The US launch of phones for the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 platform was somewhat lacklustre, with just 40,000 handsets sold on Monday.
This was in spite of, according to TheStreet, Microsoft spending about $100m on Windows Phone 7’s advertising campaign.
While US Microsoft reps did not comment on the matter, a T-Mobile spokesperson told TheStreet they were “already receiving strong interest from our customers right out of the gate.”
Microsoft introduced nine handsets for the US market on its unveiling, with four models going on sale on Monday – the Samsung Focus, the HTC Surround, the HTC HD7 and the LG Quantum.
There were numerous reasons as to why the first sales did not do too well. Cote Collaborative’s industry strategist Michael Cote saw the vast quantity of Windows Phone 7 handsets unveiled as a factor.
“In the phone world, our surveys show that there should be a choice between A or B,” said Cote.
He also said the fact that Windows Phone 7 is still lacking in many key features could also have contributed to low sales.
“It’s absolutely inexcusable that in the fourth quarter of 2010 you don’t have something as basic as cut and paste,” he said.
Nielsen telecom analyst Roger Entner is reluctant to write off the platform yet.
“It’s early in the game. Not every product surges right out of the starting blocks. The first Android phone was not a big seller at T-Mobile,” said Entner.
Entner pointed out that a real test for the platform would be closer to the Christmas season.
