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Original post: It's been a whole week since Microsoft forced its rejected Kin handsets under the guillotine, but the company still hasn't uttered a word about just how poorly the phones sold. Early rumblings suggested that Redmond shipped a measly 500 units, and an anonymous source cited by John Gruber today lends credence to that figure.
"A well-placed little birdie" told Gruber over the weekend that Microsoft sold a grand total of 503 Kins before throwing in the towel. Putting that into perspective, one unnamed Microsoft worker said the phone's sales revenue probably couldn't even cover the launch party held on campus. "As an employee, I am embarrassed. As a shareholder, I am pissed," the person said.
As much as we'd love to buy into the drama, it's hard to believe the company only shipped 500 phones – especially considering the project's advertising effort. Other estimates suggest Microsoft has sold between 1,000 and 10,000 units, and while still depressingly low, that's more conceivable.
Verizon is continuing to sell the Kin One and Kin Two at a discount. You can own a small piece of Microsoft's history for as low as $30 (with a two-year contract, naturally). If you're not willing to part with cash, you can show your support by visiting the Kin's online memorial.
User Comments: 6
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Facebook app on Kin registers on Facebook page, suggesting much more Kin devices out there.
[link]
Maybe still not a lot, but I don't think its just 503!
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Sadly Microsoft handheld devices have not been very popular and so... they don't make costumers want to buy new ones.
@Guest: I'm pretty sure this numbers are from new models.
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Wagan8r said:
Kibaruk said:Sadly Microsoft handheld devices have not been very popular and so... they don't make costumers want to buy new ones.
@Guest: I'm pretty sure this numbers are from new models.
Did you even read the link? Only KIN devices can use the app, and there are no "new models" besides the two released KIN phones.
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My bad, realized after posting... got a mix on handhelds... sorry ><
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If microsoft has 90,000 employees maybe the 8,306 people on Kin were employers or were given as gifts from the Employees to people, other companies, fairs, and maybe even hand-outs for the general public which would make the 503 sold kins were accurate.
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I seriously doubt that only 500 units were sold as that seems extremely unlikely. However the 1k to 10k range is still embarrassing and the way they attempted to target the younger/teen demo with this phone was a poor decision imo.
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