AT&T On Nokia’s Lumia 900: “Notch Above Anything We’ve Ever Done” Including iPhone

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The Nokia Lumia 900, image courtesy of the International Business Times
The Nokia Lumia 900, image courtesy of the International Business Times

AT&T’s head device guy Jeff Bradley made a bold statement today regarding the upcoming launch of Nokia’s Lumia 900 Windows phone. The device is widely expected to be the first Windows phone to hold a candle to the iPhone, and AT&T thinks it has a massive hit on its hands.

“Before you walk into the store, you know this is our hero phone,” said Bradley. AT&T thinks the Lumia 900 has the potential to be its new heavy-hitter. Where does that leave the iPhone?

In an interview with CNET, Bradley said “”At all levels, this is a notch above anything we’ve ever done.”

AT&T and Nokia are readying a massive television marketing campaign to raise consumer awareness. The Lumia 900 will be the centerpiece at AT&T stores, with massive signs and posters promoting the device. Nokia and AT&T spent considerable time training store reps, and a majority of them will be carrying one with them at all times. The phone will launch with a number of accessories, which Bradley said sends an indirect message to consumers that the device is unique and important enough to get significant support.

The $99.99 phone is making its U.S. debut on April 8th. We love the Lumia 900 and it is a gorgeous phone, but does AT&T really think sales will top the iPhone? Not likely.

The iPhone 4S doubled AT&T’s record for single-day activations and sold a staggering 1 million units during its launch weekend. The previous record was set by the iPhone 4. AT&T has always touted the iPhone as its flagship device (despite the more recent trend of heavy Android device promotions due to AT&T’s loss of exclusivity with Apple as an iPhone partner), so it will be weird to have the Lumia 900 stealing the spotlight.

AT&T’s promotion of the Lumia will largely depend on how well sales fare during the upcoming weeks. Both Nokia and AT&T seem pretty confident, but the public’s reception to the Windows Phone platform hasn’t been very energetic to say the least. The campaign CNET notes is set to last for at least 6-8 weeks.

What do you think? Does the Lumia 900 have what it takes to dethrone the iPhone?

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