T-Mobile has already announced that it will launch the Android phone on 23rd September and it is believed that the phone will ship in late October. Predictions about the new handset are flying all-round. According to the latest research notes from Strategy Analytics, Google Android based phone will capture 4 percent market share of all smartphones sold in US for fourth quarter for 2008.
The firm says that T-Mobile will sell around 400,000 handsets, out of the 10.5 million smartphones forecasted to be sold in last quarter of 2008. Chris Ambrosio, executive director of Strategy Analytics says “Google has the brand power in the USA to make a big impact at launch.” He further added that, to reach that number, the phone has to be subsidized below $200 price point, as it will be entering a very competitive smartphone market.
The two things in favor of the Android handset are, first the holiday season and second the phone will be unique in T-mobile smartphone lineup, as it will be the only touchscreen smartphone on T-Mobile. The problems that the new handset will face are T-Mobile’s smaller user base, Verizon will launch touchscreen BlackBerry Storm around the same time and face the current smartphone behemoth- the iPhone. Fourth quarter of 2008 will be interesting as three major competitors are coming to the touchscreen smartphone market to challenge the iPhone.