Microsoft Kin Gets a Price Cut…Already
By Ed Oswald | Monday, June 28, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Microsoft probably could have picked a better time to launch its Kin line of mobile phones, especially with the focus of the tech world right now being on the iPhone 4, flawed or not. It appears as if the company is already ready to price these things into consumers’ pockets.
The Kin One will drop from $49 to $29 with a two-year commitment from Verizon, while the Kin Two drops to $49 from $99. Each phone requires a $29 per month or higher data plan, so their cost of ownership from a service standpoint is about the same as the iPhone.
Verizon is playing it off as part of a set of price reductions across its entire lineup, however most times when you see a price drop this early into a product’s lifespan, it has something to do with poor sales or not meeting certain goals.
Even with a fairly robust marketing effort, Microsoft has seemingly failed to grab those of us out there who may not want an iPhone but are in the market for a smartphone overall. Ina Fried at Cnet has relayed a story of one Verizon Wireless store that claims sales are so bad that even older Palm Pre devices are outselling it. That’s not good.
I have played with the Kin One, and can say for the first time I am truly impressed with a Windows-powered mobile device. Yes, it does have some quirks such as issues with how the touch-enabled area operates, but these are not showstoppers.
Maybe the problem is that consumers are increasingly seeing Microsoft as losing its innovative touch, and thus paying attention more to its competitors. It’s a shame, I think: the Kin should be able to do well on it’s own merits.
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iPhone Games » RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:47 pm[…] in half to $100 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
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Funlimited » RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:49 pm[…] in half to $100 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
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RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry « My Tech Zero Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:54 pm[…] half to $ 100 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
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Smart Phone Top 10 » RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 4:51 pm[…] in half to $100 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
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RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry | MyTowner Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 5:21 pm[…] on launch to 0 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
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RIM’s Flickering Torch Should Signal Defeat For The “Consumer-Grade” Blackberry « Whella : All About Mobile Says:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:02 pm[…] launch to $100 with two year contract. The last phone that got a price cut so quickly was probably the KIN, and we all know how that turned […]
June 29th, 2010 at 12:10 am
My take: I think the Kin (which I'm much less impressed with than you are) is proof that it really doesn't make much sense to try and bake comprehensive social networking features into a phone OS–especially one which isn't a platform for third-party apps. What Microsoft built is incomplete and outdated, and it just isn't clear why you'd buy this phone instead of something that's more versatile and powerful. (Side note: The Studio online site is the one thing about the Kin that's really cool.)
It's as if Windows shipped with so-so clients for email and IM and there was no way to install other programs to do them…
I see similar evidence in the Droid X: It includes a new version of Motorola's MotoBlur social interface, but it's gone from dominating the phone to being a set of low-key widgets.
–Harry
June 28th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Harry – I also like the studio. I don't know, to me at least the UI was nice. It's a start. Microsoft actually thought outside of the box for once and we have to give them credit there. It can only get better from here.
June 29th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Thanks for the great coverage of the KIN! I just wanted to stop by and encourage everyone to join us on our Facebook page to keep up to date on the latest KIN news and event details. Feel free to send me any questions you might have about the KIN my way, I would be more than happy to help!
Thanks,
Todd
Kin Outreach Team
Todd_KinOutreach@hotmail.com http://www.facebook.com/KIN http://twitter.com/KIN
July 4th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
It's sad really, but indicative of Microsoft's philosophy. Some poor guy is actually paid to flog MS's dead horse.
even my nine year old son thinks it's lame…
"Thanks for the great coverage of the KIN! I just wanted to stop by and encourage everyone to join us on our Facebook page to keep up to date on the latest KIN news and event details. Feel free to send me any questions you might have about the KIN my way, I would be more than happy to help!
Thanks,
Todd"
Kin Outreach Team
January 28th, 2012 at 12:18 am
What a great article, I found this to be quite an enjoyable read.
Procera AVH