Vodafone reportedly ditching the HD2 as iPhone launch looms (update: nope!)
By Darren Murph 
posted December 10th 2009 1:46PM
posted December 10th 2009 1:46PM
Here's an interesting one. Vodafone, which is one of the few carriers in the world right now with access to HTC's HD2, is reportedly not going to stock the handset any longer once its current supply evaporates. The reason? Why, that's a fantastic question! According to a company spokesperson, there has been a "massive amount of interest" in the big-screen mobile, with initial stock "selling out quickly and subsequent deliveries used to fulfill backorders." Call us crazy, but it seems a wee bit foolish to can a product that's selling well -- unless, of course, Voda has a certain amount of iPhones that it'll be required to sell just a few months from now (or else buy 'em itself). Whatever the case, we're told that the operator "will not [be] re-stocking the HTC HD2 for general consumer sales once current stock runs out," so if you're jonesing for one, ten minutes ago would've been a great time to buy.Update: Here's the latest from Vodafone: "We haven't recalled or stopped selling it, at the moment we have simply ran out of stock. When our next batch of stock arrives, this will be used to fulfill our outstanding back orders but we won't be taking any additional orders via Telesales."
Update 2: HTC pinged us directly and apologized for being unclear. Here's the bottom line: "[The] HD2 will continue to be available on Vodafone, even after the iPhone launches."
Update 3: Wow, this is a train wreck. Now we're hearing that it'll only be available for "business users," making both Vodafone and HTC correct thanks to tricky wording. Sheesh.
MADNESS!
@Ahmedz THIS. IS. VODAFONE!!!!!!!
Sorry, I just had to :)
@Ahmedz I just got one :), hooray!
@Ahmedz
Vodafone is lying. They're dumping that WinMo smartphone and going with the sales leader iPhone. WinMo is done for. Out, damned spot. Poor HTC. They build beautiful smartphones and put a crappy OS on them and now they're suffering financial losses. HTC is definitely going with Android next year.
"if you're jonesing for one, ten minutes ago would've been a great time to buy."
Awesome
FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU
*ahem*
Thats dumb, ditching a new better phone for a 6 month old phone.
New doesn't mean better, Foo
@MrT In this case, it does.
@MrT Couldn't that be also said about Apple? Apple =\= better.
I was jus pointin out the facts foos. I don't care bout no industry changin mobile phone. I don mean no disrespect
@Money2g I believe they are referring to the new iPhone to be released next year .. NOT the iPhone 3Gs
yo i dont think the next iphone will be all that better, at best it'll be on par with the hd2's hardware. you might be able to make a sound argument on the os side but, if the hd2 had android, no phone out now or later would compare!
The question has to be, who in the UK really cares?
Even if Vodafone were to drop it, if you really want to you can get the phone unlocked/unbranded but on a subsidised Vodafone contract from a third-party retailer.
Or you could even get it on a network whose 3G coverage doesn't suck so much(!)
Which, network would that be? Orange, or O2?
@Step666
Agreed. Most people who think 3G tend to go for O2 anyway. Their coverage is excellent followed by T-mobile.
@Patlex: well statistically it's got to be Orange, hasn't it? That said, personally I quite like T-Mobile and their generous W'n'W bundle.
Of course, as always, YMMV - if you're lucky to live in one of the three postcodes or so that Vodafone offers it's super-fast HSDPA coverage then that's great but if you;re not, chances are you'll get equally good or better coverage from someone else.
@Almo: I would be surprised if that were the case given that O2's 3G coverage is the poorest of the major networks (or was last time I saw it quoted in numbers).
People who really value their 3G coverage are probably on Orange or Three.
@Almo O2 3G coverage is shocking. I moved from T-Mobile to O2 and I was really shocked at how poor it was in comparison. Pretty much everywhere I regularly went I was always cracking on with HSDPA using T-Mobile, with O2 I'm always dropping back onto EDGE and often GPRS. It's not good enough.
nice
lolwut?
Silly Brits, iPhones are for kids!
@flanders
And tools.
@flanders
Let me guess, you two think you're the only smart people on the planet. Right?
@Jack No, but we do have a sense of humor. Since you're probably one of those silly Brits, let me add a needless u to humour.
@flanders
You have no sense of humour.
@flanders. You crazy Foo. You think that jus cos' a Smartphone is easy to use, its for youngins? I kick yo ass foo. This phone revolutionised the industry. I don see you revolutionisin anything...hmmm foo?
@MrT Well let's see what the facts are when it comes to Apples marketing:
1. The iPhones sibling, the iPod Touch has kids dancing around like fools to stupid upbeat garbage music or playing their childish caveman go-kart games.
2. They bash PC users, by representing the PC as a geeky mid to late 30's uber-nerd.
3. They represent themselves with a younger "hip" college aged looking kid.
So yes, I do think their products are targeted towards and designed for kids.
@flanders Enough of that JibbaJabba. That's the iPod touch foo. The iPhone is for da grown ups, u see . You stop your hating ways or I will take you down foo
And foo, how do you think a child could pay for one? Use your brain foo
@MrT The content of this article lends itself to iPhone hate. So as Cartman would say, "Whateva! Whateva! I'll hate the iPhone all I want!"
