It seems as if Microsoft only managed to offload 40,000 over-hyped Windows Phone 7 devices on launch day – despite spending a whopping $100 million on the doomed platform’s advertising campaign.
In sharp contrast, Google sells an average of 200,000 Android smartphones per day, while Apple ships 270,000 iPhones on a daily basis.
Unsurprisingly, embarrassed Microsoft reps declined to comment, leaving a hapless T-Mobile spokesperson to tell The Street that WP7 phones were “already receiving strong interest from our customers right out of the gate.”
However, Michael Cote, an industry strategist with the Cote Collaborative, told The Street that Microsoft was to blame – on many levels – for lackluster sales.
“[Firstly], it’s [absolutely] inexcusable that in the fourth quarter of 2010 you don’t have something as basic as cut and paste,” he said.
He added that Microsoft likely “confused” consumers by offering nine different smartphone models.
“[You know], in the phone world, our surveys show that there should [simply] be a choice between A or B.
“For example, [you] offer one phone with a keyboard and another with no keyboard. [That’s it].”
