Meanwhile Microsoft can’t get its marketing act in gear on Windows Phone
By Stephen Pate – Apple is hitting all the right buttons with its roll-out of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. We know the hot button features, the price, when and where to pre-order and the delivery date.
Microsoft spent $7 billion to buy Nokia. They released at least 4 new phones in the past 90 day. The latest Lumia 830 was announced on September 4th, 2014 with vague pricing and no confirmed carriers. 6 days later, you can’t find the Lumia 830 even at the Microsoft’s store.
Microsoft’s marketing is abysmally bad compared to Apple who execute perfectly. Microsoft deserves the 3.6% market share they have. Apple should see a bump in their 42% market share when the iPhone 6 ships this month.
iPhone 6 launch
The question in my mind is will Apple sell 12 million or 15 million iPhone 6’s when they are available on September 19th, 2014.
Forbes predicts 120 million new iPhone 6 sets will be sold in 6 months. Forbes’ low estimate is a 30% increase over last year. IBS covers analysts who predict 80 million phones sold in the first quarter.
Last year in September 2013, Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5c and 5s phones during the first weekend of release. (Financial Post) That is almost double the 5 million phones Apple sold in September 2012 on the release of the iPhone 5.
Apple fans have a tremendous brand loyalty and have waited for their favorite phone to come in a large screen. They now have a choice between the 4.7″ iPhone 6 and the 5.5″ iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple’s launch event yesterday hit all the right notes about speed, features and future-ware like NFC payments and the Apple Watch. It was a convincing show meant to build sales.
Apple is not letting any of the momentum go flat. Customers can start pre-orders this Friday September 12th from Apple directly or from their carriers like AT&T . Some carriers already have their websites ready to take orders and the rest will get their sites ready ASAP.
The cost of the iPhone 6 is clearly stated from $199 on contract to $949 contract free, depending on the model, size and carrier. Apple Be careful if you order an unlocked phone. Apple is warning that the phone may not support CDMA or LTE in your area. Ouch.
“You can activate and use iPhone on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice. The unlocked iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus will not work with CDMA-based carriers. An unlocked iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus may not support LTE networks in all other countries; contact service providers for details.”
At least 10 million people will have an iPhone 6 within 2 weeks. That is phenomenal marketing for Apple.
Microsoft’s Lumia launch
Microsoft released the Lumia 830 as their “affordable flagship” phone in Germany. Yahoo reported the release as Nokia Lumia 830 Is a Budget-Priced Rival to the iPhone
Microsoft Lumia 830
None of the press that cover Microsoft expected anything more than an announcement disconnected from delivery and pricing. That’s the off-handed way Microsoft is marketing their phones. Microsoft had no carrier commitments to announce, no pre-order capability and no firm delivery date.
5 days later AT&T said they would carry the Lumia 830 sometime before Christmas.
“LAS VEGAS, Sept. 9, 2014 – AT&T1 confirmed it will add the Nokia Lumia 830 to its leading portfolio of Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Further details on pricing and availability will be announced at a later date.”
If you are thinking of getting an “affordable” Windows phone you might have to sit on that thought for the next 3 months until Microsoft decides when to ship them. Or you could give up on Windows Phone and join the excitement in buying a new iPhone 6.
By the time the Lumia 830 ships, 90 days from now, everyone but a few Windows enthusiasts will have forgotten about it while 80 million iPhone 6 phones get happy owners.
This is not an isolated occurrence. Before Christmas 2013, Nokia released the Lumia 1520 which is a demonstrably better phone than the iPhone 6 Plus with a 20 MP camera, 6″ screen, quad-core and faster processor than the iPhone 6 Plus. The Lumia 1520 was not available in the US until spring and has never arrived in Canada.
After watching Microsoft fumble their Windows Phone marketing for 18 months I’ve come to the conclusion that Microsoft has no intention of shipping 50 million, 20 million or even 10 million phones. The Lumia Windows phone is nowhere to be seen in retail or online. Lumia phones seem to be made in small quantities and doled out slowly to retail as a proof of concept device.
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