AT&T Offering A Two For One Holiday Deal

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2010/11/23/windows-phone-deal-alert.aspx' target='_blank'>http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...deal-alert.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"AT&amp;T just sweetened the pot a bit for the holiday shopping season with the announcement of a buy one get one free deal for the HTC Surround, LG Quantum and Samsung Focus. To take advantage of this offer head down to your local AT&amp;T retail store, sign up for a two-year contract and you and a friend will have a couple of the coolest phones of the season."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//wpt/auto/1290645798.usr14226.png" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I've got mixed feelings about this - on the one hand this sounds like a great deal, but on the other hand, AT&amp;T is trying to clear stock already? Really? But if you're interested, dropping by an AT&amp;T store and have a look.</p>

[paschott]

I think it's a lot more likely that MS is trying to bump up its market share. If AT&T stores actually have enough devices in stock, this could be a big win for WP7 devices. Samsung has already announced that they're interested in making more WP7 devices. With MS trying really hard to build market share, I think this is a great move on their part. They can afford to subsidize the devices and AT&T gets more data plans.

With the problems keeping the phones in stock to start with, I don't think of this as a "stock-clearing" sale. The devices have been doing pretty well considering their relatively short supply everywhere. And now that the product placements and ads have kicked in a little more, I think that it's likely to take off. Besides, I've now lost track of the number of times I've seen this advertised on all sorts of websites.

Personally, I plan to head to the AT&T store on Friday to try to snag an extra one to upgrade my wife. It's worth the extra $15/month to get her on a phone w/ a data plan and a map app. While I can't get her on the unlimited plan, I think she'll likely be okay with the 200 MB/month, especially if I set up her wireless network around the house and give her some basic training on that front (and encourage her to go light on the data usage outside of the house - at least to start). I'm just hoping that there's still a Focus in stock. I think that's the best of the devices overall.

[Fritzly]

I think it's a lot more likely that MS is trying to bump up its market share. If AT&T stores actually have enough devices in stock, this could be a big win for WP7 devices. Samsung has already announced that they're interested in making more WP7 devices. With MS trying really hard to build market share, I think this is a great move on their part. They can afford to subsidize the devices and AT&T gets more data plans.



T-Mobile is running the same promotion: I just received an email about two HD7 for $199.
Besides I am curious about this "shortage": I bought a HD7 in Miami and the store had plenty of them, I returned it after a week..... and the store still had plenty of them.
I bought a Focus and received it in two days.

Well sooner or later and I bett sooner sales numbers will be revealed.

[efjay]

Its not as though this is the first BOGO for a phone, why does it have to be a stock clearance when it comes to WP7?

[Fritzly]

Its not as though this is the first BOGO for a phone, why does it have to be a stock clearance when it comes to WP7?

Considering that the phone was launched a short while ago, adding to this the silence about sales numbers the doubt and the related questions are legitimate; and the same would be for any other brand, I do not see a World conspiracy to undermine MS. Sure the iPhone never had a BOGO event........

[randalllewis]

A couple of really simple things explain this sale. There is nothing complicated about it and it certainly doesn't reflect any diminished interest in Windows Phone. It is freakin' amazing how quickly some folks leap to the worst.

First, it is between that time of year when retailers go all out to draw people into their stores with deals. Second, the economy still pretty much sucks and retailers are amping up their usual promotions and deals more than ever before in hopes of an improvement over the lackluster Christmas season of 2009. That pretty much explains what is going on. Through in the ads that Microsoft is running for WP, and the carriers can leverage that publicity to get customers in to their stores.