iPhone Again Represents Over Half of Verizon's Smartphone Sales in 1Q 2012

[-LikesMac-]

And when the LTE iPhone comes out..

I can't wait to see the sales for the LTE iPhone when that actually comes out haha.

 

[Mike Valmike]

I dislike the way Verizon reps represent the iPhone. My personal iPhone is through AT&T but my work iPhone is through Verizon and every time I go into one of their corporate stores all they do is bash on the iPhone and talk highly about Android. This has happened to me at multiple Verizon stores here in L.A.

The salespeople are paid spiffs on Android phone sales, and nothing but regular wages for time spent setting someone up an iPhone. It stands to reason they would push Android because it means cash in their pockets; never mind the conflict of interest with the customer and the customer's needs. Notice that Apple doesn't do this kind of thing at Apple stores, and as yesterday's news feed noted, Apple is outperforming all other retail by a wide margin. That seems to mean something, one would think.

Anyway, ignore the blandishments of Verizon (or any other wireless provider) salespeople; their personal finances are nothing we care about, and we know which phone we want.

 

[JHankwitz]

...there is no choice at all. Everyone has the same look and feel. ..its like having no identity.

Quite the opposite. You can always spot out an iPhone in a croud because you know exactly what they look like.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

I have been traveling in China on business the last few days and iPhones are all over the place being used by people who you wouldn't think would be able to afford the extra high premium cost for the iPhone. I think the Chinese sales numbers will be way over the top end.

just got back from Thailand and EVERYBODY has an iPhone there, even Burmese laborers....oh and they can tether for free in Thailand

 

[smiddlehurst]

How do you figure? How will the iPhone 4 being bottom of the line, be any different than the iPhone 3GS being bottom of the line? Sure the 4 is a year newer, but it will also be a year later in time...

Edit: and for >90% of people I don't think I could ever recommend anything but the newest iPhone model. And the remaining <10% I could maybe recommend the free model. For people who really really don't use their phones much (i.e. my parents). I don't think I could EVER recommend the middle model... For $100 more you get double the storage and a year newer phone.

You don't think having a phone with the looks, materials and build quality (plus really nice internals) as an entry device is going to entice people on to the platform? This has nothing to do with what we'd all recommend, the bottom of the range iPhone is the one that gets advertised as "Free" on (relatively) low contracts. It captures the segment of the market that don't give a damn about specs but want a free phone on a somewhat decent plan.

Right now that battle is being fought by the 3GS and it's doing really well. The 3GS was actually the second highest selling smartphone in both the US and EU5 last year (http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._of_2011s_best_selling_smartphones_in_us.html) ahead of the 4S (though of course that wouldn't be the case if the 4S had been on sale for longer). Now consider what happens if you swap the 3GS out for a 4 at the same price point... I honestly think you'll see the same sort of rush as you did when the 4 came out only it'll likely be at the expense of low-end Android competitors which would suddenly look awfully cheap in comparison...

 

[currentinterest]

I do believe LTE is compelling and does provide the current iPhone with increased competition. That is why a somewhat early June launch of the "new iPhone" would not surprise me. It would suck the life out of the competition.

 

[mjtomlin]

It's funny that you mention that and you'll probably get downvoted for it, but I've actually been thinking about that these last few days.

A person's phone is a very personal and individual extension of themselves. Back in the day nearly everyone had a different phone, and in the off chance of seeing somebody else with your phone it was a cool coincidence, "Hey look! I have the same phone as you!" Kinda like sharing the same birthday with someone or running into someone wearing the same tshirt. But if suddenly a HUGE percentage of your friends, your coworkers, and people you walk by in the streets start having the same birthday as you or start all wearing the exact same tshirt as you all the time, it starts to become a little disconcerting.

And I have very recently been feeling this about the iPhone. It's not that I think I'm better than someone because I have an iPhone, so I don't want the "common folk" to have one too. I've always enjoyed the spread of iPhones and found it very fun to see so many people with them, because I think iPhone's are the best and I have an unnaturally strong inclination to want Apple to succeed. But it's starting to be a bit odd to see SO many people with the exact same phone as me. And I admit, I did enjoy being ahead of the curve when I got my iPhone 3G on launch day... I mean everybody wants to feel like they have the best, and it does tarnish that a bit when everybody and their mom has it also.

And to think, right now Apple only has about a 30-40% marketshare of smartphones. Can you imagine if Apple was able to capture the same smartphone marketshare as they have on iPods or iPads? Try to think about this for a moment. 70-80%? There would be so little individuality.

Now I'll probably get downvoted too.

