It’s the day after the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 smartphones in the U.S. How are the new platform and devices doing?
If selling out one of the three smartphones is any indication, Phone 7 appears to be doing well. On Monday, the first three Windows Phone 7 devices went on sale in the U.S., at AT&T and T-Mobile stores — the Samsung Focus, the HTC Surround, and the HTC HD7. The HD7 is reportedly already sold out at T-Mobile.
‘In an Embryonic State’
But the reception appears to be uneven. Some observers have noted the lack of in-store promotion for Phone 7 devices at AT&T and T-Mobile stores, with valuable promotion space dedicated instead to Apple’s iPhone at AT&T and Android devices at T-Mobile.
The HTC HD7 offers a 4.3-inch, 800×480 touchscreen, internal storage up to 8GB, 720p HD video, and a five-megapixel camera. The Surround features a slide-out speaker for sharing music, internal storage up to 16GB, and 720p HD video. The Focus offers a four-inch display, a five-megapixel camera with panorama and other enhanced photo options, internal storage up to 8GB, and 720p HD video. Both the HD7 and the Surround have a kickstand for hands-free viewing.
The LG Quantum and Dell Venue Pro are expected to be released in the U.S. in the next few weeks, and Phone 7 handsets have been on sale in New Zealand, Europe and the Asian Pacific since last month.
Ramon Llamas, an analyst with IDC, said the Windows Phone 7 rollout is still “in an embryonic state,” and expectations of the reaction have been distorted by the phenomenal launch of Apple’s iPhone. “Microsoft simply doesn’t have that kind of brand appeal,” he said.
‘Three Units in Stock’?
Llamas also noted that the advertising campaign so far has been oriented to “bad behavior” by people who are using…