Verizon iPhone Launches to Short Lines, Cold Temperatures

I wouldn't have minded getting one but at -8 this morning. No. I'll continue my contract with AT&T till this summer I think. No dropped calls in over a year.
 
How come no one else has mentioned this yet. There were short lines 'cause people want to SURF and CHAT on the iphone at the same time! And AT&T is faster !
 
They just did a news bit on how there were long lines at the Verizon store and mentioned on their own website about the iLounge article and how verizon isn't mentioning the $35 activation fee.

Maybe they did go looking for a store with long lines and found one. I have no clue on where there is a Verizon store near me.
 
NoExpectations said:
Sounds like AT&T is flexible...I bet if you called AT&T and threatened to go to another carrier, they'd give you that unlimited plan.
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Tried, no dice. Not being able to surf + talk is no big deal as this feature IS available on the VeriPhone as long as you're on Wifi, and I'd say I have WiFi access 90% of the time anyway. :D I'm just glad I'll be able to get unlimited data. Who knows, hopefully I'll get grandfathered in a few years to an LTE iPhone which WILL be able to talk + surf at the same time and keep my unlimited data plan. Either way, I'm happy. Verizon, here I come.
 
k2spitfire88 said:
I believe they announced this is the last time you can use the "New Every Two" deal on Verizon. Highly disappointing, but that throws a wrench in the whole upgrade cycle you outlined.
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It doesn't change much.

New Every Two was an extra discount on _top_ of the usual upgrade pricing.

So he's right... in 20 months he gets the full upgrade price just like with ATT, or with Verizon before they added in the NE2 stuff a few years ago.
 
I don't buy the lines are short because everyone is waiting for the Verizon iPhone 5.

I get that most users of this board, which is a Mac board, understand the iPhone roadmap. I get that the average Verizon user of this board may delay their buying decision based on a late year iPhone 5. The people here actively reading and posting are not your average wireless consumer.

Most people today still buy their phone based on what colors it comes in, is it shiny, or does it fit in their front pocket.

The average consumer either wants an iPhone from AT&T or Verizon or they don't want an iPhone. Product roadmaps don't factor in to their decision.

Forget about the iPhone 5 saving Verizon's iPhone experience. They better get LTE everywhere quick. Even IF the iPhone 5 can switch from LTE back to CDMA, that would be one hell of a speed drop every time you go from a LTE tower to a non-LTE tower. AT&T will have the same issue, but to a much smaller degree. They have HSPA+ as a step between their current HSPA 7.2 and LTE, so the user experience will be better.
 
Spooner83 said:
How come no one else has mentioned this yet. There were short lines 'cause people want to SURF and CHAT on the iphone at the same time! And AT&T is faster !
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I'd like to see a poll on how many people really need that option. I can imagine a scenario when I'd need it, but by the time I remembered it I'd probably have hung up already.

And as for being "faster" I can talk just as fast on a Verizon phone as I can on ATT or any other.

AS for there being no lines there are likely a few reasons:
1. Every little rumor of Verizon iphone was proclaimed incorrectly as the definitive date that it was coming on a several occasions. People got tired of it and moved on. It was going to be spring 2010, then summer, then November... And i'm only going back one year. After a while people just shrugged it off and stopped looking for it. Too many times these little items of news were turned into false time tables when they should have been simply noted as buzz without hyping a particular date.

2. Steve Jobs didn't make the announcement. Given the burnout for most interested people on this topic due to reasons discussed in item #1, this just added to the news going under the radar more than usual for an Apple announcement of this magnitude.

3. Economic times. Given the long time people had to think about this, many likely decided to hold off in these poor economic times. This is probably for the best. Had there not been a build up of rumors oover the years, we might have seen spontaneous sales to people who probably need to watch their budget right now.

4. New iphone on the horizon.
 
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I never understood why people stand in lines for apple products - I love them and I want to have them the first day they are out - but I always pre-order online and have the delivered to my warm office, no need to wait in cold lines, and usually I get the gadgets on release day.
 
If you waited for a few years for an iPhone, it is totally logical to wait 4 more months for the next update. People saying you "may as well wait for iPhone 8 then" aren't being reasonable. Getting locked on a phone for 2 years that many will be replacing in 4 months has its downside. Plus, the iPhone 4 will be the $99 phone in 4 months when the 5 comes out, and the 3G variant will go away. So waiting, to improve the resale value of your phone if you were to upgrade after one year also, is logical. Additionally, you will be on a long term upgrade cycle. If you get a 4 now, your next upgrade will be in the final 4 months of that upgrade cycle also . . . . And so on . . . .
 
I went this morning. Arrived at 6:25 am in 17 degree temps (that's cold for Texas). I was number 5. The Verizon people met me at my car and gave me my number and some paperwork to start on. There were about 15 - 20 people there at 7:00 when the doors opened.

I was glad there wasn't a large crowd. I got in and out in short order and made it home in plenty of time to shower before my 8:30 video conference.