Yeah you will, for believing that an electronics device is a personal extension of yourself. And for even considering the fact that we should all care what everyone else is or isn't using. It boils down to what device works best for YOU. You shouldn't worry about what someone else is using or worry that you're not a rebel or cool because you belong to the same group as most everyone else in the room.

Cool, self-confident people don't give a **** and just live their lives they way they want without worrying what other people think, regardless. Unfortunately, shallow people tend to think "cool" is how they look or what they use rather than who they are.

Individuality stems from personality not what we wear or which devices we carry.

 

[RalfTheDog]

I don't think its the lack of individuality that would be concerning, it would be the lack of competition. Even with a company like Apple which has a tremendous attention to detail, competition is necessary to drive innovation and provide us even better devices. I enjoy the fact that Apple has a large market share (as I benefit from things like the quality and quantity of apps available), but I always want there to be serious competition to keep Apple on their toes. Everyone benefits from that.

Even if Google were to go away tomorrow, the iPhone would have quite a bit of competition. This years iPhone is competing with last years model. Apple must improve their devices to motivate iPhone owners to upgrade. The Android competition is trivial.

I do believe LTE is compelling and does provide the current iPhone with increased competition. That is why a somewhat early June launch of the "new iPhone" would not surprise me. It would suck the life out of the competition.

The new iPhone will come out when enough of the "Good" LTE chips are available. Apple product launches are largely dictated by component availability.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

You don't think having a phone with the looks, materials and build quality (plus really nice internals) as an entry device is going to entice people on to the platform? This has nothing to do with what we'd all recommend, the bottom of the range iPhone is the one that gets advertised as "Free" on (relatively) low contracts. It captures the segment of the market that don't give a damn about specs but want a free phone on a somewhat decent plan.

Right now that battle is being fought by the 3GS and it's doing really well. The 3GS was actually the second highest selling smartphone in both the US and EU5 last year (http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._of_2011s_best_selling_smartphones_in_us.html) ahead of the 4S (though of course that wouldn't be the case if the 4S had been on sale for longer). Now consider what happens if you swap the 3GS out for a 4 at the same price point... I honestly think you'll see the same sort of rush as you did when the 4 came out only it'll likely be at the expense of low-end Android competitors which would suddenly look awfully cheap in comparison...

I'm just arguing that I don't think it will be any more of a rush than the 3GS was free. I agree the 3GS sold really well last year. And it could be the 3rd best selling phone this quarter (and definitely the 3rd best selling iPhone). I think the 4 will just naturally assume the same role.

And I may be in the minority, but after a few months with my iPhone 4 (way back when it was launched) I've kinda fallen out of love with the design. In a lot of ways I liked my old 3G design better because...

a) curved back was easier to pick up and fit my hand better
b) plastic was more resistant to scatches and drops
c) plastic was lighter than the glass back

And also I never relt the need to use a case with my 3G, I have succumbed (much to my chagrin) to using a case on my 4 (I kinda go in phases on and off) because..

a) glass seems much more delicate to scratches, cracks, breaks, drops, etc
b) glass makes it more slippery to hold, prone to drops. See above
c) flat, thin, slippery sides makes it more difficult to pick up
d) I did have the antennagate issue. Not earthshattering, but it would noticably drop calls

So now I have a case which adds thickness and hides a lot of the design elements. That's no fun That's why I'm hoping the next iPhone will be more similar to the original iPhone, but with liquidmetal and maybe slightly more curve on the edges, similar to the iPad 2/3.

 

[miss.manson]

I dislike the way Verizon reps represent the iPhone. My personal iPhone is through AT&T but my work iPhone is through Verizon and every time I go into one of their corporate stores all they do is bash on the iPhone and talk highly about Android. This has happened to me at multiple Verizon stores here in L.A.

The Verizon store around here does the same thing. I don't know what it is with the people who work at Verizon and the iPhone. Lol

 

[NoExpectations]

By the end of 2013, both AT&T and Verizon will be done with their LTE build outs. Keep in mind that there will be large sections of rural areas that will never see LTE. Jumping back to AT&T HSPA+ versus Verizon CDMA is a much better alternative (faster, seamless, supports data/voice multitasking).

Sorry Sprint....you went down the wrong path with WIMAX and you are now years behind....not a good position to be in with an LTE iPhone just a few months away.

Now it comes down to speed. Test after test has shown that AT&T's LTE is faster (by about 25%)....time will tell if this stays true.

In any case, both LTE's are fast. The next question is Price. Price is the key. Arguably, if you were to place two LTE iPhones next to each other (AT&T and Verizon), you probably would not be able to tell the difference without a speed test. So, to me, Price wins.