@flanders I don't watch southpark foo
@MrT Yeah, parents don't spoil their kids with exorbitant items, welcome to the last 20 years. And I'm including young demographic sectors, like those in their early 20's for instance.
@flanders
You think your post was funny? Okay, please take your act on the road if you want to find out how funny it actually was. Maybe that will convince you.
In any case, the only way you could possibly think the iPod Touch or the iPhone were designed for kids is if you're a full blown moron. Where's your evidence? Where are the statistics showing the median age of iPhone buyers? I mean making shit up is fun and all but not if you're being serious about it.
@Jack With all due respect, I am just trying to be funny. But sometimes funny stuff is true. Most of my friends are beyond their mid 30's, only one of my friends owns an iPhone and he's 25. He also is a huge Apple fan, he has an iMac, a Macbook Pro, and even Apple TV. It's only in that age group that I typically see that kind of devotion to Apple products. Granted, I'll admit their are exceptions. Some guys going through mid-life crisis may pick up some Apple products on their way to the Porsche dealership. There are also some mom's who wear jeans to match their teens jeans who will at times buy Apple products cause their kids do.
@Jack @Jack With all due respect, I am just trying to be funny. But sometimes funny stuff is true. Most of my friends are beyond their mid 30's, only one of my friends owns an iPhone and he's 25. He also is a huge Apple fan, he has an iMac, a Macbook Pro, and even Apple TV. It's only in that age group that I typically see that kind of devotion to Apple products. Granted, I'll admit their are exceptions. Some guys going through mid-life crisis may pick up some Apple products on their way to the Porsche dealership. There are also some mom's who wear jeans to match their teens jeans who will at times buy Apple products cause their kids do.
@flanders
Actually the funniest stuff usually is based on truth, which is specifically why your post wasn't funny. Seriously, median age of iPhone buyers. Look it up. Your opinion means nothing because it's wrong. Facts trump opinions every time.
But based on what you're saying here, you may not even know what a fact is or why it's important. I know a lot of people with iPhones and none of them are kids, so my sample size trumps yours. You can keep arguing that Apple products are made for kids till you choke on your own verbal diarrhea, but that's still not going to make it true.
Median age. Look it up. End of argument.
@MrT
And we're meant to take advice on revolution, from someone that has delusions of being Mr T. I don't think so.
Shut up Foo
@MrT
man i'm going to give you a +1 whenever possible. i don't care what you say, just keep giving me the mental image of B. A. Baracus or Clubber Lang posting on engadget.
@flanders
jack obviously isn't happy unless he's arguing with someone. just acknowledge that whatever he says is right and move on...
@Jack
You need to get laid more. Seriously.
Actually, I think you need to get laid period.
This is one of the craziest comment threads I've read all week.
Ahhh...Thursdays.
@Jack Sadly Jack, Flanders is right, the iPhone is for kids in the UK, here is an article from from today....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234759/Pupils-given-free-iPhones-use-classes-educational-tools.html
@Jack
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234759/Pupils-given-free-iPhones-use-classes-educational-tools.html
Dumbass. Heres some evidence for you. LOL.
@eminisp
Evidence of what, again? That the school system made a decision that involved giving phones to kids? How is that the same thing as kids buying iPhones for themselves?
You might as well say that Dells are for kids, because schools use them. Pretty stupid, right? Seriously, you Apple haters are completely ridiculous. Do any of you have any common sense? At all?
Median age of iPhone buyers. Look it up. End of argument.
@Jack
Woah, I don't remember the OP saying that the median age of iPhone buyers is kids..... you're just putting words in his mouth to prove your own point. The article I posted clearly shows that the this particular school system in the UK believes that as the OP said "iPhones are for kids!" just as many school systems believe that PC's are for kids too as you stated.
@Jack I guess we know now how people view the iPhone, going for a downranked record? I did do some research, and it seems a lot of purchasers are 30 and under. So thanks for helping me prove my point, it is for younger people. And as quality, more grown up, devices such as the HD2 start coming out, the iPhone will become more isolated to the youth market. But I guess you're just doing your job, I can almost see you sitting behind your desk in the marketing department there in the Cupertino Headquarters.
@Jack
"You might as well say that Dells are for kids, because schools use them. Pretty stupid, right? Seriously, you Apple haters are completely ridiculous. Do any of you have any common sense? At all?"
--- Last time i checked i was unable to take my schools "Dell" home. These "iphones" were given by the schoool to "kids". Not a PDA "business professionals" or a company issued Blackberry m'kay. A iphone given to "kids" in the UK. Im not hating but simply pointing out the facts ;). Have a good day chap LOL.
@Jack
"You might as well say that Dells are for kids, because schools use them. Pretty stupid, right? Seriously, you Apple haters are completely ridiculous. Do any of you have any common sense? At all?
Median age of iPhone buyers. Look it up. End of argument."
---That has to be the dumbest shit i have ever heard. If we dont have computers (Dell,HP etc...) in our classrooms (US, UK, etc...) how could we continue to work efficiently? Im sorry schools dont look to Apple for their computers as you would like them to. "You might as well say that Dells are for kids, because schools use them."---again, this falls under the dumbest shit i have ever heard.
Those Engadget tags are so naughty. ;)