Nokia Admits N-Gage Sales Below Expectations

Thanks to the UK Financial Times for its article discussing Nokia's first public acknowledgment that the Nokia N-Gage 'mobile game deck' has not performed to expectations. According to the article: "'The sales are in the lower quartile of the bracket we had as our goal,' Jorma Ollila, the Finnish group's chairman and chief executive told the FT.", and it was further noted that "Nokia has set a target of selling 9m of the devices in the first two years, but the company has now corroborated early evidence from game stores that sales have been sluggish." Nokia had previously reported positive results in the short post-launch period, despite apparent evidence to the contrary, but the FT article ends with the Nokia chairman's comments that "the N-Gage had to be given until November 2005 before it could be judged a success or failure."

Well....

[Grahhh]

If it makes them feel any better, it sold considerably better than my expected 0 units.

November 2005, eh?

[thelenm]

"Well, we sorta kinda sold less than 25% of what we thought we would, but as far as it being a success or failure... just give us another um, 21 months. Then we'll be able to judge."

Nokia hire me

[heldlikesound]

"the N-Gage had to be given until November 2005 before it could be judged a success or failure."

for $100k , I'd tell them a year and nine months in advance that it was a complete failure.

Re:Give it

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps a promotional give away...

Maybe from Taco Bell?

N-Gage a failure? Nooooo...

[Anonymous Coward]

N-Gage couldn't possibly be a failure, it's the biggest thing since the virtual boy.

I was so shocked to read this.

In other news...

[PatrickThomson]

Pope is catholic!

Re:Taco Phones

[smcn]

What are you talking about? These people [sidetalkin.com] don't look like dorks at all!

Re:It deserved to sell badly.

[acxr is wasted]

That's what I can't stand. It's one thing to hear someone say something stupid. They may not know better, but when a group of people choose to be ridiculous, well, my sympathy goes way down.

Reminds me a lot of these guys [slashdot.org].