Sales of the Nokia Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 devices are doing relatively well, according to a few recent reports. However, another report is claiming something else, something fans might not want to hear right now.

Analyst James Faucette from Pacific Crest made a bold claim. He said Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices are not doing so well, and that sales are quite low. Faucette did checks in North America and Europe to find out how Nokia and Windows Phone 8 was doing, and what he came away with was "low shipments and sales."

"Our sell-through checks in North America and Western Europe indicate sales volumes that are quite low, while initial shipment volumes are similarly low," he said. "We estimate that the company is tracking toward shipping roughly 1 million new Windows Phone 8 products in the December quarter, while it looks likely to sell through roughly half of those units, based on current run rates."

Faucette went on to stress that compared to a year ago, Nokia Lumia devices were doing slightly better, which could be attributed to Lumia models at lower and affordable price points. The current set of Windows Phone 8-based Nokia Lumia handsets are not cheap. However, with the announcement of the Lumia 620, things might change a bit in the sales department, come 2013.

Both Nokia and Microsoft are counting on the Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 handsets to succeed. But completing that task won't be easy. The market is held at a choking point by both Apple and Google and the only way out is to convince smartphone buyers that Windows Phone 8 is a better option that Android and the iPhone, and so far that hasn't be working out well.

For Nokia, the success of the Lumia and Windows Phone 8 is a do-or-die affair, it simply has to happen. If not, the company will be better off selling off its hardware business to Microsoft and focus on software.