Call me a skeptic with these "sellouts" and "overwhelming demand"

[inteller]

I really want to think Nokia and HTC is really selling everything they are making, but I have the feeling it is not the case, and instead supply is being segmented into weeks or quarters and they are only blowing through the meager supply that they had allocated for launch. When the 900 came out there were some minor supply issues, but at the end of the day people guesstimate it sold maybe 600k units. Also, at the retail level shortages seem to be hit and miss. In Microsoft-land like Redmond they are in short supply, but everywhere else they are in ample supply (maybe not in color choice though).

Then I think you have f-ups like HTC who just simply lack the supply chain skills. They botched the One X launch and it looks like they are botching the 8X launch, with ATT having empty displays up and everything.

 

[cp2_4eva]

Yeah, this sellout biz is making me scratch my head a bit too. I know for a fact the HTC 8x isn't in high demand. Every store I called (like 10 of them) say they had them in and are out of stock already. They don't know the deal because they don't care. My wife bought an 8x yesterday out of the 4 they had. lol. 2 display models and One 16 gb and one 8 gb one. Most other stores only have a display model. The 920 stock flew too, but was replenished with a day or two, but in very small numbers. Like five in white, five in black, and 5 in red....and that's it. Seems like something is amiss!

 

[Squatting Hen]

I went to Best Buy the other day to look at a Kindle Paperwhite and the 920. They had a card out for the 920 but no phone. I asked the ATT guy there about it and he said they did get any in. By the way...I like the Kindle Paperwhite.

I decided to go to ATT. They had a black and white one on display. I was the only one looking at them and the rep there said he only had the 820 in stock, as they already sold the 3 920's they had on hand. Also, I would normally get black or gray, but I actually liked the white a lot.

 

[inteller]

i guess my other fear is, you don't want to create any friction between a possible sale. With so many viable incumbant choices out there you want to get these into as many people's hands as possible. I think the 'Wii effect' worked once and people won't be fooled again. There is only one phone I know lemmings people will wait for if it is out of stock. The rest is people who will go with whatever else is available and good enough.

 

[derek533]

i guess my other fear is, you don't want to create any friction between a possible sale. With so many viable incumbant choices out there you want to get these into as many people's hands as possible. I think the 'Wii effect' worked once and people won't be fooled again. There is only one phone I know lemmings people will wait for if it is out of stock. The rest is people who will go with whatever else is available and good enough.

Which is my exact concern when the Droid DNA comes out at $200 next week.

 

[mlm1950]

Skeptic

 

[independentvolume]

Well this pathetic launch cost at&t my business. Had it been available I would have a cyan 920 in my hand. Instead, they gave me time to mull over the thought of leaving verizon and paying an etf. This morning I hit cancel on the order. I guess the glitches in wp8 itself didn't help either.

 

[inteller]

Which is my exact concern when the Droid DNA comes out at $200 next week.

from HTC no less. And if it has better availability through the channel than the 8X does, MS and HTC need to have a little pow wow over where their priorities are.

 

[independentvolume]

from HTC no less. And if it has better availability through the channel than the 8X does, MS and HTC need to have a little pow wow over where their priorities are.

I'm sure HTC was expecting huge sales of a phone running an OS with 2.4% marketshare. I have a feeling the OEMs are gun shy because the OS isn't polished yet. Lots of glitches in wp8.

 

[brmiller1976]

Skepticism is healthy. We'll know the numbers soon enough. I expect they'll be pretty decent, though WP isn't going to be roaring to 10% market share by December (absent some sort of miracle).

 

[dkp23]

In my area in CA, 920s are sold out within 30 miles from here. I did ask one store as i was changing my plan how many they received and they said 55 day one and sold out that day. He laughed and said he was surprised most of the people that came in for the 920 wanted a yellow one first and ended up settlings for another since they didnt have any.

As for the 8x, i didnt see any on display in store, they had a display stand with no demo phone. 8x i would assume are not in demand at all.

 

[brmiller1976]

8Xs are sold out at all the T-Mobile stores today. My dream of getting one for my 8X-920 comparo are fading fast...

