Motorola’s website suffered a meltdown on “Cyber Monday” as demand for the device maker’s Moto X smartphone outstripped the capabilities of its host.
Motorola had planned on offering up unlocked versions of its Moto X halo device to one and all for $350, or for about $200 less than what it was being offered by domestic carriers without a contract. However, a flaw in Motorola’s website left the company unable to process orders.
“First, we misjudged the overwhelming consumer demand for Moto X, which was far greater than we expected,” Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside noted in a blog post. “Second, our pre-sale site testing was not sufficiently extensive. Testing failed to reveal weaknesses caused by large volumes of concurrent orders flowing through the MotoMaker customization engine.”
Woodside explained that Motorola was thus unable to fulfill most orders placed for the device. In an attempt to placate those that must have the Moto X, Motorola said it will re-launch the $350 promotion on Dec. 4 at 12 pm EST, as well as offer the same promotion on Dec. 9. Motorola will also be providing “double the quantity of phones available” in an attempt to keep up with demand.
The demand could be good news for Motorola, which is still searching for a break out device to counter the juggernaut that has formed between Samsung and Apple in the smartphone space. The Moto X was launched with the hook of being made in America at a new plant in Texas, as well as for the ability to be customized by customers through Motorola’s MotoMaker process. Motorola has since unveiled a lower-cost variation in the Moto G, which is available from the company for $180 without a contract.
Google, which acquired Motorola for $12.5 billion, has been trying to right the device maker through cost cutting measures and job cuts.
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