The Droid X. It was heralded as Motorola’s opportunity to gain market share in an ultra-competitive smartphone market where leading devices are sold out.
The only problem is, it’s also sold out — at least in many parts of the country and online. The shortages break a Verizon promise to have plenty of Droid Xes in stock. Verizon has issued a statement about the shortage, along with an update on when consumers can get their hands on the latest Motorola device:
“This has been a very good day one for Droid X sales. Customers were in line at midnight in some markets, in other places there were lines when the stores opened, and in other stores there has been a steady stream of customers. We have been successful at keeping up with early demand, but at present inventory in some parts of the country is either low or out. (It truly varies around the country.) Since we have weekly shipments planned, customers can still order phones and can expect them to be shipped on or before July 23.”
A Race for Supply
The Droid X sells for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year contract. Some believed the availability could be incentive enough for Android fans to pick up what has been hyped as a best-in-class Android device. And apparently it was, though there are no official reports on how many Droid Xes sold on the first day.
Despite the Droid X shortage, it does appear that Verizon will have the Motorola device in stock before Apple fulfills its iPhone 4 back orders, before Sprint Nextel fills its HTC EVO 4G back orders, and before Verizon gets more HTC Droid Incredibles back on store shelves. The HTC EVO 4G is sold out indefinitely.
Despite Verizon’s promises, Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current…