Verizon iPhone Sales Barely Topping AT&T iPhone Sales at Apple Stores?

[newagemac]

So San Francisco and New York (and AT&T's poor coverage in those particular media centers) don't make up the entire United States? Who woulda thunk it?

Let the New York media tell it, everyone in the U.S. loves Verizon and hates AT&T. Obviously that's not actually true.

Still though, AT&T and Verizon are near neck and neck in total subscribers. Therefore whoever the heck thought that would somehow translate in the Verizon version significantly outselling the AT&T version clearly does not have a clue about making sales predictions based on available data.

 

[mefck]

I do not find this surprising at all.
The Verizon iPhone is as one other user put it "castrated".

It just does not deliver in speed and full capabilities like it should.

You took what he/she said out of context.

 

[mattwallace24]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)

I think most people are missing the point.

The issue isn't that Verizon is not significantly outselling AT&T during their launch month. It's that they are selling than what both Apple and Verizon forecasted.

Is Apple still making net new $? Definitely. Just not as much as they or the analysts thought

Just thirty days ago if you read the analysts' blogs or this forum, you'd have sworn all 90M plus AT&T would be standing in long lines outside Verizon stores begging to get a Verizon iPhone.

Unrealistic expectations? Probably. But at the end if the day, Apple, AT&T, and Verizon are publically traded companies and expectations matter.

 

[JGowan]

First, this BGR story is based on the sales of 5 stores. FIVE. F-I-V-E 5 stores. This is not a story. Sorry. But in humoring BGR:

I think some of this can just be attributed to ignorance. There are a lot of defectors from T-Mobile and Sprint (and those currently with Verizon) who just don't know the typical Apple-June-iPhone timetable. They're not tech geeks and they probably don't even read tech sections in newspapers. They know about the Verizon iPhone either because they saw a commercial or they simply got lucky when they walked into the Verizon store.

AT&T customers have learned the ropes. They've traded up a couple of times now. They got lucky a time or two when AT&T let them trade up early. They know of June iPhones.

Contracts. Some people are too cheap to break theirs. The situation is just not dire enough to have to jump early so they decide to bide their time.

There are places where Verizon and AT&T are fairly equal. Perhaps some people would rather have faster internet and be able to talk/use data simultaneously. So -- depending on where this "study" was done, it's about equal because service is about equal.

Finally, there's some AT&T customers who have a family plan that is about the right amount of money. They don't like the dropped calls, but are frankly too busy to go through the hassle of changing the whole stinking mess. If a Verizon rep would come to their home, maybe. I know... this is me. If my service was 3G AND just a bit better/reliable, I would stay -- HOWEVER -- THIS EDGE MOTHERFER IS LEAVING IN JUNE, BEOTCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ryannel2003]

I would be one of the people with a Verizon iPhone 4 if it had come out earlier... I just upgraded to a Droid Incredible in November so I'm going to be with it for the next 2 years which is no big deal, but I really wanted an iPhone. I'm on a family plan with 4 people and the earliest upgrade is 2012, so by that time I'm sure the phones will be even better than they are now.

 

[Aduntu]

The bottom line is people may be waiting or they may have just been talking out of there rear ends. Nobody can definitively say anything other than people aren't buying Verizon iPhones. The rest is speculation.

Everything you are basing your claims off of is speculation. There has been no official release of sales numbers, so you are just as clueless as the rest of us, but instead you're using facts you've made up. A lot of people are buying Verizon iPhones. The iPhone sold more units on its first day at Verizon than any other phone in Verizon history, including Android. How can that possibly equate to "people aren't buying Verizon iPhones?"

 

[cherry13bomb]

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of potential Verizon customers are waiting until June to see if the iPhone 5 merges both phones.

That's what I'm doing. My last New Every Two isn't till the end of April, so I'm holding out for that and to see what (if anything) happens in June. Don't get me wrong, I really want to go buy it now.

 

[NoExpectations]

First, this BGR story is based on the sales of 5 stores. FIVE. F-I-V-E 5 stores. This is not a story. Sorry. But in humoring BGR:

What about this store?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUaFywhywjA

How embarrassing for Apple.

 

[bakerzdosen]

I've had every AT&T iPhone and have always suffered through Edge speeds and poor coverage area. Those days are finally over thanks to Verizon.

Edge speeds aren't that different from Verizon's 3g speeds...

I'm surprised that more people don't use AT&T's Edge network with their iPhones. If you can sacrifice a little speed and the ability to use data and voice simultaneously for rock-solid reliability (ala Verizon) then Edge is a fantastic option.

With that said, this (the article) doesn't surprise me at all either. I've been patiently waiting for an iPhone 5 - to the point that I actually dropped my iPhone about a month ago and it disabled the microphone somehow. I could have said the word and received an iPhone 4 the next day, but I've dealt with the hassle of always having my BT headset with me for a month, and will continue to do so until June. If I'm willing to do that, you can bet there are others willing to put up with [whatever] until June to get an iPhone 5. If you're stuck with a piece of technology for 2 years, it's worth waiting to get the latest and (hopefully) greatest.

As for me, I can't see the point of getting a Verizon iPhone if you're already on AT&T. Especially if you frequently travel internationally (like I do). I travel about 30% of the time and the only place I've had major issues with AT&T (if you include edge) is eastern South Dakota, and I don't exactly frequent the place...

