Hey AT&T: Stop Yapping About 4G, Start Selling the Atrix

06.04.2011
Bad news for Motorola: According to Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette, Motorola's Xoom tablet and Atrix 4G smartphone are .

The Xoom's slow sales, I can understand. The Verizon Wireless version is a pricey $799, while the (still somewhat pricey) $599 Wi-Fi model only launched last week. Reviewers noted that the . A slow launch should be a shock to no one.

But the Atrix? It's one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. Reviewers . And with a $200 price tag, there's no reason AT&T shouldn't be selling them by the truckload.

Unfortunately for Motorola, AT&T has been too busy hawking its 4G network, with like , instead of promoting the actual Atrix phone. That strategy was doomed from the beginning.

Wireless carriers' breathless marketing of 4G has already reduced the term to a meaningless pulp. Verizon's LTE, Sprint's WiMax, and the HSPA+ networks of AT&T and T-Mobile , so despite their , the message to consumers is always the same: our network is super-fast. The term "4G" is played out even before the networks finish their expansion throughout the country.

Meanwhile, Motorola's not getting good support from AT&T. The Atrix commercials I've seen , rather than the phone itself. While this was initially , AT&T deflated early enthusiasm with a $500 price tag for the dock and a mandatory tethering plan to use the dock on the carrier's network.