Lumia 900 sales still 'outpacing supply' says Nokia US President

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

According to Nokia's U.S. president Chris Weber, sales of the Lumia 900, which recently launched in the states, has been outpacing supply. We've covered how the LTE Windows Phone has been out of stock more-so than anything else, which is having an effect on other markets looking to stock the device.

It would appear as though the sellout on AT&T is indeed due to demand and not simply a case of not stocking anywhere near enough units for launch, with little demand / interest present.

"Demand has been outstripping supply for the first couple of weeks, and we've been working hard to rectify that. The demand for cyan [phones] is significantly outpacing supply. When you give people something different from a design perspective—colors, etc. —it really stands out, and consumers want that."

As well as discussing AT&T and how the Lumia 900 is selling, Weber also touched on actual AT&T retail store support for the Windows Phone.

"Generally, we’re seeing very good support. It’s a work in progress."

It would appear as though Verizon is on Nokia's goal list for the future with the understanding that having the CDMA carrier on-board as well as AT&T would certainly boost growth for both the manufacturer and Windows Phone. Unfortunately, no details were revealed surrounding Windows Phone 8 "Apollo" upgrades for Lumia smartphone owners.

"Both Nokia and Microsoft understand the importance for consumers to keep their devices fresh and updated. Without any announcements being made, we're working to make sure people have fresh and updated experiences on any device they may have."

Microsoft has come a long way since Windows Mobile and the NoDo rollout following MIX'11. Nokia has a lot riding on the Lumia family of Windows Phones to rebuild the strong brand the company had many years ago when bricks were still being held to our ears. Will we see "Apollo" on our current devices? We can't possibly say, but we wouldn't rule the possibility out.

Source: PCMag; thanks everyone who tipped us!

