does sales numbers even matter in determining whether the n900 is successful ? who cares?
Yes, definitely.
Even if you look at maemo as an open source project, then platform/device distribution numbers matter.
Originally Posted by
If the n900 was successful, Nokia would spend the money to support it properly, give it Ovi maps navigation like all other nokia smart phones and bring flash etc to the maemo platform or even give it proper Meego.
I think it has to do with Maemo being EOL-ed.
To me, it seems that all (significant) new features that can technically be put into Maemo5, but not yet, are postponed for MeeGo. On one hand this is to focus all their new development effort to their next breakthrough device, but it's also to keep Maemo5 devices from stepping over the next MeeGo device in terms of features.
Originally Posted by
But Nokia are not doing ANY of this, and instead engages in silence that pisses off many n900 users, alienating them. This indicates that Nokia regards the n900 as breakeven at best and a product they do NOT want to further invest in.
Even citing that figure is misleading in a thread about sales, it seems to me, unless you have some sort of theory about the relationship between sales and downloads.
My guess is there is no discernible relationship.
However, eCoach (the top "Hot" application) has 85k downloads. I don't think every n900 owner has downloaded eCoach, so if updates do not count as downloads there are definitely a lot more than 100k n900s out there.
Of course, but there is a correlation. Pick a calculator (if you need it) to get the average downloads per (said) device sold and get conclusions for yourself.
Forget having consumers come to conclusions.
It's funny how the download number is very specific; however Nokia has yet to give out the same very specific numbers on the sales.
At this rate, you're continuing the very bad practice of picking and choosing what numbers are important to you (Nokia) and not willing to answer the other questions in a very direct manner.
Deflecting to say that the downloads are important; I disagree. I've owned a N810 for almost 2.5 years. I've reflashed, experimented and downloaded my full compliment of tools, apps and repositories (are those being counted btw? Your specific number doesn't qualify what's a download) at least 10 times. That's 9 times more than I would on my computer in that same amount of time.
In this case, the only metric that I've consistently asked about were the sales numbers. And downloads does not take into consideration how many times the same person (thus not unique) has downloaded something.
Metrics, just like your logic, is flawed.
Deflect no more. Please confirm those sales numbers. Thank you in advance.
Deflect no more. Please confirm those sales numbers. Thank you in advance.
I don't think Quim is going to do that. But sure, it would be nice if Nokia was confident enough in the company's abilities that full sales disclosures were the norm...
He didn´t try to prove that. He talked about extras downloads, which you cannot correlate, at least not if you wan´t to talk up how many devices are out there.
Case in point:
I´ve got 3 N900´s here that I look after.
Mine accounts for roughly 500 downloads by itself (4 reflashes * 80 apps that need to be downloaded + running updates). My wife´s accounts for probably around 100-150 downloads. My fathers accounts for probably around 100-150 downloads.
So lets say it´s 750 total for 3 devices, or 250 per device. There have been 10 million downloads from Maemo.org repositories. These count all updates as well as fresh downloads.
Using these numbers, dividing downloads per device into the number of downloads, we end up with 40.000 devices for 250dl´s/device. If we use the number 150 downloads per device we end up at 66667 devices. If we use 100 downloads per device we end up at 100.000 devices.
So taking a swag, I´d say the number is probably not in any chance over 200.000. Most likely below 150.000.
With 100 dl/unit and assuming that the unit has been flashed 4 times(meaning re-download of the installed Extras app); so it means that the unit is installed with 20 Extra app. Question to the group is that how many Extras app do you have?
Of course, but there is a correlation. Pick a calculator (if you need it) to get the average downloads per (said) device sold and get conclusions for yourself.
and divide it too average downloads and divide it again, cause i downloaded the same apps several times(playing with n900/flashing/so on) and divide it again as the same app get updates (fmms, thanks to fral, gets updates very often, so every download is not actually every download). so maybe math is easy, but formula not that easy as you say, you as Nokia worker could just provide official numbers or approve the info, so if you don't — it's not true \o/
I can only say that of all the major analysts (IDC, Canalys, Gartner, and Strategy Analytics); the numbers from Gartner are the less precise.
Edit: Not saying they are false or anything like that. I am just saying never take them without context and/or comparison with the numbers of the other four. In contrast, I would take Canalys' or IDC with the eyes closed.
I find Gartner to be honest in their appraisal processes when gettting these figures, so would trust the numbers. More than enough evidence to suggest Nokia really didn't expect the N900 to do well, and so they didn't support or market it to any great length, not when you consider the N97 TV adverts etc.
Any retailer in the world will tell you that is the easiest way to sell a device, sell it cheaper or make people think that it is a hot seller. It means nothing and shouldn't be taken as read. Just look at Expansys, ebuyer etc.
100,000 is such a small %, it isn't a niche. It isn't even 'trace'.
Who pays/funds for the Gartner study - that's what I want to know?
