Forbes Article> Motorola's 3 Reasons Not to Buy The Moto X

KaChow

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Here's the complete article... Copy and Paste version below... By Evan Spence...

As the impact of the Moto X smartphone announcement continues to be analysed, I’m trying to understand some of the statements coming out of Motorola regarding the Moto X – and specifically the marketing of the device to the first wave of potential customers.

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It looks like Motorola’s biggest enemy is going to be themselves. How else can you explain how Motorola has made three simple mistakes in the public messages regarding the Moto X handset.

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1. It’s Going To Be Cheaper If You Wait

Yes, that’s right, if you like the look of the Moto X but don’t want to pay the same price as the 16 GB Samsung Galaxy S4, don’t go for the extra $50 or so on the subsided US network price, there will be a cheaper model coming along in the Moto X family in the near future.

By all means make sure that the markets which aren’t picking up the first wave are sated with news, but there are ways of phrasing this point while keeping the prospects of high sales for the first device. As it stands the Moto X is the first, and more will be along soon at better price points.

I suspect the market will wait to see the $50 and $100 variants on their favorite network before buying.

2. The Power Users Will Have To Wait For A Google Play Version

IMPORTANT: There will be a version of the Moto X that will run an unsullied version of Android – as opposed to one with carrier branding, apps, and billing events, built in. That’s the handset the power-users will want to get, and it’s the power-users who can easily build up a word of mouth campaign.

The Google Play version will be available at some point in the future, for an unspecified price. And I think enough people will wait and see on the handset to depress the sales needle.

3. It’s Only Available In One Country

For a handset that’s had a global market waiting on its arrival from the start of the year, the news that the Moto X is only going to be available in America, with other territories such as the UK denied the chance to join in with the handset. Expect devices with similar branding and in the same product family to pick up the slack.

While that doesn’t directly affect sales in the US, the discrepancy between the PR message that was allowed to be built up before, during, and after the launch, is not a promising sign. So much of the success of a mobile device comes from the messages coming out of the online global coverage, to restrict the handset to one major territory and announce nothing of substance for other territories feels like a mis-step.

Take the three elements above, throw in a rather average set of specifications, and you have to wonder who exactly is going to be rushing to the store to pick up a Moto X. When you are arguing that there is more to come, people will rightly wait around to see what this more is. The only hiccup in this thinking is the ad spend Google have committed to the Moto X, with reports of up to $500 million appearing on the web. That would dwarf Samsung’s push on the Galaxy range, and could ensure the Moto X sells enough to be called a success on the first wave of sales.

It’s going to be a fun ride finding out.
 

bweN diorD

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i hope it sinks faster than the titanic, i think they deserve it.
bionic round 2 anyone?
 
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