News / Hardware
Motorola weighs design against an early 3G launch
In 2006, Motorola mobile chief Ron Garriques said the company did not need to be first with every technical feature.
What was announced or reported
The discussion contrasted Samsung 3G handsets with Motorola’s RAZR line. Garriques argued that a more expensive WCDMA design would not automatically command a higher retail price when customers did not yet see a compelling reason to pay for faster networks.
Context and limits
The account framed the thin RAZR design as a commercial success that gave Motorola room to prioritise margins and product appeal. It records one executive’s market view at the time, not a current assessment of handset strategy.
Why the distinction matters
The interview framed handset development as a balance between component cost, network readiness and what buyers valued in a device. It therefore separated the availability of a technology from the commercial case for shipping it in every model. The account does not claim that this judgement settled the wider 3G market.