Will the Droid be VZW's flagship model for years to come?

cereal killer

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I was having a conversation offline with Soba tonite and he asked me a VERY interesting question.

He asked me what I thought was going to happen to the Droid once all these other Android based devices were released on VZW's network and I say it was interesting because I have been thinking lately this very same thing. I found myself thinking why did VZW spend so much money marketing THIS particular device if they didn't have some long term plans for it? This is the most money they have EVER spent on a marketing campaign for a single device. Why?

I have come to the conclusion and this is only pure speculation but it makes sense to me.

With that said I think the Droid is the "birth" of VZW's version of the "iPhone" Now let me explain what I mean by that.

The iPhone is obviously AT&T's flagship device. It keeps evolving and it has a solid reputation. When you hear the words iPhone you know the brand. When a new model is released the current customers usually move over to it and it still brings in new customers because it has that reputation. It has a high retention rate and brings new people in not only because of it's reputation but also because of the constant marketing machine behind it.

Thats where I think VZW's is attempting to go with the Droid. Other Android based phones will obviously be released but the Droid will be the device that keeps evolving through the years. When the new one is released in a year or 2 they will market the hell out of it again and it will already have it's customer base in place and it will have earned it's reputation as a solid and reliable device. So naturally it will have a high retention rate, heck I'd get it again, but also it will bring in new customers because of the marketing machine that has been feeding it yet AGAIN (just like the iPhone)

Droid will become a brand just as the iPhone has become a brand.

I am not saying it's going to be the next iPhone for the masses I'm saying it will be VZW's flagship model for the years to come that will give VZW a device to hang their hat on.

Again this is just pure speculation but it sort of makes sense because of the huge amount of money they threw at it. They admitted they were taking a HUGE gamble and when you take a HUGE gamble it's usually not a one time thing. There is usually long term plans attached to it.

I'm interested to hear what other people have to say. Am I way off base here? or do you think there is a very real possibility that we are seeing the birth of a brand?
 

palawan

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From what I understand, Verizon is still having talks about bringing the iphone over. So you will have both adroid base phones and iphones on Verizon's network.
 

New2u

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I think it's going to come down so many GREAT devices on the network there will be a "flagship" but in the same sense not really.
 

Getaphixx

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So AT&T is to Apple

Verizon is to Google

Micro$oft is to...... Sprint...??? let us not forget Sprint has more Fiber laid in this country of ours than the others.. and 4g is No Joke!!!!!!!!
 

nite 0wl

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I don't usually like prognosticating, especially when it comes to the possibility of gigantic corporations doing something that I would actually like but, your reasoning certainly seems good.

Let's hope they do keep the Droid around for a while.
 

Spanky

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Agreed, Cereal.

I drove to O'hare airport and back yesterday. I saw at least 5 Droid ads. (billboards, sides of buses, etc.) I then saw 2 different commercials during the Notre Dame/Pitt game when I got home. There hasn't been this much advertising for a VZW device that I can remember, even the BB Storm1.

The Droid is becoming a truly addictive device. I'm liking it more and more each day, especially now that I have it tricked out with apps and media. I'm sure there are several thousands of people that feel the same way.

Also let's not forget another group that has an interest in the success of this device......Motorola. The Droid could either rescue or sink that company.

Could it be a flagship device? You bet!
 

hazydave

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Micro$oft is to...... Sprint...???
Palm is to Sprint.

Microsoft is everywhere, and no one really cares that much about it. They pretty much assumed a PC-like software distribution model (software sold via hundreds of vendors, for high prices), while all of the current Smart Phone ecosystems (including Blackberry, Android, iPhone, Nokia, Palm) are based on online distribution, generally from one or maybe a very few central locations.

let us not forget Sprint has more Fiber laid in this country of ours than the others.. and 4g is No Joke!!!!!!!!

4G isn't a joke.. Sprint's may well be. Every other carrier in the USA and most of the world is using LTE for their 3G. Sprint is set on Wi-Max. They have the upper hand now (LTE is an evolution of the technologies present in Wi-Max, so it's inherently later), but as the #3 carrier in the USA, they seem to be dooming themselves to "red-headed step-child" status for the forseeable future.
 

soba1

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So AT&T is to Apple

Verizon is to Google

Micro$oft is to...... Sprint...??? let us not forget Sprint has more Fiber laid in this country of ours than the others.. and 4g is No Joke!!!!!!!!

Yep and Google is to Apple as that of a woman scorned...... :)
I think Apple tried to chump the wrong company.........
 

Getaphixx

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@Hazydave

What I see happening is the Desktop OS war coming to a phone near you.. I'm waiting for M$ to release a phone in much the same fashion as Apple and Google. Let us not forget they did jump right into the console war with Xbox bucking a 3rd party out trend..(Sega, 3DO)

I mean they are mini computers (Cell Phones).