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

35 Comments
  • Good job Nokia!
  • It's easy to sell out the latest batch of 20 phones. Whereas iPhones sell out 300 phones a day per store.
  • You must understand that Windows Phone's are very low in people's priority list in the USA, so it's going to take a while. Compare that to 20 to 30 phones selling Lumia wise, compared to the 1 to 10 they probably sold per week for other Windows Phones before the Lumia 900 range came out. 
    It's an extremely good start for Nokia, though they have a long way to go. 
  • It's useless to compare sales of iPhone to Lumia. IPhone will outsell every other phone, there is no way getting around that. But Nokia achieved what other WP OEMs couldn't, they invested into the platform and because of that they are getting Lumia into alot more hands than other WP oems.
  • That's not true, Android is by far the market leader.
  • True, but no single Android even comes close to selling as much as the most recent iPhone.
  • Bottom line: the Lumia 900 is selling. Not only is it selling, but it's smashing expectations of not only the carrier but Nokia as well. It's all about building momentum and trust for carriers to invest in Windows Phone. Nokia is doing a superb job and their support will grow in favour of HTC, Samsung, LG, etc. (for Windows Phone) At the end of the day, we'd rather have this headline than "Lumia 900 selling below expectations, stock still sat on shelves".
  • Keep in mind that Nokia comes from a
  • Absolutely! Atta boy Nokia!  Now, just make one with a keyboard by April 2013 and we can be friends.
  • WTF is an iSheep doing at WPCentral? Just trolling.
  • I think what I like best is seeing them lead the charge in getting Windows Phones in the public eye. Yea, I know they went all in, but it's really cool to see someone fighting for the platform. I'm a huge fan of the underdog with a fighting chance. Unlike RIM that is...
  • I am encouraged, when I show my lumua 900 to other smartphone users they ask what is that phone of yours, different style is working
  • When I bought my lumia last week I couldn't find the cyan at any of the locations in my area I think they underestimated how well they would sell.
  • Talked to a Nokia rep at AT&T store and he said cyan is their best seller. Demand for cyan is higher than for black or white. This is what happens when you make an eye-popping color, something unique and different. People are getting tired of black and white devices.
  • I was going to buy the White Lumia 900 but ive recently changed my mind and am going to buy the Cyan. White is too common. I want to stand out
  • The reason why I skipped the Lumia 900 for a Focus S was because of the camera and the price. You can't beat $150 for a brand new, never used Samsung Focus S. Thank you, Craigslist. I will wait until October to see if Nokia releases a better WP7/8 phone. Wouldn't mind a Windows phone with the Nokia N950 design :D
  • How is Lumia 900 on AT&T comparing to one of the Androids in recent weeks?  iPhone smashes every competitor, but how do Lumia sales compare to Android handets individually?  Is the gap insanly significant?
  • No one's released any numbers yet so nobody knows.  I can tell you on bestbuy.com there are plenty of iPhones, Android phones, Blackberrys, and even feature phones that are outselling Lumia 900.  The HTC Titan is currently the best-selling WP on bestbuy.com.  I don't know how relevant that is to the market as a whole, however.
  • I swapped my cyan for a white now im sad I want my cyan back
  • Anyone in Boston I'll trade my white for your cyan please hit me up :'(
  • Amazon has cyan in stock....
  • Strong sales are good, they keep this up and AT&T profits continue on the up it may actual place some pressure on Apple. I think the carriers got a little carried away and if they can find significant alternate sales avenues outside of Apple they will welcome it. They have Android doing ok if they get WP playing ball as well and who knows.
  • Good, keep it up
  • Well, that's great except for all the $100 credits adding up to another $100-200 million in losses for a company that already lost $1.7 Billion (with a B).  Giving away their phones for market share will only work for so long and for everyone that says Microsoft is in this for the long haul (like XBox - which by the way is only making money after 20 Million in sales).  They are really only selling on 1 Carrier (ATT) which already gets 80% of its sales from iPhone (and don't think you're getting many iPhone convertees).  I would love to see it succeed BUT until they have competitive products on all 4 carriers (don't tell me the Trophy on Verizon) and now with the recent speculation (not denied by Microsoft or Nokia or anyone else) that they are going to abandon WP7 users with the upgrade to Apollo WP8 it's hard to see much brand loyalty going on here.  And for those of you that were crowing about Mango updates, you will now have Tango (256 Meg), Mango (512 Meg) with only maintenance updates, and WP8 (finally some higher end devices - and I'm not talking about cores - I'm talking about CDMA LTE, hi-res displays, more memory (16 GB doesn't hack it - don't tell me I should manage my storage better - if it's non-expandable then let me have more to start - if not, let me buy a card to add to it), decent cameras (maybe it's software because I hear the 900 isn't that great compared to the competition - iPhone 4s and HTC One X/S).  I really thought I would own a WP7 but a one year old phone with 2 year old hardware on Verizon doesn't hack it.  Call me a troll but this looks like the same "we're in it for the long haul" as Zune and they're taking down Nokia with them.
  • Ok...troll. SMDH there's ALWAYS someone who "thinks" they know more than everyone including the experts. We all grew up with a kid like this...claims to know all but really knows very little. The Xbox numbers illustrates that. As of 04/2012 over 67mil Xbox 360 have been sold...triple the number u quoted. Are u referring to that first Gen Xbox? If u are now u are being intentionally dishonest by using an irrelevant sales # from a product no longer in production. As I said earlier and as you requested...troll. no point in discussing the other figures in your post.
  • Paul Thurrott talked about Microsoft and WP in latest episode of Windows Weekly, and he spoke to sombody, really off topic to test the Xbox determination on WP, if Microsoftstands 100% behind WP and the issue if people dont start buying it. And it sounds like Microsoft might just pull a Zune in the end. He was just speculating, but never the less diss-heartning. :'(
  • What does "Xbox determination on WP" means ?
    Anyways, It's kinda pathetic some people, who actually doesn't seem to have a WP, choses a success article to troll, it's like those old ladies who favourite sport is being depressing. You must me a real laugh in parties, nice people to hang out with, lol.
  • I don't think you're a troll, I just think you shouldn't be on board, and tbh it's weird to come here to speculate on doom and gloom stuff, like Nokia going down, wp8 this and that, but hey... people get kicks out of weird stuff, I don't go to droid blogs saying they're an anarchic bunch who pirate their software and live on ads, or IOS blogs call them 2 day beard hipsters. But that's me...
  • Every once in a while, the Google butthole poops out a new trollin' turd. This time around it's called Trivor. 
  • "Generally, we’re seeing very good support. It’s a work in progress."
     
    HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa.... [pause]... hahahahahaha.
     
    I guess that is the required level of diplomatic, but in other words... "It sucks".
     
    With friends like AT&T, Nokia doesn't need enemies.  You can just see the daggers in the glances between them.  Now pardon me while I go look up my copy of Sartre's 'No Exit'.
  • I've been with ATT forever, never a problem, I'm not sure what the hate is with them, never got it.
  • In ATT stores, the employees try to dissuade you from getting Lumias. 
  • This is it! Its happening!
  • This is great news for Windows Phone.  We needed something to get the momentum going and Nokia found a way to do it.  Job well done.  
  • I think the Lumia is going to provide the momentum WP needs to take off in the US. It's awesome and the people who know what it is like it. It just needs mindshare critical mass, and the Lumia looks like it might be getting there. It's not about the raw numbers now, it's about achieving that critical mass, at which point WP will really take off.