Rumour: Microsoft only sold 500 KIN phones?

June 18, 2010 | By Surur

Only 500 KIN phones sold?

As vicious rumours go, you don’t get any meaner than this.

BusinessInsider claims to have heard a rumour that the Microsoft KIN phones only sold around 500 devices:

Microsoft has only sold 500 "Kin" phones. Sounds silly, even for the DOA Kin.

At 500 devices the rumour does not have much credibility, but what is certainly true is that Microsoft has not touted any sales numbers, and the device has been poorly received by reviewers, not just for its limitations, but for the high total cost of ownership.

If there is any lesson Microsoft can learn from this, is that they do not have the skill to sell the “Less is more” mantra, something I hope they take to heart when it comes to Windows Phone 7.

Do our readers think there is any truth in this rumour? Let us know below.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged kin, microsoft

bruno

lol…you joking right? no way this number is true no matter how low were the sales. Fail post.
majg

that's a pretty ridiculous number. I bet you can get more than 500 Kin owners to fess up on the facebook page alone (nevermind twitter et al)

facebook.com/KIN
Abdel

Its impossible!

da9th_one

don't you mean it's Kinpossible…???

http://twitter.com/mbcls @mbcls

it' possible that they only sell 500!
this kin garbage got no calender, no calculator, no gps navigator!
the kin is not targeted at teens, it targeted at little kid at age 8 or under!

http://intensedebate.com/people/djguapo djguapo

Like your spelling and grammar?

http://intensedebate.com/people/MrSteve007 MrSteve007

I've got one.

http://intensedebate.com/people/djguapo djguapo

Me too. I actually got the One first and later traded it for the Two.

brian

why?? when you could get an android device right around the same price.
it doesnt even have instant messenger and touts social networking….

http://intensedebate.com/people/chinch chinch

cause the low cost android devices are dreadful and people don't instant message on phones in the usa (they text/sms).
http://intensedebate.com/people/djguapo djguapo

No thanks, I hate Google to death.

http://intensedebate.com/people/chinch chinch

it's amazing WMP would post such an absurd article with no citations. did the cretans from bsmobiles take over the site again?
Kalif

We know that KIN has failed.

There's no doubt.

Best Buy, Amazon and Verizon have all put KIN into the discount bin and clearance sales. Something is very wrong, and Microsoft is trying to brush the dead KIN under the carpet and hope that nobody notices the disposal of KIN's corpse.
http://www.Appatic.com Avatar X

I got from a solid source that they managed to sell at least 5000 kin phones in the first month. The 500 must be for the number sold in the first day of availability. So no way that is the number of kin sold up to now.

Surur

To tell the truth, changing 500 to 5000 will not change the story much.

http://www.Appatic.com Avatar X

Well, the blame is on Verizon. their pricing scheme was just suicidal for the KIN.

It would have done a lot better if they had launched it at the price the device it is now in Best Buy (that also don't requires the mail-in rebate) even with their crazy plan prices.

vangrieg

Of course the blame is not on Verizon. When Microsoft designed such a traffic guzzler (think about it, you have an 8MP camera and all photos are automatically uploaded), what did they think it would cost in terms of data plans? This phone will use much more data than an average smartphone, so you can't expect it priced cheaply.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=746307628 Ricardo Dawkins

I LOLed at this post. Very good job, MSFT.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

500k maybe?

Surur

I would call that number a quiet success

Anonymous w. email

The concept is just terrible. I don't WANT to be instantaneously connected at all times to every person I do and don't know. Its one thing to browse once in a while to see the status of someone you know or chat with someone online, but this is borderline insanity. (just as insane as Twitter, tho) The ads are the most obnoxious thing to ever grace film.

I'm from this apparently lucrative Generation Y. The Social Networking Generation. The one that has to tell my friends I ate chinese food today, and took a nice bathroom break in my apartment a few minutes ago.

I don't think most people do this. No, I'm certain most people don't do this. But these companies think everyone WANTS to be instantaneously connected with nonsensical information instead of streaming news or something. And its stupid.

Have Facebook and Twitter as an app. That's all people really need. PLEASE don't create a device about the bloody thing. I speak for (most) of Gen Y about this. Just stop. Please.

Thank you. No one has heard me cry.

mmm

I am hanging with Nadia right now, freaking on some old break beats!

http://www.mecosplay.com cosplay

These days only HTC doesn't upgrade their phones. Where the fu_ck is Windows Mobile 6.5.3 for the HD2?
Why people don't ask? HTC should really have more respect for their consumers. Expecially those who buys high end phones