The amazing long life of the Razr; Against odds, hip flip phone keeps selling; but can parts keep up?(News)(Motorola Inc.,Razr)

Crain's Chicago Business, April, 2006

Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON At a time when most cellular phones are yanked from the market just months after they're introduced, Motorola's Razr is proving bulletproof. Sales of the slim, metallic handset continue to accelerate, showing no signs of peaking, even though it's been nearly 18 months since the Razr was introduced in late 2004-an eternity in the wireless world.

And while the Razr's longevity is a boon for Motorola Inc.-theoretically, the more handsets it sells, the higher the margins-the extra sales appear to have caught the Schaumburg electronics giant off guard, leading to supply chain problems for not only the Razr but offshoots like the Pebl and Slivr. The company has struggled to procure enough thin, metal keypads for the three phones. And...

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