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View Full Version : Disappointing Results for Motorola iTunes Phone


Jerry Raia
10-24-2005, 11:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news.php?newsId=1831' target='_blank'>http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news.php?newsId=1831</a><br /><br /></div><i>"According to Bloomberg, a provider of market data, news and analytics, Motorola's iTunes music phone, developed with Apple and unveiled last month may not be performing as expected. As many as six times more customers are returning the Rokr phones than is normal for new handsets, according to American Technology Research analyst Albert Lin, who said he talked to distributors, retailers and call center workers at Cingular Wireless LLC, which sells the phone in America. Motorola Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander said he is disappointed with the phone's marketing and plans to fix it."</i><br /><br />Fix it just like you fixed the MPx220 Ed? Just moments after I posted the iPod/Smartphone post I found this article. A bit off topic for this site, but I think it illustrates the point that the the marriage of the Smartphone and the "iPod" is not a forgone conclusion. That and the fact I have to gloat a bit because I predicted this phone would fall on its face. :mrgreen:

Mike Temporale
10-25-2005, 01:42 AM
Disappointed with it's marketing? Does he think that's the only reason people aren't interested in this device? Wow, maybe I should look for a job at Moto. It lookds like they could really use someone with a clue.

Jerry Raia
10-25-2005, 02:35 AM
As long as they can repackage the StarTac over and over they are safe from the world they think. I'm sure they are trying to figure out how to get the ROKR into the RAZR. :lol:

raulr
10-25-2005, 04:11 AM
Rokr into a Razr doesn't necessarily fix all the problems. A big issue is Apple cripling the software to only allow 100 songs so they don't eat into their iPod market, which I believe accounts for more than 60% of their profits. Don't forget, Moto just licenses the mobile iTunes app. Surely Apple would rather you buy a nano.

Jerry Raia
10-25-2005, 04:25 AM
My point is Moto has been trying to ride the StarTac wave for the last ten years. The RAZR is just a dressed up StarTac. The ROKR is another old phone with a crippled iTunes package glued on. Nothing new or ground breaking from Motorola. The new Motorola motto should be, "If you can't innovate, duplicate!"

raulr
10-25-2005, 05:16 AM
They're going with what sells. Right now, the broad market (not mass market which implies low-end) is responding to style rather than substance. Nothing proves that more than the success of the Razr. They guessed wrong with the Apple partnership in my opinion, because it is not in Apples best interest for this type of product to sell big and Apple is going to try to protect it's products.

I'm sure Apple is working on their own branded phone, because this market will surely grow at a quicker pace than standalong MP3 players if not dominate the entire space for portable music. Only then will you see a compelling combinations of the iPod and a phone. If their just liscensing the iTunes software, you can be sure they'll do what they can from a software point of view to undermine it's success. But I digress.

Moto has even more products that are coming out which focus on style rather than substance and no doubt they will be successful (SLVR, PEBL). The V3 RAZR 2 should be packing a little substance along with the style though, even if does include the cripled iTunes.

Jerry Raia
10-25-2005, 05:28 AM
That is all true but this is about Smartphones, an area in which they have been stupid. Every time they try to crawl out of their StarTac box they get squashed. I know the ROKR is not a Smartphone but it is an example of trying something new. So far they have failed.

Stinger
10-25-2005, 11:02 AM
I don't know what it's like in North America, but in the UK the main issue with the ROKR isn't the marketing.

The problem is that it's coming up against other music phones that are simply better. Take for example the Sony Ericsson W800i. The W800i has a 2MP camera with auto-focus, comes with a 512MB memory stick and a very nice pair of headphones, looks way nicer than the ROKR, is smaller than the ROKR and has a fast, simple and attractive UI. In comparison, the ROKR looks like yesterday's technology.

The whole project looks rushed to market.

Kris Kumar
10-25-2005, 12:27 PM
The whole project looks rushed to market.

Ever since Ed got on board at Motorola, they have been rushing thru a lot of projects. Ed is trying to bring Moto back to life. In the process he is getting some hits and lots of misses.

mpaquette
10-25-2005, 01:19 PM
Motorola Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander said he is disappointed with the phone's marketing and plans to fix it."

Oh please, disappointed in the phone's marketing? In my area, the only thing Cingular markets are Motorola phone and mostly it's the Rokr. I just don't understand who would want one of these things. Come on, it's a silver e398 with i-Tunes and it only holds 100 songs. Big deal. I could do more with my old e398 last year.

Mike Temporale
10-25-2005, 02:26 PM
Motorola Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander said he is disappointed with the phone's marketing and plans to fix it."

Oh please, disappointed in the phone's marketing? In my area, the only thing Cingular markets are Motorola phone and mostly it's the Rokr. I just don't understand who would want one of these things. Come on, it's a silver e398 with i-Tunes and it only holds 100 songs. Big deal. I could do more with my old e398 last year.

Exactly. The ROKR is the most advertised phone I have seen in a while, so I'm fairly confident that it isn't a marketing problem. I had high hopes for Ed, but statements like this aren't helping anything.