In a candid release, Motorola Inc. blamed a shortage of camera components for its inability to meet sales demands.
“The Motorola V300 and V500 began shipping earlier in the quarter and are available today, and the V600 will ship imminently,” said Tom Lynch, president of the company’s phone division. “Unit volumes, however, are lower than our customers are asking for due to supply constraints for the integrated-camera components.”
Motorola reiterated, however, that it would ship 18 new phones in the fourth quarter, seven with color displays and eight with color screens and integrated cameras.
“Everyone wants these phones,” said Geoffrey Frost, chief brand officer for Motorola. “We’re doing everything we can to work with our customers to satisfy demand, and we truly appreciate the support that our customers have demonstrated.”
Motorola said it is selling 12 integrated-camera handsets in North America, Europe and Asia.
Motorola’s stock was down slightly after the announcement to about $13.49 per share. Concerns over the company’s holiday camera phone line-up surfaced several weeks ago following a Wall Street Journal story.
