There has been a great deal of hype surrounding the launch of the Motorola Droid this past weekend. Billed as a threat to the iPhone, this smartphone was expected to draw crowds at Verizon stores around the country upon its release. Okay, no one who seriously pays attention to the cell phone industry honestly thought there would be lines like were seen with the introduction of the iPhone last summer. In fact, no one really knew what to expect..
Compared to the the million plus iPhone 3GS models that were sold the weekend of its release, a mere 100,000 Droids sold on its first weekend would not on the surface appear to be success, but it actually is quite an impressive beginning. All indications are that sales will continue to hold steady.
One factor that looks like will help is, ironically, the lawsuit that AT&T recently filed against Verizon and the marketing campaign they are using which highlights the poor 3G service AT&T customers are all too familiar with. The campaign itself has drawn attention, but the lawsuit is serving so far only to intensify that attention. Verizon's not worried, they have stayed on course with the tone of their marketing.
Whether iPhone users will cross the battle lines and embrace the Droid remains to be seen. It will be interesting to see how things unfold.
