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

[iFrankie]

Everyone seems to be so confident that there's going to be a new Verizon iPhone in June, roughly 4 months after launch ViPhone 4.

Man I'd hate to be one of the early, uninformed adopters.

Either releases will be staggered (ATT in summer as usual, VZW in winter), or it will be a unified device usable on either network. The latter is more logical, and probably inevitable -- but is it really going to happen just four months after VZW's first iPhone launch? It boggles my simple mind that Apple/VZW would have spent the resources to launch a CDMA iPhone 4 if in fact there is going to be a new VZW-compatible iPhone only 4 months later.

I agree 100%.

It makes sense as far as release cycle is concerned to release a new iPhone this summer, but I'm really doubting they are going to stick to that schedule.

It's hard to imagine releasing a new phone a few months after doing a big release like this, even if it's for an older phone.

 

[geekgirrl]

I think most people are waiting for the iphone 5 and already have an iphone. As they said it wasnt a NEW iphone it was just the same iphone on a different carrier. Wait and watch to see what happens in June.
I may stay with AT&T as they have better service and options when outside the USA. IF that changes then I'm gone to Verizon.

 

[JAT]

Well well... Guess all the verizon iPhone threads weren't really worth it...

The number of pre-orders outweighs the number of MacRumors members by a factor of 10. The impact of the people here to companies like Verizon, ATT, and Apple is miniscule. Sorry.

 

[jamesryanbell]

I don't want anyone on Verizon thinking they have something better.

Remember, no data usage while on the phone, no care.

next thread.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Has the iNovelty-Gadget worn off? Or perhaps people are just waiting for the new version due this summer.

I say waiting. One of my friends just got the Verizon iPhone and I was floored. He'll probably be kicking himself.

Though we still don't know the terms of the Verizon/AT&T deal. I can't believe AT&T would give up time on their exclusive without a little give me. I'm wondering if Verizon will get the iPhone 5 at launch or have to wait 6 months or something. If that's the case, no reason not to upgrade. Apple would have been wise to say if that's the case. Might help drive sales now.

 

[reticulate]

Agreed - it's why I was OK going ahead and getting the Verizon iPhone 4 now. I figured I'll upgrade in 18 months when the iPhone 6 will probably be a radically different device. The iPhone 5 will be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

The more I look at the release schedules and sales numbers, the more I'm convinced we're not seeing something massive come mid-year. It serves Apple no good purpose to continue a staggered start 6-month break between GSM and CDMA handsets, for a company that is legendary for tight management of manufacturing and supply channels.

Further, If they go out and release a spectacular new CDMA and GSM (or unified) iPhone in June/July with a completely new design, then they've stuck Verizon customers like yourself on a weird and likely unpopular upgrade path whilst not really giving themselves any sort of advantage in that whole making good profit on hardware thing. This is assuming that at some point the hardware is unified across carriers, which I think we can call extremely likely.

I think if the iPhone 5 (or whatever they call it) was going to be huge and revolutionary, Apple would not have released the Verizon 4. They could easily eat 6 months of lost extra sales to have something for everyone mid-year that would line up with people's current contracts and buying habits. They'd easily make up the difference we're seeing with the Verizon launch, and more.

The only way this makes good sense is if the new phone isn't a generational leap over the one you can buy today.

 

[MacAddict1978]

What a useless point...By these numbers I roughly calculate that Verizon is outselling Att by an average of roughly 30%. I dont know about you, but if I outsell my competitor by that much, thats pretty good. This, considering that Iphone finally is available on Ver' only about 4months before an anticipated Iphone5, where many are just waiting for that to come out. Also, many dont want to pay that huge ETF to get the same phone. If Iphone4 would have sold to both carriers when it came out those numbers would have easily doubled for Verizon.

You LOUDLY miss the point. AT&T has had this device almost 9 months. Those are CURRENT AT&T sales on a provider people have had 9 months to go to for the iPhone. For Verizon subscribers, they never could get this phone before. That is indeed a weak showing especially when Verizon has 10 million more subscribers that AT&T. The expectations were to see numbers similar to last June when the phone launched. The average Joe isn't like us and aware of product cycles. They just see iPhone. I'm sure a new device coming is part of it, but considering AT&T is that close 9 months later.... says a lot.

