Motorola Shipped a Measly 1 Million Tablets in 2011
Motorola Shipped a Measly 1 Million Tablets in 2011
Posted 01/27/2012 at 9:06am
| by Paul Lilly
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Big things might be in store for Motorola Mobility if Google's acquisition is able to proceed unabated, but for the fourth quarter of 2011, the mobile device maker posted a net loss of $80 million, albeit that figure is largely the result of write-off costs related to the proposed takeover. Still, it's a complete reversal of fortunes compared to the fourth quarter of 2010 when Motorola Mobility posted an $80 million profit.
Net revenue totaled $3.4 billion in Q4 2011, falling flat compared to one year prior, and $13.1 billion for the full year, up 14 percent compared to 2010. Motorola's mobile device sales didn't exactly light up the charts. The company shipped 5.3 million smartphones in Q4 2011 and 18.7 million for the full year, and just 200,000 tablets during the quarter and 1 million throughout 2011.
Things could change in a hurry. Motorola said it "received very positive consumer response" to its Razr device, and the Google acquisition is expected to close in early 2012, which would give the company an obvious shot in the arm.
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OCFRED
January 29, 2012 at 1:21pm
Tablets are only a couple years old, toddling around with food all over their bibs and faces with a loaded stinky diaper warming up your lap. Once all the gimmicky features like 3-D Cameras and boom box surround sound (al la Zoom2) battery life will increase just enough to make the form factor more useful. Instead of a larger phone strip it down to 7-9 inch screen and a headphone jack with USB to add on a 4G dongle if desired (and at additional subsidized cost via carrier instead of incompatible built in hardware). Flash storage and simpler multi-threading uses little power, best of all removable SD storage makes it simpler to retain data in case of theft, damage or brick inducing meltdown. Much of the experience and battery life have to do with connecting to "cloud" based storage and apps so look for more docking options as another value added yet not included accessory which could command a justified margin over the mere device. Though units have yet to replace cherished $.25-$1.00 out of print paperbacks the potential to integrate education modules and texts can make it much easier to study on a bus or under a shade tree if the inclination strikes. Big "G" is already smoothing the blurs between it's services for more efficent uses of users time and energy and bet by August the polishing of the luster will be briiliant enough to dazzle consumers and competitors alike.
TripsToWin
January 27, 2012 at 3:03pm
Good. When they initially announced pricing I was hoping it would burn them. The tablet itself is fine, but at its launch price it seemed like a gouge.
Here's to hoping they suffer more failure under their current pricing model.
Supall
January 27, 2012 at 9:22am
Not surprised. Motorola's approach hasn't resonated with customers. Nothing has made them a premium manufacturer in anyone's eyes. So to think that pushing out $500-$600 tablets was going to make waves is wishful thinking on their part. Android was meant to offer a cheaper and better alternative to the iPhone. Instead, after the original Droid release, Motorola squandered its momentum, earning the ire of enthusiasts who turn right around and tell their friends and family not to buy these products.
I must admit that the Droid Razr definitely looks great, but it certainly wasn't flying off the shelves. My prediction is that Motorola is going to continue to suffer a bit. Its tablet sales will decline as the Asus Transformer Prime and its little brother Memo 370T will take away much of the willing customers. In terms of phones, Samsung will most likely gain more favor, although HTC is doing well as well. LG phones are certainly shaking things up a bit, and Nokia will be releasing their Win7/8 phones. I just don't see how Motorola can continue to compete without any real changes.
Zoandar
January 27, 2012 at 9:21am
I see it's one of those LOSSes like the auto industry has. They actually made millions in profit, bit did not hit their expected sales figure, so it was a "loss". Poor bastards.
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