall near me yesterday had no one checking it out and there were like 30 bands in boxes that I could see. This was around lunch time too.

 

[Yonic Boom]

Two Reddit anecdotes?

Well, time to pack up the platform. It was a good try Microsoft. Good luck as an iOS App Developer.

 

[smoledman]

Wow, these are selling for about $300, with some hitting $400. Even with the eBay fees and shipping cost, that's still a pretty good profit. So while I hate this kind of business, you have to admit that it's a tempting thing to do.

Well if those eBay guys were smart they'd pick up those 30 boxes at the kiosk...

 

[smoledman]

Two Reddit anecdotes?

Well, time to pack up the platform. It was a good try Microsoft. Good luck as an iOS App Developer.

​I'm just saying that it's obviously not a raging inferno of a hit like an iPhone or iPad. It's already a failure if people are going to the website and seeing "out of stock" or going to a MS store on a weekend and having to be told "sorry, we're out of stock, check back again in a week". That's so disappointing for fickle consumers. You see this is why MS has so many problems on the consumer front - the fickle psychology involved. Businesses plan rollouts far in advance so Microsoft is not under the pressure to deliver product as fast, plus it's software so no manufacturing issues. MS is a software company that dabble in hardware. This launch is more proof of that 'dabbling' aspect and not the utter MASTERY that Apple has of it.

 

[smurfalarm]

​I'm just saying that it's obviously not a raging inferno of a hit like an iPhone or iPad.

It's not an instructive comparison. Nothing is a raging inferno of a hit like an iPhone or iPad. They are the two most popular consumer electronics in the world. Even the Apple Watch will not live up to that standard on its first launch.

 

[smoledman]

It's not an instructive comparison. Nothing is a raging inferno of a hit like an iPhone or iPad. They are the two most popular consumer electronics in the world. Even the Apple Watch will not live up to that standard on its first launch.

I disagree. I think the Apple Watch will sell millions on launch weekend.

 

[TheZuneLune]

​I'm just saying that it's obviously not a raging inferno of a hit like an iPhone or iPad. It's already a failure if people are going to the website and seeing "out of stock" or going to a MS store on a weekend and having to be told "sorry, we're out of stock, check back again in a week". That's so disappointing for fickle consumers. You see this is why MS has so many problems on the consumer front - the fickle psychology involved. Businesses plan rollouts far in advance so Microsoft is not under the pressure to deliver product as fast, plus it's software so no manufacturing issues. MS is a software company that dabble in hardware. This launch is more proof of that 'dabbling' aspect and not the utter MASTERY that Apple has of it.

You obviously didn't read Daniel's post. It isn't about the Band, it's about the platform. Microsoft more or less developed the Band to showcase the capabilities of the platform. The fact that it sold out in less than a day with zero advertising, press conferences, or events, is pretty remarkable,. Reading user comments on Engadget, Gizmodo, and other sites, people are thrilled with the cross platform ability as well as what the Band is delivering. People perceive that they are buying the Band, when in essence, they are buying into a new ecosystem that will license its services (where the money is at) and patents to other manufacturers. Do you have any idea how much Microsoft made off of Samsung last year? Over a billion dollars. It's about patents and licensing.

Oh, and the rollout is well before Christmas and the i-whateveryouwannacallit will not be out before Christmas.

If that's a disaster, I'd hate to see your vision of success.

 

[smoledman]

So the Band is MS version of Google's Nexus program? Well that has never sold many devices either and guess what all the Android OEMs still insist on re-skinning Android! So the Nexus program never succeeded. Why should the MS Health platform succeed if Fitbit/Jawbone reject MS overture to use Band OS?

 

[jojoe42]

So the Band is MS version of Google's Nexus program? Well that has never sold many devices either and guess what all the Android OEMs still insist on re-skinning Android! So the Nexus program never succeeded. Why should the MS Health platform succeed if Fitbit/Jawbone reject MS overture to use Band OS?

The nexus devices are more like reference designs. The Microsoft Band is a proof of concept - that all these sensors can be squeezed down into a product that is a) at a low-ish price point and b) proves market interest.

 

[smurfalarm]

I disagree. I think the Apple Watch will sell millions on launch weekend.

