AT&T?s Q1 2012 roadmap: Nokia Lumia 900 to launch March 18th for $99.99

[GazooAz]

Wish it was coming to T-Mobile. Guess I will have to settle for the 710

 

[jdevenberg]

Shoot... I was planning on hanging on an iPhone 4 I got off craigslist till Apollo devices came out. I'm really hoping for higher screen resolution. $99 is tempting but 480x800 on a screen that large is a tough pill to swallow once you are used to 300+ DPI screens...

 

[Winterfang]

The Nokia Apollo device, should be fantastic. But it's hard to resist the Lumia 900. (Worst if you hold of getting the 800 because of that )

 

[Umm Yeah]

The HTC Titan II launches on the same day for $199. So maybe that will help to alleviate your concerns.

Actually, there are articles now saying that the low price in the 900 will kill demand in the HTC Titan II. See it here -http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/01/25/the-htc-titan-ii-is-dead-on-arrival/ I just don't want the WP devices to be pigeonholed as the down market alternative. Why would anyone pay twice as much for a phone that offers little more than a larger screen and a higher mp camera.

 

[baseballbert]

March 18 is actually the day I get my art upgrade. Hmmmm, interesting....

Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7, the official WP of WeeBears everywhere, using Board Express

 

[Winterfang]

Actually, there are articles now saying that the low price in the 900 will kill demand in the HTC Titan II. See it here -http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/01/25/the-htc-titan-ii-is-dead-on-arrival/ I just don't want the WP devices to be pigeonholed as the down market alternative. Why would anyone pay twice as much for a phone that offers little more than a larger screen and a higher mp camera.

Mmm I don't know man, the Titan II is better specd than the Lumia in every way.

 

[Duvi]

Mmm I don't know man, the Titan II is better specd than the Lumia in every way.

Looks for me goes to the 900. And color, with cyan.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

 

[Winterfang]

Oh absolutly. I want to buy this game for the look, not for the specs. I can just imagine myself using it and the ladies being all " Oh Winter your phone is so cool, but it looks so lonely, here have my number" And I'll be all like, wait aren't you Shakira? Sweet!.

 

[Umm Yeah]

Mmm I don't know man, the Titan II is better specd than the Lumia in every way.

"Best Phone at CES: Nokia's Lumia 900 With Windows Phone 7" PC World

"Best phone of CES 2012: Nokia Lumia 900" ZDNet

"Nokia Lumia 900 wins awards at CES 2012" WPCentral
Includes:

• CNet's "Best of CES" smartphone
• Popular Mechanics editor's choice award for CES
• Popular Science "Product of the Future"
• LAPTOP magazine's "Best of CES" finalists

This is not going to appear to be a low end phone by anyone's imagination. Pricing it low makes it appear to be low end and comparing the Titan II, which I agree is well priced at $199, will kill high end price point for WP devices in the market and hurt the brand. It will make it less of an object to be coveted and more of something you buy because you can't afford that iPhone.

Again, I'm not saying I want to pay more than I have to for a phone like this but I also want the WP ecosystem to survive. We need to have WP devices at the low, middle, and high ends of the market, with clear differences between each tier.

The rigid requirements that MS has in place for WP, while good for numerous reasons, also limit much differentiating between models outside of size (at the cost of pixel density and the screen size increases), storage (currently it seems to max out at 16GB unfortunately), and camera. This doesn't allow for much differentiation between the tiers.

For whatever reason, I compare it to cars again. Back in the 1960's and earlier, GM had clear differentiations between their car lines. You started with Chevys and as your situation improved, you would move up to a Buick or Pontiac or Oldsmobile and possibly someday, a Cadillac. Alfred Sloan, the long time president and CEO of GM, called this building "a car for every purse and purpose."

In the 1980's, that all changed. There was a scandal when it was revealed that Oldsmobile engines were appearing in Chevys. Over time, the differentiation between the tiers became less and less. Oldsmobile is gone. Pontiac is gone. Even Saturn came and went. While GM is still around, although after a large government bailout, it's not the same company it was.

While this analogy is far from perfect, I do think MS needs to allow for more differentiation to make a WP device for "every purse and purpose" as well. Hopefully, Apollo will allow that. We'll have to see.