But I digress...

I give Dr0id an 80% chance of remaining its flagship device for one year...
 

dajakal

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Considering that Android devices are rapidly evolving, and this is its first iteration on Verizon, the Droid might be the "it" phone now, but it will be the "old" phone soon enough.
 

jaysonstaurt

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From what I understand, Verizon is still having talks about bringing the iphone over. So you will have both adroid base phones and iphones on Verizon's network.

I've heard this as well. But I've also heard that Steve Jobs said he has no intention of having the IPhone on any different networks when the contract is up at the end of the year.

So I guess it's a wait and see deal.
 

bacalao

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There is a lot of attention on the Droid from verizon, and as Cereal was saying, there will be a whole lot of smartphones with/without android coming out on verizon. Just as at&t has a good smartphone line up even with the iphone, the Droid will stand out among the selection at verizon. At least until Droid II. I hope when I upgrade to next Droid it will have Global phone capability.
Right now it is selling like fresh bread! (I don't know if that has the same effect in english)
 

hazydave

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What I see happening is the Desktop OS war coming to a phone near you..
Sure... it's not the Desktop OS war, it's the Next Big Thing. I mean, the Desktop OS War ended some time ago... we've had Browser wars, MP3 player wars, etc. But the real fun is any Applications Platform war... and that's absolutely what's shaping up here.

I'm waiting for M$ to release a phone in much the same fashion as Apple and Google.
I'm not too sure... Apple and Google are clearly the leaders of the new technology (eg, they are grabbing share from RIM, Palm, and Microsoft), though they have entirely different skin in the game. Apple is following the same plan they have since the 70s.. sell hardware, use clever marketing and software in order to do that. Google is entirely different, and smart. Give away the OS to get users on your services, and you're actually doing the phone markers a favor. Rather than pay for Symbian or Windows, neither of which they got much control over, they have a free OS they can customize like crazy. This is why Motorola has 350 people working on Android related stuff.

Microsoft has had phones out for years... but they're just like the PC... someone else pays Microsoft for Windows on their phone, and hey, MS got the cash, what else do they care? Maybe a few apps you can buy at the local phone store? The never got the idea that a full-time networked phone/computer would get its apps online, from a centralized portal. RIM, Nokia, Apple, and Google have understood this, each in their own way, but fundamentally, they're doing it correctly.

Let us not forget they did jump right into the console war with Xbox bucking a 3rd party out trend..(Sega, 3DO)

Not so much... 3DO was over with before the X-Box made any noise. That was 3DO's fault, sad... I had a bunch of friends there. But the problem was the way they marketed it. They were trying to build a standardized gaming platform... any CE company could build that into their DVD player, make their own player, etc. Sounds like a cool idea: a standard for games, no more proprietary system. The problem is, all game console makers initially lost money on their consoles, sometimes huge dollars, in order to eventually get money back on the games. In the 3DO model, they got the gaming royalties. So where could the hardware companies make money? They couldn't... big problem. Same reason Toshiba made every HD-DVD player.. they were adopting the game console model, so they could sell HD-DVD players below cost, versus the Blu-Ray market having to make a profit (well, other than the PS3).

Sega was already in a death spiral... their designs were kind of horrible. Open up a Nintendo 64 (1996)... you had four major chips in the system. The Sega Saturn (1995) had more CPUs than that (three Hitachis, a 68000, a Yamaha DSP, etc).. the thing was the slower of the three (Nintendo, Sega, Sony), and yet the most expensive. So basically, Sega helped Microsoft find a niche there for the X-Box (2001) by eliminating themselves as serious competition for the next generation (Sony PS2, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube).

I mean they are mini computers (Cell Phones).
Nope... they're microcomputers. So are the ones on your desk. A mini-computer is something larger still.. the CPU is more than one chip. I like "pocket computer", and of course, there are a few other descriptive names. We still say "Phone", but that's like saying the PS3 is an internet terminal... one among it's many, many potential functions.

I give Dr0id an 80% chance of remaining its flagship device for one year...
I think "DROID" is the Verizon brand name for Android phones, and will be for the foreseeable future. I suspect there will eventually be many different phones dubbed "DROID", just as we have the "Eris" now from HTC (I wonder if they'll launch the Samsung "Discordia" next year.. that would be so cool... if you don't get that, you had a boring time in college, I'll wager).

If something really, really better gets to Verizon, maybe it's "DROID 2" or maybe some other "Droid Luxury-Yacht" or whatever. But they're spending a ton of cashish on the Droid name, they're going to be using that, unless it's an embarrassing failure. Which I can't imagine... this phone/computer/PDA/PMP/whatever rocks!
 

dezymond

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Google will take over the cellular industry with Android. The OS is amazing and 100x more expandable than iPhone's OS.
 
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