A quick note as I try to gauge the success of the Moto G.
Total Smartphone Shipments in 2014Q1 were 281.5 million according to IDC and 279.4 million according to Canalys.
Motorola has not disclosed how many Moto Gs they shipped, but they tweeted that they shipped a total of 6.5 million devices in Q1. They didn’t make profits, but neither do most other players.
Of the 6.5 million devices, we know that Moto X isn’t a significant portion. Maybe 0.5-1.0 million.Moto X Sales
Kantar has reported that Moto G sold well in the UK. Moto G 6% in UK Kantar Moto G report
Nokia hasn’t reported on how many they shipped in 2014Q1, but it seems like somewhere between 5.6-8.1 million. Nokia Lumia sales
For some perspective on how other manufacturers are doing, IDC has a report. Samsung sold 85.0 million and Apple sold 43.7 million. Even LG sold 12.3 million.
I would say that for an Android phone that had very strong reviews, the Moto G sold in Nexus-like numbers. That means that it didn’t sell well relative to the big players, but would be significant to a player like LG which makes the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones. In many ways, the Moto G is a Nexus device.
It is possible that Motorola could continue to grow upon the success of the Moto G. That is not however what happened for the Nexus devices. At this point, I expect Motorola to remain in their current position at best. As the association with Google disappears, it is more likely that it will actually go downhill.
Naofumi Kagami 