(keitai-l) Re: folding phones revisited

From: Michael Turner <leap_at_gol.com>
Date: 08/19/01
Message-ID: <001401c12868$822ecea0$474fd8cb@leap>
Gerhard Fasol wrote
> Somewhat surprisingly, in a recent sales ranking for the period
> July 30 - August 5, 2001, the Panasonic P503i (Quartz-Silver color,
> non-folding type, weight 74 grams)  came top in front of the NEC N210i
> in various colors, which is a clam-shell folding type.
>
> Surprisingly for me, the N503i is on No. 5 on that list (the ranking
> lists the phones separately by colors) - I thought it'll be higher.

Well, like it says in Nikkei Mobile.: "if only it were just a little
cheaper...."
The N503i is expensive even in Osaka.  (Finally reading that number
right, thanks.)  Whereas the P503i is listed in NM as 9000 yen in
Osaka.

A regional sales breakdown might reveal that the remaining
iAppli wanna- haves will impulse-buy 503 phones when they
drop through the 10,000 yen price point.  The P503i is ranked
as having a slightly nicer keyboarding feel than the other non-
folding 503 phones,  and this might also contribute to impulse
buying, since it's something customers can evaluate very quickly.

So why isn't the D503i also flying off the racks in equal or greater
numbers?  Maybe because of something else people can evaluate
quickly: the color.

Flaming Cherry Red might be too bold to be cute, for women,
and too much of a Just-IPOed-See-My-New-Porsche
statement for men.

I'm about to go to a folding phone just so that buttons won't
be inadvertently pushed when the phone's in my pocket.  Bigger
screen and keys will also help as I steadily go blind.  But I
might also go for the D503i just to have a relatively cheap
iAppli testbed.  And just kind of hide it otherwise so that
people don't get the wrong idea about me.  ("LEAP
Communications Consulting.  Pre-IPO.  Always Will Be.")

It might be true that red sells, but I think they went
overboard on the D503i.  Now, if it only folded.....

-michael turner
leap@gol.com



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Received on Sun Aug 19 07:38:11 2001