3GSM: Motorola Competitors Rapidly Catch Up
Motorola has seen the resurgence of their handset business, riding mostly on the back of the very popular RAZR model. The thin phone accounts for up to 30% of Moto’s sales, and has won design accolades of the most sincere kind: immitation from competitors. BenQ-Siemens, Nokia 6131, SonyEricsson K610, and Samsung have all produced similar thin flip phone designs. Meanwhile, according to eweek, “Motorola did not announce new products (at 3GSM) as the firm has decided it will no longer announce new models until it starts shipping them. The inventor of the RAZR is concerned that Asian competitors copy its models before they hit the shelves.” What?? That’s a little too arrogant from a phone vendor that could easily be called a “one trick pony”. Motorola has had two phone design successes in its history: the StarTac in the mid 90s, and the RAZR more recently. It’s weird to accuse Asian vendors of stealing your good designs when they come out once a decade. Funny observation: in December 2004, I blogged on a hot new phone that I thought would be successful. Seems like a long time ago, but the phone was the RAZR, out for Christmas 2004. Ed Zander later said that 2005 was the year of the RAZR…um and so would be 2006. That’s 2004, 2005, and 2006? C’mon Moto, INNVTE and show us the next RAZR and by that I don’t mean the same old RAZR in BLK instead of silver.