 

[nylonsteel]

re original article

vz still profits from screwing customers - iphone or not

 

[Therbo]

I can't remember if this is true or not, but it was discussed at length in a prior thread.

I just laugh because I wonder what would have happened if the original iPhone had been released on AT&T and Verizon simultaneously. Remember, the android world really took off as a result of the Moto Droid marketing campaign pushed heavily by Verizon when they rejected the iPhone.

Droid had nothing todo with Android taking off, heck it wasn't even released worldwide due to it using incompatible old tech.

HTC & Samsung are responsible for Android taking off.

 

[AustinIllini]

Droid had nothing todo with Android taking off, heck it wasn't even released worldwide due to it using incompatible old tech.

You can't possibly believe that, can you? The "DROID" name was the opposite of iPhone upon its release. The "iDont" commercials were everywhere.

http://blog.flurry.com/bid/31410/Day-74-Sales-Apple-iPhone-vs-Google-Nexus-One-vs-Motorola-Droid

Droid had EVERYTHING to do with android hitting it big

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

To be honest the LTE thing should be no surprise. Something that seems to have been lost in the geek world recently is there's more to a device than just specs and features. How many average users really care about LTE? Heck, how many geeks would actually fully utilise LTE if they had it? The overall experience of using a handset, from the design all the way through to the ecosystem that surrounds it, is far more important to the mass market these days than a feature check list. The only thing, really, that trumps it is price and as Apple keep moving handsets down to lower price points they're addressing that issue.

Still think the next big 'holy GOD' quarter for iPhone sales will be when the iPhone 5 comes out. Not for the 5 itself, though that will likely be massive, but because if they stick to current patterns the iPhone 4 becomes the bottom end device and that will be a huge draw at that money.

While I'm no analysts, I'd say this somewhat under-represents the intrinsic value the average smartphone customer places on data and speed, both of which are primary selling points for LTE.

Almost all the current data represents that the average first-time smartphone buyer is buying the device not for voice calls, but for data. That may be as simple as text messaging, but for most, its to be "connected" to the Net. If you didn't care about data, you'd not be shopping for a SmartPhone.

So I think LTE is being marketed very, very effectively. I'd say data packages are being marketed very effectively...you can't even buy a SmartPhone at Verizon or AT&T without coughing up for a data package that is in many cases equal in price to the monthly voice/text package.

Speed does matter to the average consumer. To an iPhone 4S customer at Verizon (I am one), it obviously wasn't the deciding factor. I could have had LTE speeds with any number of Android units but I wanted the iOS platform that I had already invested in over at AT&T for several years prior. I was even willing to "downgrade" my user experience just a bit as I lost simultaneous voice+data. But for a HUGE portion of the population, they aren't even USING voice any longer. Its all about the data.

I wouldn't sell LTE that short.

 

[mikejoann98]

Your not telling the whole picture.

Yeah I wouldn't worry about anybody leaving AT&T anytime soon. When Verizon got the iPhone people said that AT&T subs would leave in droves and no one did. Including myself Verizon is nothing special and their network is far from reliable. Had them for 2 years and I was over charged, had no service when traveling within the US, had dropped calls galore and crappy customer service.

Macboy74,
You are so wrong about the service at Verizon Wireless. This is a fact I drive for a living and I travel through places like Newburgh, NY and up into Cheshire, CT and I live in Allentown, PA and I can tell you that I have AT&T service and on average dropped 7-12 calls a night and sometimes no service at all. Example I-84 NY state Mile post 50-56 No service at all on AT&T. I have full service including 4G LTE in the same area no dead spots at all while traveling 430 miles a night. The one difference that I see when people compare their service is that some people who live local might have great AT&T service while in their local area so they never get to see the service in a bigger picture. Verizon's service is by far way more superior then that of AT&T, Sprint PCS and T-Mobile combined. The maps do not lie go take a look. The fact is of your not with Big RED then your service is dead. This is face just ask anyone that truly treks for a living and is telling you the Gods Honest truth. Have a good day. Also I have had the iPhone when it first cam out then the 3G, 3GS, 4 and the 4S and I now have the HTC Rezound Android device and I really like the speed and freedom of the Android platform as I just got tired of the same old iPhone look and feel. It's a great phone so I don't knock it for that but way to slow. I send pictures often and they are approx 3-5 mb each and i send sometimes 4-5 at a time and on 3G that can take forever. That being said I send the same pics higher quality and in seconds on the 4G LTE network. I also like my droid phone just as much.

 

[hexonxonx]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about anybody leaving AT&T anytime soon. When Verizon got the iPhone people said that AT&T subs would leave in droves and no one did. Including myself Verizon is nothing special and their network is far from reliable. Had them for 2 years and I was over charged, had no service when traveling within the US, had dropped calls galore and crappy customer service.

