Windows Phone 7 sells 40,000 on first day in the U.S.

By Jeffrey Van Camp November 11, 2010

Windows Phone 7

Well, at least Microsoft has improved on the Kin launch. According to TheStreet, Microsoft sold 40,000 Windows Phone 7 devices on Monday, its first day of release. While paltry in comparison to established platforms like the iPhone (270,000 activations a day) and Android (200,000 activations a day), it isn’t a terrible start. Remember, the iPhone and Android may get 200,000-300,000 activations a day, but those are worldwide. This was a U.S.-only launch for Phone 7. 40,000 units, if accurate, isn’t impressive, but it isn’t bad either.

“It’s early in the game,” said Roger Entner, Nielsen telecom analyst. “Not every product surges right out of the starting blocks. The first Android phone was not a big seller at T-Mobile. We’ll see what happens with Black Friday sales. They’ll probably cut prices like everyone else does. It’s the nature of the beast.”

Early reports point toward strong sales of the T-Mobile HD7 on launch day. European sales have been brisk as well.

Industry strategist Michael Cote noted that launching the phones on Monday may not have been a smart decision. Friday and Saturday are better launch days, he says. Then there are the number of devices. Microsoft launched Phone 7 with nine devices, but the number of offerings may have confused customers. With no real standout among the pack, many consumers are forced to pick among the suspiciously similar slate of smartphones. All of them are $200 and many look alike to an average customer.

Microsoft certainly has a challenge ahead of it. While slick looking, Windows Phone 7 has been criticized for lacking core business features and basic functions like copy and paste. Hopefully word-of-mouth will build through the holidays.

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Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Mobile

Windows 7 mobile unveiled; first phones announced

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AT&T Inc. displayed three of its Windows 7 devices including the Samsung Focus, the LG Quantum, and the HTC Surround, which are priced at $199.99 with a two-year service contract. They will be on sale starting the week of Nov. 8.
T-Mobile USA, which will launch its phones after AT&T, is scheduled to show off its own Windows Phone 7 device later Monday. T-Mobile plans to launch its Windows HD7 device in mid-November.
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The include the HTC 7 Surround, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC 7 Pro and HTC HD7.
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Computing

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The Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ in laptop form, on a desk.

With so many great deals on Memorial Day, it's the perfect time to pick up a Microsoft Surface Pro laptop. Not only is it great for general business and school use for productivity, but it's also powerful enough that folks have used it for editing work like music production. As such, it's no surprise that we've put it on both our best tablet deals and best laptop deals lists for its versatility and powerful specifications under the hood. Even slightly older versions, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+, are still relatively powerful, and you can get quite a good deal on them since they're not newly released.

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Audio / Video

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Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones hanging on wall hook in front of a mirror.

Headphones have become an integral part of our lives. That's especially the case as we rely on things like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to block out the massive amounts of noise that we deal with on a daily basis, especially if you live in a bustling, metropolitan city. Luckily, even though headphones tend to be quite expensive, there are a lot of great Memorial Day sales going on where you can pick up great headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM5, for a relatively cheap price.

In fact, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is probably the best headphones you can get on the market. Not only do they have some of the best, if not the best ANC out there, but the audio fidelity is also amazing; it's as close as you'll get to a hi-fi set for consumers that doesn't run into the hundreds if not thousands. If you want to grab a pair, Amazon has a great deal on them that discounts them down to $348 rather than the usual $400 they go for. While that may not feel significant, it's a 13% discount and $52 you'll save yourself to buy something else during the Memorial Day sales.