That's my whole point, though. I expect the Apple Watch to move far more units than the Microsoft Band and be a more successful product in terms of sales and margins. And a 3 million unit launch weekend for the first iteration of the Watch would be an enormous success for Apple. But if the iPhone 6 had sold 3 million on launch weekend, it would have been considered a dismal failure, Apple's stock would have plummeted, and everyone would be wondering what's in store for Apple and why it's doing so poorly. The iPhone is not really a meaningful comparison when you're talking about demand for fitness bands and smart watches.

 

[smoledman]

The nexus devices are more like reference designs. The Microsoft Band is a proof of concept - that all these sensors can be squeezed down into a product that is a) at a low-ish price point and b) proves market interest.

If they only sold 10K units on launch weekend, is that really market interest? I can already see Tim Cook laughing his *** off.

 

[jojoe42]

If they only sold 10K units on launch weekend, is that really market interest? I can already see Tim Cook laughing his *** off.

There was obviously more demand than the few they actually sold. It generated A LOT of interest, from all fanboys too ;P and I have a feeling when they restock it will sell almost as quickly

 

[surfacedude]

Short production order meant they could keep it a secret. How many leaks were there of this device? Besides some rumors there were no images, no production image leaks, none spotted during transport, etc. You can't keep a secret if you order 5 million to made and shipped internationally.

No, the more logical explanation is (1) They wanted to keep this on the downlow (2) They wanted to gauge interest (3) Wanted early feedback to make changes later on, if needed

You are all also missing the biggest issue: The Band is not some premier device that is meant to take on the health/smart industry. It is a demonstration device for Microsoft's technology and Health platform.

Why else are they licensing the hardware/sensors and software out to anyone who wants it? This Band is the equivalent of a Microsoft Surface. It is meant to set the standard so that their OEM partners can go out and make their own version of it.

Microsoft is not here to crush Jawbone and Fitibt, they want them to continue to make their devices but with Microsoft integration. By having a limited supply and little advertising, they can walk the fine line of getting this device out there and not completely pissing off the other OEMs. This is meant to light a fire under their ***, not destroy them.

I can say with authority that all the other health/fitness band OEMs were briefed within the last week about the Band and Microsoft's plans. It was an olive branch, not a declaration of war.

So no, no marketing conspiracy, just a shrewd business move.

you certainly know more about all of this than i do, but i'm not yet convinced by your argument. that could very well be due to my own ignorance, i admit. but i just don't believe that having 'sold out' headlines did not factor into microsoft's release strategy at all. in fact, if microsoft isn't interested in the band being a huge device, doesn't that support my argument more than yours? msft doesn't need to move a lot of units for whatever reason, so why not strategize for various ways to generate lots of attention? again, i could be wrong and you certainly know more about the tech field than i do, but it seems naive to think that the size of this production run had nothing at all to do with generating headlines. it certainly was a decision to not market this run as a kind of limited run.

and as far as i can tell, msft talks about its devices now the same way they did when they released the surface rt and went on to loose north of 900 million on unsold devices and a huge surplus of unsold tablets. the unsold devices that companies couldn't move generated a very different kind of headline than the sold out headlines. with the release of surface 2 and subsequent surface iterations, we don't see msft making the same mistake. i have to believe that that has factored their marketing and will continue to be a factor when msft determines how to market future devices.

i don't think msft selling a lot of a particular product is a deterrent for oems. granted, if you have a product as dominant as Word, that can be deterrent but there's a lot of room between that and a product that very successful. so i don't get the idea that msft is only trying to showcase components or what can be done with these components so oems can take it from there. why settle for that when you can have your own very successful product both in terms of execution and lots of units sold and still work w/ oems? seems like a false choice to me.

anyway, i'm sold. bought two band, would have bought four if they had two more in stock.

 

[Joe920]

I just hope they use this to gauge interest for the holidays and to iron out any problems before that time. And as I wrote elsewhere, I hope they announce a range of colors too, because a black piece of technology doesn't make for the best present for everyone.

 

[11B1P]

I However eBay is full of people selling theirs at hefty markups. I hate the internet.

Exactly. It's starting to look more and more like people saw an opportunity to make some quick cash, vs actually wanting the product for what it does. Now those of us that actually want it for it's intended purpose, has to wait for the next batch.

 

[Yonic Boom]

I wish we had some idea when a next wave of these would hit. Everyone I've talked to at the store has pretty much shrugged at me.

 

[pseudoware]

I called and was told the Corte Madera store had a "limited supply" in S and M. I asked for more specific #s but was told none are available. And I guess calls don't go to the actual store, which is BS.

I drove out there to find out they only had size L in stock.

Typical, lame customer disservice.

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