I kind of agree. I have a 4S on Verizon and a 3GS on AT&T. The Verizon 4S has no data while I am at home where I get 2-3Mbps on AT&T while I am at home.

I did get overcharged for 1GB of data on Verizon my first month back in January. Why? I have no clue since I don't get data at home. Why did it show up on my bill three months later? Verizon had no clue and removed the charge.

I have to keep my AT&T iPhone activated due to the no data at home on Verizon.

 

[rb4havoc]

I think once my current contract with my Droid Bionic with Verizon is up, I might look at getting an LTE iPhone when they're available. I was sorta irked whenever their "big" announcement concerning the iPhone last year didn't even include LTE capabilities, so for me the announcement fell very short of even being par, considering the phone I ended up getting had better features and 4G capability.

The only thing that will probably suck for me is the fact that none of my Droid apps will transfer over to an iPhone, so I'd be out all that money. However, with the fact that I have unlimited everything, including unlimited data on Mobile Hotspot with Verizon, I wouldn't mind giving the iPhone a try, and I'll probably be hooked. I'm the only person literally in my entire family that has yet to get an iPhone :x

 

[JAT]

A person's phone is a very personal and individual extension of themselves. Back in the day nearly everyone had a different phone, and in the off chance of seeing somebody else with your phone it was a cool coincidence, "Hey look! I have the same phone as you!" Kinda like sharing the same birthday with someone or running into someone wearing the same tshirt. But if suddenly a HUGE percentage of your friends, your coworkers, and people you walk by in the streets start having the same birthday as you or start all wearing the exact same tshirt as you all the time, it starts to become a little disconcerting.

That is, quite simply, a frightening sentiment. You kids really need to find something inside to identify yourself, not the crap you wear/carry.

I think the more people with iPhones the better. What bothers me is the people that buy them just because everyone has them and they don't know how to use basic features.

That's no different than any other phone. Including home phones. And VCRs.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I could imagine a future with 100% iPhone marketshare and it looks great!

Why do people want this? If the iPhone does end up with 100% marketshare what is the incentive do they have to improve it at that point?

I understand how cool you might think it is if there were no choice and everyone had the same exact phone, but I guess I don't feel the same way.

 

[kdarling]

... revealing during the associated conference call that it activated 3.2 million iPhones during the quarter.

I would note that Verizon actually said "sold", not "activated".

Activations include previous phones being sold or given to someone else to activate again under a different phone number. Therefore activations are always an inflated (sometimes significantly so) count.

For example, AT&T always reports the number of iPhone activations, which makes it sound like they sold more than they really have.

 

[powerhx2]

There would be plenty of choice between say the iphone 4s, 4 and 3GS or what ever new models models they cook up. Since the majority of users choose apple it makes the most sense anyways.

 

[mjtomlin]

I would note that Verizon actually said "sold", not "activated".

Activations include previous phones being sold or given to someone else to activate again under a different phone number. Therefore activations are always an inflated (sometimes significantly so) count.

For example, AT&T always reports the number of iPhone activations, which makes it sound like they sold more than they really have.

People are using these numbers to extrapolate overall iPhones sales numbers by comparing them with Verizon's figures last quarter. Therefor, it doesn't matter if they are only activations or actual sales numbers as the numbers reported last quarter represented the same thing.
No one uses these numbers to determine how many iPhones were actually sold - it's just a guess. In the end, Apple reports those numbers, so there's no need to second guess what Verizon's numbers represent.

 

[kdarling]

No one uses these numbers to determine how many iPhones were actually sold - it's just a guess.

Since these are hard numbers, sure people use them to figure out totals.

In the end, Apple reports those numbers, so there's no need to second guess what Verizon's numbers represent.

It's okay, I'm not second guessing anything.

I'm only pointing out that it's incorrect to interchange "activated" and "sold" in a news article. They don't mean the same thing and can cause confusion later on in comparisons.

(Apple's numbers don't always help, since they include the number shipped to retailers, not just sold to end users at their own stores.)

 

[Michael Scrip]

I just dont get it. Iphone is a nice device but there is no choice at all. Everyone has the same look and feel. I think it would be rather disturbing to walk into a room and everyone is using the same device . Thats like everyone wearing the same clothes and there is no difference. That is very scary if you think about it. Apple is mass produce company like IBM and nothing is special about them. its like having no identity . This is just my opinion. Thank you.

I guess it really shows that people like using the iPhone... and not just looking at it.

Did people buy the Droid X because it had that awesome hump?