 

[pezman726]

Samsung Focus Flash -> $50 on contract on ATT when released..can easily be had now for $0.99

My contract with ATT is up on the day AFTER the 900 is supposed to launch. How long do you think it will be before there is a sale of the 900 for $50! That's my price point, and I really want this phone. I'm figuring sometime within the first month or two that it is out there will be a weekend sale, pretty much the same as every other windows phone that has launched has had!

 

[Umm Yeah]

Samsung Focus Flash -> $50 on contract on ATT when released..can easily be had now for $0.99

My contract with ATT is up on the day AFTER the 900 is supposed to launch. How long do you think it will be before there is a sale of the 900 for $50! That's my price point, and I really want this phone. I'm figuring sometime within the first month or two that it is out there will be a weekend sale, pretty much the same as every other windows phone that has launched has had!

Good for you, bad for WP.

 

[Winterfang]

But even the latest well specd Android devices gets insane deals on the first weeks and crazy discounts in a couple of months. I don't think people will see this as more expensive = better. The iphone didn't start selling up until it was priced contemptibly.

 

[Joelist]

Couple things:

1) The Lumia 900 is a high end phone. Build quality has always been a Nokia trademark and their Zeiss cameras have always been the best in the phone camera business. The price is another way to catch eyes and - yes- buy market share. And Windows Phone needs that market share bought so that it has critical mass.

2) The Hyundai example is off base. Not only are they regularly topping the charts on quality and service but their sales across all their lines are gangbusters.

 

[Drivingrain]

It looks like Im the only one who is more concerned about tidbit in the link about the possibility of the launch date sliding beyond March 18th; when will the 3/18 be confirmed?

 

[cckgz4]

Thank god for the ffc

sent from the MyTouch 4G

 

[DanSmithKY]

Off topic, but since I read this, I've decided to never buy a Hyundai product:
Divest Terror website lists companies that are investing in countries that sponsor terror

 

[kenosando#AC]

March 18 is my birthday, and I have been eligible for upgrade since December!

The pricing is interesting because what happens if the 800 is picked up by a carrier? Does that get priced at $99 as well, or $49 with the Lumia 710, or split the difference at $75? 800 will be available in Canada on TELUS, so I guess we'll see what price it gets. Would be crazy if that is the same price as the 900, or higher.

 

[Reflexx]

Actually, there are articles now saying that the low price in the 900 will kill demand in the HTC Titan II. See it here -http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/01/25/the-htc-titan-ii-is-dead-on-arrival/ I just don't want the WP devices to be pigeonholed as the down market alternative. Why would anyone pay twice as much for a phone that offers little more than a larger screen and a higher mp camera.

It's a legitimate concern if you're HTC. They're going to need to do some big marketing to position it as a super premium device. Their challenge is that Nokia is going to be doing the same type of marketing with the 900.

But I don't think this will hurt WP in the long run. I think that even if it drives prices lower, people will still see WP as a premium OS.

It will be different from Apple. With Apple, you see the device and the OS as one unit. With WP and Android, the OS stands on its own. And you then attempt to buy a particular device that you judge as budget, regular, or premium.

The disadvantage that Android has is that even though consumers only know it as Android, they can be confused when they look at different handsets and see completely different software experiences. With WP, they'll look at different handsets and decide if they want the big screen, higher megapixel camera, exclusive apps, etc...

 

[Reflexx]

March 18 is my birthday, and I have been eligible for upgrade since December!

The pricing is interesting because what happens if the 800 is picked up by a carrier? Does that get priced at $99 as well, or $49 with the Lumia 710, or split the difference at $75? 800 will be available in Canada on TELUS, so I guess we'll see what price it gets. Would be crazy if that is the same price as the 900, or higher.

I imagine that if the 800 does get picked up, the 710 price will drop to free with contract. Then the 800 will take its place at $49.

 

[theefman]

Good for you, bad for WP.

Here's a thought, if Nokia prices the 900 at $99 imagine what they will have planned for a 199 price point. And I think rather than being though of as low end, the quality of the OS and the hardware will make it seem a huge bargain. Positive reactions, good for WP.