I thought about waiting until the iPhone 5 was out, but my current Nokia was the worst phone in the world and the reception at my house was poor. If I couldn't have gotten an iPhone from Verizon by the end of March, I had already decided I was going to go back to the evil empire (ATT) again. Thank God I didn't have to do that.

But I agree that competition is good. I noticed ATT has priced matched Verizon on their plan effective today. Just like ATT to treat their customers like their under a contract.
 
0815 said:
I never understood why people stand in lines for apple products - I love them and I want to have them the first day they are out - but I always pre-order online and have the delivered to my warm office, no need to wait in cold lines, and usually I get the gadgets on release day.
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I was moving my number from another carrier. I didn't want to take a chance on screwing that up with a pre-ordered phone or one mailed to my house. Only Apple was doing the reserve it at the store deal and I wanted Verizon to move my number. I went to the Verizon store for that reason. I don't let the cell phone companies touch my phone and I don't let the Apple people touch my cell service. The one time ATT touched my old iPhone, they screwed it up and the problem was their network, not my phone. Still took 30 minutes to get it straightened out.
 
This is not a "failed Apple product launch." The iPhone 4 launch was last June. This was just a launch on a new network. Big difference there. I'm not buying all this "failed launch" stuff. Wait for the numbers. We already know that it broke all Verizon's sales records last week. And today it was available at many more places than it was when it was first released.
 
A few notes

I'm in Orange County

I have two iPhone lines with AT&T - one has unlimited data, the other doesn't - rather than be stuck at 2 gigs a month, I took one of my lines to Verizon today and got the iPhone CDMA with unlimited data

First off - here in the OC, regarding the Verizon iPhone, both the voice quality is better and the DATA IS BETTER - much much faster, in comparison to my ATT iPhone

I'm still using my ATT iPhone though because I love to talk & surf, but I'm hoping that will be integrated eventually with Verizon (and I didn't wanna miss the boat on unlimited data)

Otherwise - the folks at the Verizon store were VERY kind, but they were clearly bummed out - hardly anyone in line and tons of phones left - however, they expected to sell out this evening, but it definitely WAS NOT like the iPhone 4 release for AT&T

I think the reports that Verizon's data network was slower SEVERELY damaged Verizon - I know some friends who were gearing to switch and stopped based on that - I also think the not being able to 'surf and talk' also hurt

Anyways - I got unlimited data on both lines - I couldn't be happier! Hope everyone else came out well
 
k2spitfire88 said:
Wrong. The iPhone was torn apart the other week, and it has a dual band CDMA/GSM world mode chip, or something to that effect. My best guess is that the next iPhone will be the same model, regardless of carrier, and it will be able to be used worldwide.



I believe they announced this is the last time you can use the "New Every Two" deal on Verizon. Highly disappointing, but that throws a wrench in the whole upgrade cycle you outlined. Theoretically, if the next iPhone uses the same data plan, you can just pay for a new iPhone, and put it in the place of your current iPhone, much like many customers do on AT&T
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With the elimination of the "New Every Two" promotion, it makes you wonder if perhaps two-year contracts may be replaced by one-year contracts, beginning with the next iPhone (with both Verizon and AT&T). Personally, I think two-year contracts are archaic and I think Apple also believes that. Years ago, it made sense, but now with rapid pace of technology, it doesn't. It's time telcoms in the US join telcoms from other parts of the world. Another possible reason to avoid the Verizon iPhone 4.

I'm a Verizon customer on the fence about getting a iPhone 4. I don't need "unlimited data" and would prefer a tiered data plan of maybe 1GB. Actually 500MB might even be enough for me. I would love to pay a little more for my phone and get a one-year contract. A 64GB Verizon iPhone 5 for $399 and a one-year contract would sound great to me. Then next year I pick up my 64GB iPhone 6 with LTE or just keep my iPhone 5 off-contract. No more of this being locked into a contract for two years (an eternity for tech) BS.
 
I'm the last person to defend Apple or Verizon, but maybe the small lines are due to Verizon customers (being smart) ordering the phone online to avoid waiting in the cold. Because as we all know, AT&T customers had to endure the bitter cold of summer for the iPhone 4 launch.
 
Roessnakhan said:
I'm the last person to defend Apple or Verizon, but maybe the small lines are due to Verizon customers (being smart) ordering the phone online to avoid waiting inthe cold. Because as we all know, AT&T customers had to endure the bitter cold of summer for the iPhone 4 launch.
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While online ordering did contribute, I think that many Verizon and potential Verizon customers find themselves in one of these two camps: 1) Those who don't want to pay the ETF for their current contract and 2) Those who are very aware that a new iPhone is inbound. Actually, many are probably in a camp that's a combo of those two.
 
I walked by the downtown Palo Alto Verizon store midday today; the temperature was probably around 65 degrees.

No line, inside just a bunch of Verizon sales associates milling about. They even had a queue set up outside, but no one waiting.
 
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