Commentary
Droid No iPhone in Opening Weekend
- by Mark Walsh @markfwal, November 11, 2009
Verizon Wireless' much-publicized ad campaign for the Droid is premised on pointing out things you can do with the Motorola smartphone that you can't with an iPhone, like use a physical keyboard or a 5-megapixel camera.
But the Droid hasn't matched the Apple device in sales at launch. The Droid sold an estimated 100,000 units in the first two days following its Nov. 6 release-a solid start for the much-anticipated phone. But nowhere near the 1 million both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S sold in their opening weekends, according to a post on TheAppleBlog.
A more fitting comparison, it notes, might be with the original iPhone, since it was also offered on a single wireless network in the U.S. and not offered in multiple countries like the upgraded iPhone versions that would follow. It also didn't have the benefit of thousands of apps in the App Store, which wouldn't launch until the 3G model came out.
Even so, the 100,000 Droids fell short of the 270,000 original iPhones that sold at launch. TheAppleBlog concludes the Droid is more of a Palm "Pre-killer" than an iPhone-killer since the Pre sold about 50,000 units in its launch weekend. Is the comparison of initial handset sales unfair, instead of waiting to see how the Droid sells over time?
How the phone's sales hold up in the coming months will be more important than how it moved out of the gate. But Verizon did heavily promote the Droid before launch and invited direct comparison with the iPhone, and continues to do so as the Droid campaign unfolds. So early sales provide a first glimpse of consumer demand. The results were good, but nothing likely to send tremors through Apple headquarters.
Mark Walsh can be reached at walsh@mediapost.com
Can you compare Droid sales to the original iPhone sales? Sure. However, you should also take into account that the original price of the iPhone was not subsidized by AT&T. Therefore, the iPhone more than DOUBLED the Droid's opening weekend sales even while dealing with $599 (8GB) and $499 (4GB) price tags.
That's pretty amazing when you realize Verizon customers can own this "iPhone killer" for just $199.
Good point, Russell. Verizon did a good job of killing any desire for the phone with its horrible pre-launch advertising for the Droid.
You really can't figure this one out? Mac people are in a cult that defies all logic: they use a computer that costs three times as much as other units that do exactly the same thing, they scream like babies when 92% of the world is not "Mac compatible" and they see themselves as some sort of vangards of all things creative and artistic. Of course they all rushed out and bought an iPhone when it first came out - now the reality of having to live with a network that sucks is just sinking in. Doesn't matter - they are iMoonies without the ability to think for themselves. When my current phone is up for renewal I'll get a Droid, like most people who live in a somewhat logical world. I don't stand outside of stores to get the latest toy on Christmas day anymore.