 

[sketchy9]

I just searched on AT&T for the black 920 in West Los Angeles and went through six pages of results before I saw a store that wasn't out of stock. Either each store only got 2 devices or this thing is moving. Really glad I got mine when the store opened on Friday morning.

-R

 

[supafoo]

I tried 5 different AT&T stores in the Santa Monica, CA area and they're sold out. Pretty much any AT&T in LA is sold out of 920 (in fact, if you find a place that has it let us know lol)

Each store said they had any where from 10-20. That's very little considering it's Los Angeles. My impression would be that they would still be sold out even if they carried around 30-40 but I doubt it if they carried over 50.

The Microsoft store has them (also blue!), you can buy them straight up for $450. I'm not sure if you get the wireless charger though with a contract though.

AT&T predicted lumia 900 numbers (rightly so due to competition from iphone 5, s3, note2) and tossed in a wireless charger to help sales. They misread the demand and sold out their first and second batch.

Let me tell you, a lot of people are very surprised how well this phone is selling (Ask any of the reps at AT&T lol). We're not, because we know of this phone's existance and it's reviews/specs.

 

[aubreyq]

Although it's true that the price cannot be beat for what you get, the total sales can't be THAT huge. Nokia needs to ramp up production especially if they ramp up the marketing.

 

[dkp23]

I tried 5 different AT&T stores in the Santa Monica, CA area and they're sold out. Pretty much any AT&T in LA is sold out of 920 (in fact, if you find a place that has it let us know lol)

Each store said they had any where from 10-20. That's very little considering it's Los Angeles. My impression would be that they would still be sold out even if they carried around 30-40 but I doubt it if they carried over 50.

The Microsoft store has them (also blue!), you can buy them straight up for $450. I'm not sure if you get the wireless charger though with a contract though.

AT&T predicted lumia 900 numbers (rightly so due to competition from iphone 5, s3, note2) and tossed in a wireless charger to help sales. They misread the demand and sold out their first and second batch.

Let me tell you, a lot of people are very surprised how well this phone is selling (Ask any of the reps at AT&T lol). We're not, because we know of this phone's existance and it's reviews/specs.

Even the two microsoft stores near me sold out of the 920s as of today, hopefully the platform gains some traction.

 

[socialcarpet]

I went to Best Buy the other day to look at a Kindle Paperwhite and the 920. They had a card out for the 920 but no phone. I asked the ATT guy there about it and he said they did get any in. By the way...I like the Kindle Paperwhite.

I decided to go to ATT. They had a black and white one on display. I was the only one looking at them and the rep there said he only had the 820 in stock, as they already sold the 3 920's they had on hand. Also, I would normally get black or gray, but I actually liked the white a lot.

Wait... off topic here, but Best Buy has paperwhites in stock???

 

[inteller]

I just searched on AT&T for the black 920 in West Los Angeles and went through six pages of results before I saw a store that wasn't out of stock. Either each store only got 2 devices or this thing is moving. Really glad I got mine when the store opened on Friday morning.

-R

Yeah that's my other fear.....2-4 in stock, sell those and then it is "OMFG WE ARE OUT OF STOCk, backorder 2 WEEKS omgerghgarbleble!!!"

I just wish I knew, on average, how many SGIIIs or iOS devices are stocked at launch per store and how it compares to 920s.

 

[anon(2255)]

My uncle is technologically, an idiot. He knows what he knows, and doesn't give a **** about phones or even computers. On a flight with him this past weekend, he mentioned that it's time to ditch his blackberry, and the phone he wants is coming out soon. "The Nokia 9...something. Ever hear of it?" I had to convince him it was already released (thought it was coming in December), and honestly I was shocked he even knew what it was, but I got him to demo it in store and he really likes it. Now we just need to find him a Cyan one so he can switch off Verizon.

SOMEHOW, Microsoft has gotten word out that this is a good phone, and it's gone right past the phone geeks into the general public. Not sure how, but it just might be working.

 

[brmiller1976]

I just wish I knew, on average, how many SGIIIs or iOS devices are stocked at launch per store and how it compares to 920s.

Not very many. In general, for a Galaxy or iPhone launch, if you didn't preorder, you're going to be waiting several weeks to get a device.