Everything was right about DROID launch – the media buzz, the marketing campaign, but the launch fell shorter than Verizon’s expectations. Verizon was hoping that this amount of press coverage would guarantee an iPhone like launch-fest. What Verizon got instead was few people waiting in line for the new Motorola DROID handset at the launch.

According to CNET, the midnight DROID launch at Verizon’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan saw about 100 shoppers waiting in line to get their hands on the new handset. CNET’s Marguerite Reardon wrote, “The new Motorola Droid got a sleepy reception on Friday morning when it officially went on sale across the country in Verizon Wireless stores at 7am in some places. From New York to San Francisco stores around the country had few if any lines when doors opened Friday morning.”

Verizon tried to spin the lack of lines by calling long lines formation for new devices flashy. Company’s spokesman David Samberg said “Long lines forming outside are flashy. But it’s not really the goal. What we really want to see is this: a steady stream of people coming today and for the next weeks buying new phones.”

The truth is no one opens their stores early if they weren’t expecting long lines. Whatever, Verizon might claim, the DROID launch has not even come close to any of the three iPhone launches in past two years, which the company was expecting and now they are trying to twist the fact.