 

[RochyA]

Att Cheaper plans

I was waiting for the Verizon Phone but as soon as it came out and the posted plans i noticed it would be way more expensive. Att has cheaper Text Plans , Free mobile to mobile (most of my friends have att) and also their plans are roll over. Funny but i ended up buying iPhone 4 ATT.

 

[lazyrighteye]

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.

This and just the fact a new device is just a few months away.
I still don't know why anyone would have jumped in on this iPhone with 5 on the horizon. I wonder if VZW will offer early 4 adopters some sort of easy upgrade path when 5 ships?

 

[pmz]

This isn't a surprise at all, which means the "predictions" were wild and inaccurate. I knew this would be the case, almost exactly, for the last 3 years of rumors. It's common sense to anyone with significant knowledge of marketing, and modern markets.

1. No one wants the iPhone 4 when it's about to go down in price by half and be kicked to the curb by iPhone 5.

2. Even fewer want the inferior product that is the iPhone on Verizon. It's inferior in every single way.

There are only a handful of people in this country that both A. Have to Have an iPhone, and B. Live in an area where AT&T is out performed by Verizon.

Those people pre-ordered, and now the noise is over.

I'm sure once iPhone 5 comes out Verizon will see another big surge, but nothing more than what AT&T will see, and nothing they haven't seen every year for the last 4 years.

 

[bvz]

In your experience how is the battery life on the Droid X?

I'm testing out an Optimus V and the battery life is pretty bad IMO. Drained from full charge in 12 hours with no usage, and no wi-fi, cellular data, blue tooth, etc... turned on. I get about 4-5 with real world usage.

We're moving to VZ, and my wife is pretty set on continuing forward with the iPhone 4. I'm kind of digging the Android OS. Not quite as refined as Apple, but it's definitely got its charms. The phone itself is a little on the cheap side, but then again it didn't cost much. I'd consider a jump to a higher caliber Android phone, especially if the battery life is decent.

I'm pretty happy with the battery life. It is at least as good as the life on my old 3G when it first came out. I am not a heavy user during the day, though, so I might not represent a normal usage scenario. If I am talking a lot or using the data plan a lot then I will have to charge it up at the end of the day (I normally am at about 70-80% with very light usage). I keep bluetooth off, and gps off (you have to manually turn it on and off unlike iOS which is kind of dumb), but 3G is on all the time and so is WiFi. I keep the brightness at the minimum indoors and at the highest outdoors. The DroidX also has a replaceable battery unlike the iPhone, so I could - if it was an issue for me - get a second battery. Another nice thing is the memory card. The DroidX will accept up to a 32 GB card, so I can always upgrade my phone to more memory in the future if I so desire.

What originally sold me on this phone was that it was $10 on special (cyber monday) but then I wound up actually liking the build and shape and overall hardware better than my old 3G. Screen is definitely better for my eyes because it is bigger (which outweighed the higher pixel density of the iPhone 4). Build quality is high and it just feels better in my hand than my old 3G (less slippery, slight rubberized surface and the camera bulge is a natural place for my fingers to grasp it).

Android is a lot clunkier than iOS, and the phone does crash more often. For the average person, I think an iPhone might be a better fit (For most of my friends I still recommend an iPhone). But if you like to customize your phone then Android is much better. I have replaced the browser, email client, keyboard, lockscreen, etc. all just by downloading new apps (no jailbreak or root required - only takes seconds).

I also have a bunch of widgets on my home screens (I have it set up for 5) so that I can see any high priority emails right there, high priority to do items, frequent contacts, new text messages, data usage, news feeds etc.

These are two reasons I like the platform so much. My iPad, which I generally love, manages to frustrate me because I can't replace safari (which limits me to 8 open tabs), can't replace the keyboard (which is asinine for a screen that big), can't have my most important info right on the lock screen, and get badgered with the dumbest notification system this side of windows 3.1

If Apple ever addresses these issues I would then switch back immediately.

Oh. Also: Android is one ugly os. The good news is that you can make it so that it is much prettier than iOS. Look here: http://www.colormeandroid.com/category/screenshots/

Go to the screenshots and click on some of them (the site is kind of annoying in that you can't see the screen shot without clicking, but there are some really nice setups out there)

 

[bradl]

Funny that this thread comes up..