 

[Centient]

I would be one of the people with a Verizon iPhone 4 if it had come out earlier... I just upgraded to a Droid Incredible in November so I'm going to be with it for the next 2 years which is no big deal, but I really wanted an iPhone. I'm on a family plan with 4 people and the earliest upgrade is 2012, so by that time I'm sure the phones will be even better than they are now.

How do you like the Incredible? Perhaps most importantly, how is the battery life?

 

[Aduntu]

Edge speeds aren't that different from Verizon's 3g speeds...

I'm surprised that more people don't use AT&T's Edge network with their iPhones. If you can sacrifice a little speed and the ability to use data and voice simultaneously for rock-solid reliability (ala Verizon) then Edge is a fantastic option.

With that said, this (the article) doesn't surprise me at all either. I've been patiently waiting for an iPhone 5 - to the point that I actually dropped my iPhone about a month ago and it disabled the microphone somehow. I could have said the word and received an iPhone 4 the next day, but I've dealt with the hassle of always having my BT headset with me for a month, and will continue to do so until June. If I'm willing to do that, you can bet there are others willing to put up with [whatever] until June to get an iPhone 5. If you're stuck with a piece of technology for 2 years, it's worth waiting to get the latest and (hopefully) greatest.

As for me, I can't see the point of getting a Verizon iPhone if you're already on AT&T. Especially if you frequently travel internationally (like I do). I travel about 30% of the time and the only place I've had major issues with AT&T (if you include edge) is eastern South Dakota, and I don't exactly frequent the place...

My two years of experience with AT&T's EDGE network is nowhere close to Verizon's 3G network. You're clueless.

 

[PhoneI]

i wonder why verizon was so eager to jump on the 4 so bad? i'm sure they were aware of a common yearly refresh coming 6 months down the road.

..unless maybe the 4 is all verizon is getting for now?

Because they will sell millions of iPhone 4's before the summer. This will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. That's why Verizon jumped on the iPhone 4.

 

[nStyle]

what's with the at&t vs verizon vs at&t vs verizon bashing?

is this not about more iphones and choice for the us consumers?

I agree. Loyalty towards these corporate giants at the level of a consumer is completely pathetic. Who cares who has an AT&T iPhone and who has the Verizon iPhone?

If a user doesn't care about talking and using data at the same time, and Verizon works in their area better, who cares if they have a ViPhone?

It's a useless and undirected debate. What good will befall you if you stick with AT&T for 30 years? Or Verizon? Nothing.

 

[14ner]

The numbers are very simple to explain:

At&t offers early upgrades, my wife and I had 6 months left on our contracts and were giving the chance to upgrade for free with a new two year contract.

Verizon is being very strict. I have a friend who has only a month left on his contract and they won't budge on the deal. A possible explanation for this is Verizon is concerned about losing money on the deal. When the iPhone was announced Verizon also canceled their new every two policy where a customer gets $100 credit.

Yes it is believed that At&t lost money on the deal at first when they launched the phone but made up for it in data plans during the two years. I just think Verizon is being very strict so they don't lose to much on the deal upfront.

 

[whatever]

Stop the presses!

When did the iPhone become available on Verizon?

Was this announced?

I didn't even hear a rumor about this.

Wow, they're really sly.

 

[mstrze]

Unlikely but if this happens to stay steady...it's not a bad thing..basically means that Apple is doubling their sales.

We don't know that for certain. Maybe the VZN phone is cannibalizing half of the usual iPhone sales. I would like to see sales data for the week leading up to the VZN phone release. Maybe the stores were already selling 1100-1500 iPhones each day?

 

[nStyle]

Stop the presses!

When did the iPhone become available on Verizon?

Was this announced?

I didn't even hear a rumor about this.

Wow, they're really sly.

uforreal?

 

[Nem Wan]

it's not realistic to expect a big wave of instant switchers.

The most enthusiastic iPhone fans got a new AT&T iPhone 4 when it came out last summer and are locked into AT&T contract. The same type of person would also be inclined to wait a few months for an iPhone 5.

 

[theBB]

Unlikely but if this happens to stay steady...it's not a bad thing..basically means that Apple is doubling their sales. How many phone makes can claim that?

I agree. It is quite a spin to call this disappointing. Poor Apple, it is only doubling its sales.... Besides, 86% of customers are new to iPhone and 55% of the customers are moving from rival platforms. That is far better than getting already existing customers just switch carriers.

 

[Gryzor]

In percentage terms those are significant, so why the bashing?

 

[kirk26]

Yea, I knew that users would give an excuse for Verizon while they diss AT&T.

 

[theBB]

First, this BGR story is based on the sales of 5 stores. FIVE. F-I-V-E 5 stores. This is not a story. Sorry.

Have you heard of the word "statistics"? How about "sampling"?

 

[Ziger Woods]

I dont see why people are suprised more people arent buying a 7 month old phone. My verizon contract has been up since November (I have the droid and i paid an extra $100 to only have a 1 yr commitment, so i could get the iphone if it came out)

As much as I want the iPhone, I'm not going to be stuck with that old of a phone for 1.5-2 more years. I'm waiting the 4 months for a new one.

I'm gonna laugh when all of these type of people realize verizon won't get tha new iPhone till Feb!!! What then!?

 

[xraytech]

Seems to me those complaining about AT&T are in reality a very vocal minority.

I was expecting at least 2 Verisons for every AT&T.

 

[Bickity]

iPhone 5!

No surprise here, everyone is waiting for summer for the iPhone 5 if they are smart.