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LG: We want to ship 6 million smartphones this year, 70% will run Android

Categories: Android, LG, Windows Phone
By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 2:42 AM
lg

LG, which I’ve always thought of as Samsung’s little brother, constantly trying to get attention, but succumbing to the limits that come with adolescence, has recently said that they want to ship 6 million smartphones this year. This figure comes from a Senior Executive who spoke to The Korea Times and wishes to remain unnamed. He goes so far as to even provide a split by operating system: 4.2 million will be based on Android, and the remaining 1.8 million will be based on Windows Phone 7.

That’s a full 70%, which is a lot considering LG promised Microsoft in February 2009 that they’d prefer Windows Phone versus any other smartphone operating system. I wonder, what is Steve Ballmer is feeling right now?

This anonymous source continues to say that LG plans to slim down their portfolio, from 145 models announced in 2009, to 70 models announced this year. If that sounds familiar, then you’re right. Nokia did the same thing and dubbed their strategy “more wood behind fewer arrows“, which conjures images of Robin Hood and his merry gay men in the woods, alone, serenading each other with music coming out of a lyre.

Homoerotic fantasies asides, LG is doing quite well with the Ally [check out our review] and have even promised to upgrade it to Android 2.2 (FroYo) at some point in the future, but what about flagships?

Flagships are what drive people to your brand. Even if they can’t afford it, they want to at least own something in the portfolio in which the flagship lives. Motorola makes some terrible Android phones, but the Droid, Droid 2, and especially the Droid X, are shining stars whose rays of light touch the hand me down mid range lineup. Samsung as well, terrible devices in the low and mid range, but the Galaxy S and Wave are rock stars.

Where’s the flagship from LG? From Nokia?

[Via: Unwired View]

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Kylie

    No, there won't be 5 Windows Phone 7 handsets.

    There will be 15 Android handsets, and 5 that will be either Windows Mobile or Windows Phone 7. There will probably only be one or two Windows Phone 7 handsets. LG got burned by Windows Mobile last year, so they won't be making too many Windows based handsets after that.

  • Lucian Armasu

    Nokia has no flagship phone? What about N8??

    I kid, I kid.

  • Stefan Constantinescu

    :D

  • guest

    did you say "motorola makes some horrible android phones" and then in the same breath mention the droid x and the droid? am i missing something?

  • Stefan Constantinescu

    what are you missing? Motorola makes some great Android phone, and some horrible Android phones. you’ve got the Droid X on one side of the spectrum, and that flip back or back flip, or whatever that garbage on AT&T is called.