An analyst polled 20 Verizon Wireless retail stores over the weekend to check on the supply of the Motorola Droid X-it was sold out everywhere. Verizon declined to say how many devices it moved, noting only that new shipments are expected this week.
Motorola's Droid X has sold out across the country,
according to anecdotal evidence collected by a financial analyst about the
latest Android 2.1-based smartphone. On July 15, Verizon began
selling the Droid X-which features a 4.3-inch screen, 720p
video capture and HDMI output for displaying video on big screens-in its
outlets and at Best Buy. The price? $199 with a $100 mail-in rebate.
A Verizon spokeswoman declined to tell eWEEK how many Droid X devices have
been sold. However, Gleacher & Co. analyst Mark McKechnie polled 20 Verizon
Wireless retail stores over the weekend to check Droid X supply and demand and
found that the device had been snapped up everywhere.
"We were surprised to hear that almost all of the VZ outlets we called
were sold out by Friday or Saturday, with some not finding product within 500
miles," McKechnie said in a research note issued July 19. Stores told him
they had sold anywhere from 40 to 100 units of the device, the battery life of
which eWEE
Kfound to be quite good compared with HTC's
Evo 4G.Here is a sample of stores and units sold, according to McKechnie's survey:
- Boston: Sold out of 60 by
Saturday.
- Philadelphia: First store
sold out by 2 p.m. Thursday, but did not know how many sold. Second store
sold out 39 on Thursday.
- St Louis, Mo.: Sold all 30-40
units on Thursday.
- Tampa Bay, Fla.: Sold out.
Had 40 on Thursday; gone by 10:30 a.m.
- Charleston, S.C.: Sold out of
40 within 2 hours on Thursday.
- Columbus, Ohio: Had 20 on
Thursday, received 40 more; sold all.
- Anaheim, Calif.: Sold out of
the initial 70.
- Seattle: Sold out of initial
60-70.
- Sacramento: Sold out of
initial 65-70.
- Los Angeles: Sold out of initial
75.
- San Francisco: Sold out of
its stock of 40-60.
- Phoenix: Sold out of initial
stock of 50 and got a restock of 10 on Saturday.
- Dallas: Sold out of initial
20-30.
- Austin: Had around 75 to
start, with another 25 restocked on Saturday. Sold out all.
Moreover, Verizon Wireless salespeople said many customers who were waiting
for the HTC Droid Incredible, shipments are
delayed until August 9, opted for the Droid X. Still, disappointment weighs
heavy on thousands of consumers who didn't order a Motorola Droid X in time,
compounded by unclear tales of when the next shipment will go out. Verizon Wireless
said on July 16 that, while the device has sold out at Verizon and
Best Buy retail stores across the country, new shipments are slated for July
23. While half the Verizon agents polled confirmed they would have the device
within a week, some Verizon agents told McKechnie customers would get their
hands on a device by July 28 only if they pre-ordered it over the weekend. However, he said few of the outlets he contacted knew when product would be
in stock, "but all suggested we purchase online for home delivery by July
27 or July 28 if we ordered today."Based on the Verizon store polls about the Droid X, McKechnie concluded: "We are encouraged by positive early feedback, strong initial demand,
and general acceptance of Motorola's Droid X. Our first weekend checks-along with
expectations for a Droid 2 follow-on for the holidays-increase our confidence
that Motorola can meet or exceed its 12 million to 14 million unit target for
Androids in [complete year 2010] with break-even performance by Q4."He estimates Motorola will sell 2.5 million Android phones in the current
second quarter, adding that Android is "gaining significant momentum." This certainly echoed what Google officials
said on the company's second-quarter earnings call last week:
More than 160,000 Android devices are shipping daily.
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