“Essential, Android co-founder Andy Rubin’s new smartphone venture, had a rough go of it last year trying to get off the ground with a brand-new flagship handset,” Nick Statt reports for The Verge. “Not only did the device face some serious launch delays, but industry research firm IDC is now reporting that Essential sold fewer than 90,000 units in its first six months on the market.”
“No one reasonably expected Rubin’s new smartphone company to go head-to-head with Apple or Samsung anytime soon (or ever for that matter),” Statt reports. “But 88,000 units, which is the exact figure IDC reports for Essential Phone sales in 2017, is still quite low and illustrates the uphill battle Rubin is fighting by launching a new phone in a mature, high-end market dominated by some of the world’s largest and most well-equipped corporations.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yet another iPhone knockoff has proven to be quite inessential.
Statt reports, “How long the company continues down this path is up in the air…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Essentially stillborn.
Andy Rubin is nothing more than a reactionary mimic, and not a very good one at that. – MacDailyNews, October 31, 2014
“Holy crap! I guess we’re not going to ship that phone.” – Google’s Android chief Andy Rubin, moments after Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone on January 9, 2007
Here’s what Google’s Android looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
Here’s what cellphones looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
SEE ALSO:
Andy Rubin takes leave from Essential as probe into ‘inappropriate’ Google relationship goes public – November 29, 2017
In colossal screw up, Essential shared customers’ driver’s licenses over email – August 30, 2017
Google’s flawed Android is essentially unfixable – May 2, 2016
Former Android head Andy Rubin leaving Google – October 31, 2014
Why Google really, truly, deeply hates Apple – May 30, 2014
Prior to Steve Jobs unveiling of Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android didn’t support touchscreen input – April 14, 2014
Before iPhone, Google’s plan was a Java button phone, Android docs reveal – April 14, 2014
How Google reacted when Steve Jobs revealed the revolutionary iPhone – December 19, 2013
Apple to ITC: Android started at Apple while Andy Rubin worked for us – September 2, 2011
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Guess his me-too phone knockoff isn’t Essential after all. Looks like Andy is still torturing with his toys.
Cant really understand what he was expecting to achieve, its a bit like that dopey Priest in the original War of the Worlds waving his white hanky in front of the Martian Spaceship saying ‘we come in peace’. Check it out if you don’t know the rest.
Oh I know the reference being a Hollywood guy. Heh. Precisely. Those who tempt the fates with a heaping helping of hubris get their rich reward.
For all the hype, essential is just another Android Phone.
And people thought the notch was ugly.
Karmas a bitch isn’t it Andy you fcking thief. Thanks for proving (yet again) you don’t have an innovative bone in your body.
‘Innovative bone’? C’mon. I do not think anyone has copied previous phones and sold this few.