Evo 4G shortage and will history repeat itself

[alcohol]

I'm really disappointed with the supply problems HTC has with Sprint. Doesn't seem to be the case with any other carrier. I think Sprint just orders very conservatively. I was helping someone buy the HTC shift, and it's sold out!!

Why can't Sprint keep stock of their HTC phones. The demand can't be that high.

 

[dan330]

i dont think it is an HTC issue for low stock... sprint orders for stock and they must not want to have to much in overstock.

 

[EarlyMon]

Or they're steering sales - the Nexus S 4G releases in 2 days, no good reason for a Shift or other Android shortage besides MAYBE the Evo at this point.

 

[SaleenFiend]

Or they're steering sales - the Nexus S 4G releases in 2 days, no good reason for a Shift or other Android shortage besides MAYBE the Evo at this point.

Yep, consumers want items NOW. Not tomorrow or the next day. If someone comes in ready to drop $200.00 on a new device and it's not in stock... I bet it's easy for them to "talk up" the BRAND NEW but NOT so Brand New Nexus S to an unknowing customer in the differences that happens to be readily available and in stock.....

 

[EarlyMon]

Yep - just talked to a guy like that in another forum. He's home from overseas, he's not sure what Android is, but he's sure he needs a phone today and he's sure it's gonna be Android.

Lost, stolen, screwed on another carrier, thrown out of the house, moved, landline not getting it - the need for immediate cell phone service is there, the good reasons are endless.

Lack of stock = lost consumption for someone in the supply chain.

We'll never know how many Evos they might have sold. Never. ('Course - I still don't don't know how many they sold anyway, but I'm on a roll and it wasn't enough!)

 

[Deleted User]

I agree with most of the points made here. I really doubt that the EVO 3D will make as much as an impact as the original EVO. It will still sell pretty well though. That I know for sure. Will I be upgrading to this...no. I'll never forget when I first got the EVO. All the computers were down and there were long lines at Best Buy. It took 2 hours for the whole process lol. Ahhhh those were good times.

Now that Sprint has taken away the yearly upgrade option they've surely cut in to the number of people willing to upgrade by a huge amount. Everyone who got an EVO is not eligible without some kind of side deal or buying a new line. The 3D looks like it'll be a great phone, but not great enough to pay full price for, that's for sure.

 

[EarlyMon]

I've got the yearly thing happening, but even so, I'm price sensitive.

I do not like where cell phone prices have been going - nor tablets.

There's nothing in the hardware costs to justify the prices, and anything up to 200 bucks on-contract is just me bowing to the pressure and acknowledging they hold the cards. Anything more, no, uh uh, I'll wait for the sales.

 

[Android 17]

I've got the yearly thing happening, but even so, I'm price sensitive.

I do not like where cell phone prices have been going - nor tablets.

There's nothing in the hardware costs to justify the prices, and anything up to 200 bucks on-contract is just me bowing to the pressure and acknowledging they hold the cards. Anything more, no, uh uh, I'll wait for the sales.

Exactly. Even 200 is highway robbery considering just how much money they're making from you over the course of 2 years.

Unfortunately it's become the standard, and although I can suck it up, I seriously cannot justify spending any more.

I bought the EVO at launch but would have considered the Epic as well, but amongst other reasons, the $250 price really dissuaded me.

Plus, if you're patient and have an upgrade available, you can typically find most any new phone within a month from launch about 50 or less bucks cheaper through Wirefly or Amazon.

 

[lordofthereef]

The only reason I shy away from wirefly or amazon is if I have any issues within the first 30 days. The convenience of being able to walk into a Sprint, Best Buy, etc. is worth it for me.

 

[viber]

i dont think it is an HTC issue for low stock... sprint orders for stock and they must not want to have to much in overstock.

It's usually better to undershoot and have short term supply problems than overshoot and have losses that need to be written off due to inventory you can't move, or have to move at a big loss.

The Evo is a marquee brand now, so Sprint will probably have more in stock than last year, but I doubt they are going to have 500 Evo3D's in stock at each store.

Expect shortages, but I don't think it will be a zoo either like it was for the Evo1

 

[dan330]

It's usually better to undershoot and have short term supply problems than overshoot and have losses that need to be written off due to inventory you can't move, or have to move at a big loss.

