Did Droid Save Motorola's Phone Division?

[johnatthebar]

I'd thought about this a lot lately. I used to do work for Motorola back when radios were more than something that you had in your car and cellphones were a luxury. I like Motorola, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, but I digress. It seemed like they couldn't do anything right with their phone division, not since the RAZR, and that was a good while ago. Did the Droid save them? Did Google save them? They just hit the #1 slot on Information Weeks Top 10 Smartphone Advances Of 2009.

It would be nice to regularly have more choices in hardware than just RIM and HTC for high end devices. Sorry Palm, I just don't see you there yet, but I miss powering my Palm Pilot Pro with AAA's for months. (Actually, they did make the list above.)

Thoughts?

 

[terpitude71]

it certainly made them relevant again. i remember back when nextel was in its heyday that moto phones were the rage, and everyone and their mother had a razr, but they sure havent done anything lately. the design choice was the biggest win here. sleek and atractive, but still has enough weight to make you feel like youre holding something substantial, which i love

 

[droidweasel]

Ya boy. Droid is best phone I've had and I've had 17 different. Ones.

 

[johnatthebar]

It seems for a while they were always coming out with 'the big one.' Each time it was a device that was of no substance but had a pretty (sometimes) design and a relatively needless touchscreen.

I played with a Cliq the other day, definitely nice to have the larger screen and metal housing but it wasn't too shabby.

 

[imiller913]

I don't know if it saved it, but a shot in the arm? yes

 

[Roy Aguilera]

Best Motorola I ever owned.

 

[cmorty72#AC]

Best Motorola I ever owned.

+1
10char

 

[ericatomars06]

I think this was going to be a last chance hit or miss... I've seen other motorola phones.. they were terrible. They were slow, did their own thing, headache after headache for everyone i've known to own a motorola. When I first heard about the Droid I was iffy about it because I thought oh no its a motorola, its gonna be a headache. Then after playing with it. It really changed my mind...

 

[graymulligan]

I think moto really nailed it with the droid, which puts them on the radar again. Now, if the next phone stinks, they're back to being a mess. If they can build on the success they're seeing now, then they're saved.

 

[Donkey Hodie]

These things go in cycles and the cycle time is relatively short. There was a time when Nokia ruled the world but now they're nowhere, especially in North America. If they come out with something as innovative as the iPhone or the Droid they'll be back again, at least for a while.

If Motorola can build on the success of the Droid they'll do well, at least until the next "hot" new phone/feature.

 

[johnatthebar]

So Nokia is pretty much gone (right now).
HTC is flourishing.
Apple, well, we know.
Sony Ericson RIP
Motorola might be ok suddenly.
Samsung doing okay.
RIM holding their own.
Palm better impress soon.

So what do I realize from this list? A solid OS is where its at. I think Nokia realized way too late that Symbian was dead in the water. Palm is playing catch up. It's really a crucial paradigm shift from the past.

 

[graymulligan]

So Nokia is pretty much gone (right now).
HTC is flourishing.
Apple, well, we know.
Sony Ericson RIP
Motorola might be ok suddenly.
Samsung doing okay.
RIM holding their own.
Palm better impress soon.

So what do I realize from this list? A solid OS is where its at. I think Nokia realized way too late that Symbian was dead in the water. Palm is playing catch up. It's really a crucial paradigm shift from the past.

Keep in mind Symbian still accounts for more than 60% of worldwide cell phone OS used. Not dead in the water per se, but in need of an update to keep those customers on Nokia equipment.

 

[nick125]

I would say that the cards are in Motorola's hands. If they play them right, they might survive. If they go back to releasing a bunch of junk phones (hello RAZR/KRZR/RAZR2/ROKR/<other four character named phones>), I don't see them surviving much longer, especially in this competitive market.

I also think that Motorola will need to rebuild the trust and reputation in the mobile phone industry. When I first heard of a Motorola Android device, I was envisioning a RAZR running a shotty version of Android. I think it will take them a while to break that stigma. Just my opinion.

 

[berx]

I wanted an android phone and my option was btwn htc and moto, I immediately chose motor Cuz I have trust in moto products...even though they mad corny phones, in the end they still operated well

 

[TaeKwonDonkey]

This phone definitely saved Motorola, if they had put out another crap phone, this would have been the end. Its funny to think that a few years ago, everyone you knew had a razr and now no one can be caught with one. This really makes me wonder what happened to all that profit Motorola got off the razr?

 

[herki]

They spent it developing more RAZR spinnoffs that never made back what they put into them I guess.

 

[johnatthebar]

Overall I would think that their profit margin has the possibility of being slightly higher just based on the ammount of technology they hold patents on and produce for other phoen makers (you will find at least one batwing logo in every comp and most phones, no doubt).

I think they were carried for a long time by being really good at making a solid basic phone, but that became a lower profit margin segment of the market.

As far as Symbian representing 60%, I must wonder how many of those devices are quite old. I do however realize that they are least popular in N America right now, perhaps they are the iPhone of Chad.

 

[disasterinc]

I wouldn't call it a saviour, but it can mark a major turning point if they continue to produce solid products.

 

[Kaus]

I have never liked motorola phones till the droid Razor was super popular but I could never figure out why. Bout the only phone I liked by them was the startac.