Motorola Tapping Niche Markets with New Product Line

Motorola has launched 7 new android phones in a press event in San Francisco.
The new handsets are targeting particular niche markets. This starts a new trend for manufacturing not only task- specific devices, but also making devices marketed to one demographic or another. Here is a quick breifing on the features of the phones launched:

Motorola Bravo: called “small but mighty” yet has a 3.7-inch WVGA touch screen, 3MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, Android 2.1 ,and will be available on AT&T  later this year

Motorola Citrus: Android 2.1, 3-inch QVGA screen, 3MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, compact form, and headed to Verizon Wireless later this year.

Motorola Droid Pro: This will please the eager BlackBerry-to-Android converts as the Droid Pro features a vertical QWERTY keyboard, World Roaming Capabilities, 3.1-inch screen, increased security measures as well as advanced E-Mail and Calendar options running atop Android 2.1. Available on Verizon Wireless later this year.

Motorola Defy: Dubbed as the Life Proof device, it can sustain water, drops, roughness, tumbles and other turbulence. This device is headed to T-Mobile later this year

Motorola Flipout: Targetting teens by having interchangable 2 color back battery covers the Flipout also has Android 2.1, 2.8-inch display, 3.5mm headset jack, FM radio, 3MP camera and more. Available on Verizon Wireless later this year

Motorola Flipside: your typical side slider with CLIQ-like keyboard buttons, Android 2.1, 3.1-inch screen, 3MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, FM Radio and more at an affordable price. Available on AT&T later this year.

Motorola Spice: time to heat up to the Latin America loveliness of the Spice which runs Android 2.1 on a 3-inch QVGA screen, has a 3MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, and is a simple and compact Android powerhouse.

The interesting fact here is that Motorola is catering to a diffetent niche market with each new phone. This is a very smart strategy with smart phones. If you analyze all the Android phones, you’ll notice they have converged to more or less the same features. They all have about the same screen size, most run 2.1 or Froyo 2.2, most have good cameras with flashes – so now they’re adding a tweak here and a feature there to appeal to different target markets, like Latinos, or teens, or business users. This is the next round of differentiation; to go after very niche markets with their devices.

In the same vein:

• Young Black Adults Closing the Digital Divide: Study