Microsoft moves 40K W7 Phones at US launch - Updated

Microsoft’s Windows 7 Phone launched in the US earlier this week (after debuting in New Zealand last month) and reportedly shifted just 40,000 units, a market researcher has said.

That 40k figure doesn’t include the 89,000 Microsoft employees that got one for free. Obviously.

In comparison Google says it sells 200,000 Android phones a day and Apple 270,000 phones a day.

Michael Cote, Cote Collaborative analyst, blamed Monday: "Mondays aren't great launch days. They poured all that cash into it but they lost track of the fact that Fridays or Saturdays are the best launch days.”

Cote also thinks Microsoft confused consumers with too many models, a problem we certainly didn’t have in New Zealand.

"In the phone world, our surveys show that there should be a choice between A or B,” he said.

Update: Mark Bishop, Microsoft's Windows Phone Business Manager, wouldn't give us specific figures for the New Zealand launch but did says everything was rosy. "We are very happy with how sales have been going and are well on track to meet Windows Phone targets in New Zealand this financial year. New Zealanders are embracing the Windows Phone 7 and we’ve had great feedback from those who have bought the phone.”