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"There's a recognition of a lot of good ideas, but none have broken through," said the company's CEO, Sanjay Jha, during a roundtable discussion. "We're going to present fewer ideas, but we're going to push them more."

Motorola's delays late last year caused products like its Droid Bionic and Droid Razr, followed early this year by the Droid Razr Maxx, to be released in quick succession. The new strategy aims to avoid similar situations in the future.

The news also comes at a time when Google is in the process of completing its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola. Google announced the deal last spring but needs to clear a few regulatory hurdles. If it succeeds, the partnership may also figure in the new game plan.

Motorola's strategy is a novel one in an industry accustomed to churning out as many devices as possible, but may reflect a slowly changing marketplace. HTC also announced it too will release fewer devices in 2012.

"Over-choice hasn't helped drive the marketplace," Jha concluded, an idea supported by a recent Underwriters Laboratories' survey.

The company's "Navigating the Product Mindset" report revealed nearly half of consumers feel technology products come to market faster than people need them, underscoring a possible disconnect between device makers and their customers.

The study also found nearly 90 percent of manufacturers say they are "at or ahead of the curve" when it comes to innovation and look to shift to other priorities, including affordability, functionality and reliability.

The rapid-fire cycle is leading consumers to question what's driving the pace, and many conclude the push for new devices with only a few new features is a weak attempt by device makers to stay visible in the highly competitive market. Consumer fatigue is likely to grow to the point where buyers tire of trying to keep up and decide to stick with yesterday's model for a while.

If that happens, Motorola may find itself truly ahead of the trend, riding the wave back to the top, and not chasing it.