It seems Motorola (Google) finally realized the initial price of Moto X was not accepted well by consumers, even among long-term Motorola enthusiasts.
After 2 months of launching the handset, Motorola halved the price of Moto X to $99.99 (with 2 year contract) quietly. No public announcement. This includes Moto Maker, which allows you to customize your Moto X. Very likely, the contract-free Moto X price will drop within next a few weeks.
So, if price pushed you away from getting a Moto X, now it is probably the good time to get your hands on a new Moto X. It is unlikely to see a further price cut for this handset in next a few months.
$99.99 is actually the most reasonable price for this handset. Consumers still cares about specs, although user experiences are getting important day by day.
No one denies the unparalleled software innovation in Moto X (e.g., touchless control, Motorola Assistant), and most users enjoy them. The recent software update fixed most camera issues. Moto X is arguably the most attractive phone in the market.
Technically, the hardware in Moto X is more than sufficient thanks to the optimization of the code and close-to-vanilla-Android implementation. Moto X is actually more snappy than Galaxy S4 and HTC One. However, consumers are still thinking about hardware specs when touching the wallet. They are still unwilling to pay too much premium for optimized software. The mid-range hardware specs spoil the perfect image of Moto X. Most consumers and reviewers were surprised when the price of Moto X was announced in August.
This is a lesson Motorola should learn. Consumers are not ready to ignore hardware specs.
The price reduction is a correct step to educate consumers what a smartphone should be. Without reaching the hands of consumers, all innovations are wasted, and competitors will close the gap soon. Very likely, Moto Maker will not be exclusive to AT & T after middle or late November. This will remove another barrier between Moto X and its potential buyers.
Another reason of poor sales of Moto X is its international unavailability. “Made in USA” should not be a burden for Moto X reaching other markets. If Motorola can bring Moto X (or its variants) to international market before the holiday season, Moto X may save Motorola.
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