The Evo is a marquee brand now, so Sprint will probably have more in stock than last year, but I doubt they are going to have 500 Evo3D's in stock at each store.

Expect shortages, but I don't think it will be a zoo either like it was for the Evo1

I agree there could have been a better inventory logistics.. .i am just saying that is sprints worry.. not htc

 

[Stepitup]

Not sure if I will get to the store 20 mins before they open or just do a call in order for the phone. Besides, most people will be at work while I go stand in line.

 

[Netcat]

....So... did the status quo change? I look on Sprint's site, and the Evo is still not available online. Stores only. Is there still a shortage? Or is it a non-issue since demand for Evo is now low?....

I hope the Evo 3D doesn't have any initial shortages. I don't feel I need to get it on the first day, but I DO want to get it after I read a few reviews. Maybe wait a couple weeks.

BTW, the Evo 4G IS available online, not just in the stores. There doesn't seem to be any shortages here.

 

[novox77]

At the time I wrote that, I was referring to online availability from Sprint. They weren't selling them online. Can't check now cause sprint's site is down today (still).

Yeah it seems like what everyone has said in this thread is that because now there are more good Android choices, the demand on the Evo 3G may not be as high as it was for Evo 4G. So hopefully we won't see the kind of frustrating shortage of last year.

 

[EarlyMon]

The right answer will be high demand AND high supply to avoid shortages.

HTC warned their suppliers at the end of last year that they intended to triple their smartphone sales this year, as memory serves. So far, the numbers are looking mighty good.

If Sprints orders them - HTC has the capacity to build them.

 

[Emmexx]

The right answer will be high demand AND high supply to avoid shortages.

HTC warned their suppliers at the end of last year that they intended to triple their smartphone sales this year, as memory serves. So far, the numbers are looking mighty good.

If Sprints orders them - HTC has the capacity to build them.

Sweetness! Yeah, I saw the release on the money HTC made in April. They are definately not hurting.

I may be #3 at the local Best Buy, but having more inventory all around helps for those whom receive a faulty handset. Not to say that will happen with any 3D, but almost every product out there has a lemon or two mixed in with the good ones.

 

[Netcat]

At the time I wrote that, I was referring to online availability from Sprint. They weren't selling them online. Can't check now cause sprint's site is down today (still).

Yeah it seems like what everyone has said in this thread is that because now there are more good Android choices, the demand on the Evo 3G may not be as high as it was for Evo 4G. So hopefully we won't see the kind of frustrating shortage of last year.

I remember the shortages and the no online availability at Sprint for the Evo 3G last year. But that

 

[EarlyMon]

Here's the part of history that is definitely going to repeat itself, I guarantee it:

All of the other carrier + other phone users talking smack about our phones and laffing it up because we weren't smart enough to buy Samsung or Motorola.

First one to not care about smack talk wins!

Ok - first one after me to not care about smack talk wins!

 

[CanDMan]

Did I win? ...3 Evo 3D's please!

 

[novox77]

i was never aware that the Evo 4G was laughed at by users of other carriers. People "over there" really think HTC sucks? I mean, the Droid Inc did really well over on Verizon. And AT&T... well they are mostly iFans.

I was under the impression that the Evo 4G was a universally liked Android device among Android users.

If we were to lay out some of the popular stereotypes of the manufacturers over last year's phones:

1) HTC: ??
2) Samsung: shitty GPS and slow on updates
3) Motorola: encrypted bootloader and motoblur sucks

Maybe I'm unknowingly biased, but what are some of the common gripes about HTC phones? That there's too many of them?

 

[EarlyMon]

Srsly? Wow, ok.

Here's our Late Night Top Ten List On Why The Evo Sucks:

#10 - Only idiots buy phones with kickstands - what a gimmick.

# 9 - Good luck with 4G, Sprint will [ go out of business | screw you on your bill | never release it | throttle it ].

# 8 - Ha ha, I'm getting a good 6 hours of battery life now, not 3 hours like on your crappy Evo - and don't argue, all the blogs say that's God's absolute truth.

