Some irresponsible reports around the technology blogosphere have noted that Microsoft Lumia phones have disappeared from sale on the Verizon Wireless website, and jumped to the conclusion that Verizon stopped selling them online. In fact, they are sold out.

Microsoft confirmed that its Lumia models are sold out, not discontinued.

“VerizonWireless.com has temporarily sold out of Lumia smartphones. We’re looking forward to bringing more Lumias to market with Verizon,” a Microsoft spokesperson told me via email.

A representative for Verizon Wireless also confirmed the sold out phones and that Lumia devices are still available in Verizon Wireless stores.

The articles in question (I won't name names) note that non-Lumia phones like the HTC One (H8) and Samsung ATIV SE are still for sale. But apparently some people couldn't bother to send an inquiry to Microsoft's and Verizon's media relations departments to ask.

A sellout likely means new devices are coming, but you'd also expect an announcement at CES, even if Microsoft has no booth, no one giving the keynote, and is only doing small meetings at nearby hotels. Still, it's also really easy to be drowned out in the noise of CES, so it wouldn't surprise me if a new Lumia lineup was announced next week.

Whatever Microsoft has in store, Windows Phone desperately needs a shot in the arm. The latest quarterly figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech show Windows Phone is hitting new lows in some markets: just 3% in the U.S., 7% in the U.K., and a pitiful 0.6% in China.