# 7 - What idiot buys a phone with a screen that big?

# 6 - What idiot buys a screen that big that's 16:10?

# 5 - What kind of idiot thinks the Evo will be any better than a Hero?

# 4 - What kind of idiot buys an LCD when Samsung has SAMOLD?

# 3 - What kind of idiot buys a Snapdragon when you can get the [ OMAP 3 | Hummingbird ]?

# 2 - What kind of idiot buys a phone with Sense?

And our top reason:

# 1 - What kind of idiot thinks HTC is cool?

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! (crowd goes wild)

~~~~

Yep. No fooling. To this day. I even got people upset in the DX forum when they said that it was ok their DX didn't come with an FFC, because the iPhone came with one first.

And then - what could I use it for - there was no Skype last year.

The Evo hate is a constant by many others. It's downright hilarious is what it is.

 

[novox77]

I have heard all of those before, but rarely do I see widespread agreement with many. And that list shrinks if we're just talking about HTC...

10 goes away cause not all HTC phones have kickstands
9 goes away cause not all HTC have WiMAX
8 might be legit. I've heard Droid Inc and Evo have shitty battery life
7 goes away cause HTC makes screens big and small.
6: never heard of the 16:10 gripe, and not something associated with HTC, like PenTile or SAMOLED is with Samsung.
5 goes away because it's HTC in-fighting and isn't a comparison with the other two: Samsung and Motorola
4 is hardly a knock on HTC when Samsung is pretty much the only user of SAMOLED with a few exceptions
3 seems legit
2: not much merit here. I've always felt that Sense is the most preferred overlay. No one talks about wanting to flash motoblur or touchwiz. But tons of people want Sense, or a Sense theme
1: too generic and subjective to really be a stereotype.

So back to what I was saying, there are some universal and undeniable gripes about Samsung and Motorola. Not subjective or fanboyish at all.

GPS was indeed shitty for several of last year's Samsung phones. Samsung as also admitted that they sucked in the upgrades department. It's also no surprise that Motorola encrypts their bootloaders.

So I ask again: what type of stigma is there for HTC that's universal among a lot of HTC phones and is not a subjective "mine's better than yours" gripe?


-edit-

ok, I see that your response was mostly toward my comment about Evo 4G being universally liked as an Android phone. But my question was really posed at HTC because you said

we weren't smart enough to buy Samsung or Motorola.

 

[EarlyMon]

We're shearing.

My OP on this was in reference specific, widespread, and high-volume smack-talking on the Evo. My example list reflects that - and is not a list of things I've heard here or there - it's been a constant drone for the Evo-hating fanboy club. On our forums.

 

[themuffinman75]

I remember the shortages and the no online availability at Sprint for the Evo 3G last year. But that’s over now and it's been available at Sprint online for quite some time. Yeah, there are a lot of nice Android phones coming this year but for Sprint customers, there’s only ONE powerhouse phone on the horizon and that's the Evo 3D. I have a special plan called SERO and for me to keep the low rates, I’ve gotta stay with Sprint.

Actually not quite. The evo has been sold out several times for the year on sprint.com. Just a few weeks ago they were sold out, obviously there is stock now but its been a very popular phone and stock has always been an issue as far as consistency.

To add, the corporate store closest to my house have also sold out quite a few times during the years as well.

 

[drexappeal]

Here's the part of history that is definitely going to repeat itself, I guarantee it:

All of the other carrier + other phone users talking smack about our phones and laffing it up because we weren't smart enough to buy Samsung or Motorola.

First one to not care about smack talk wins!

Ok - first one after me to not care about smack talk wins!

Did I win? ...3 Evo 3D's please!

I was too late, but I don't care...LOL. A lot of my friends have iPhones and TRY to talk smack. And everytime I do, I just say, "Hey, there's this cool website I want to show you...oh, maybe I should just email it to you so you can see it on a device that can view FLASH." Smack talking ends at that point.

Anybody that has the NEED to talk smack about the EVO, I personally don't feel they merit me wasting my time talking smack back to them...LOL. As far as I'm concerned, I love technology period, so I never need to talk smack. And majority of my family members wanted my phone after they first saw it (and they all don't like Sprint, but were considering it just because of the EVO).