Sunday, while taking my SO in to her Genius Bar appointment, I noticed that there were Verizon reps working directly in the Apple Store. First time I actually had seen it. I initially thought that it was because a Verizon employee was on a break or something and went into the store to look at something.. But no, she was standing there, at the entrance, clipboard and all, waiting to pull customers over to her to get an iPhone at the store and taken care of directly by Verizon in the store.

Anyone else notice something similar at your local stores? I'm pretty sure AT&T will counter and do the same thing when the next phone comes up.. but is this a trend that may be happening soon? Should we start to see 3, Vodafone, Rogers, Telus, O2, Telstra, or Orange reps directly in the store when someone comes in to get an iPhone?

BL.

 

[JRoDDz]

For all you verizon people waiting until June.. I highly doubt Apple will release a Verizon version of their iPhone just 4 months after releasing the iPhone 4. If a June Iphone refresh comes along, I see it as being only AT&T with Verizon to follow later down the line.

 

[NoExpectations]

Trend

Though this is a small sample, the trend does not look good for Verizon. I thought "millions" of people were going to switch.


- Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539 DIFF=370
- Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680 DIFF=236
- Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471 DIFF=189
- Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701 DIFF=95
- Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618 DIFF=93

 

[MarximusMG]

Could it also be that Verizon customers are more prone to buying from the Verizon store instead of the Apple store?

This would indicate that Verizon sales are outstripping AT&T sales: http://labs.chitika.com/iZone/

Was just about to post the same thing. While this data is interesting, it doesn't take into account the purchases of iPhones that are made directly from the carriers. I was unhealthily excited about the Verizon iPhone's debut, and I bought it straight from Verizon, not Apple.

In other words...

These statistics are not representative of overall Verizon iPhone vs. AT&T iPhone sales.

 

[reticulate]

For all you verizon people waiting until June.. I highly doubt Apple will release a Verizon version of their iPhone just 4 months after releasing the iPhone 4. If a June Iphone refresh comes along, I see it as being only AT&T with Verizon to follow later down the line.

This is the simplest solution, but it makes me wonder - why release the Verizon iPhone 4 at all?

I mean, if you're months away from blowing the 4 out of the water with the 5, why not just wait and release both simultaneously? It's not going to make people switch from Android if Verizon customers are still stuck with an 18 month-old handset until January next year. Not to mention the people buying today are going to be pissed if a phone they could only very recently even buy is immediately outdated.

I still think we see a minor upgrade to the 4 mid year, bringing both products into sync. 2012 is when LTE penetration is going to be a bigger factor (not just in the US, but worldwide) and makes a perfect fit for a completely new phone.

 

[phillipduran]

Has the iNovelty-Gadget worn off? Or perhaps people are just waiting for the new version due this summer.

I think it might be that the ATT phone allows calls and data.

You go into a store to get the iPhone, and if making sustainable phone calls isn't really that important, then the ATT phone is the way to go.

 

[ten-oak-druid]

What a useless point...By these numbers I roughly calculate that Verizon is outselling Att by an average of roughly 30%. I dont know about you, but if I outsell my competitor by that much, thats pretty good. This, considering that Iphone finally is available on Ver' only about 4months before an anticipated Iphone5, where many are just waiting for that to come out. Also, many dont want to pay that huge ETF to get the same phone. If Iphone4 would have sold to both carriers when it came out those numbers would have easily doubled for Verizon.

I agree. Already the sales pace is the same. Watch over time how the numbers change.

I think overall the bigger issue will be the combined sales of both compared to the competition to the iphone.

 

[tigress666]

What a useless point...{snippity snip} Verizon.

Text too big, hurt my eyes, didn't read.

 

[SandynJosh]

30% ex-Android users moving to iPhone on Verizon? That's a big plus for Apple.

Admittedly, they might be Apple-fans who were tied to Verizon and couldn't get the iPhone previously.

Exactly. And some of us aren't so dollar foolish as to pay loads to get out of our old contracts. In time we'll get an iPhone on Verizon. It's still amazing how well the Verizon iPhone did. Considering the poor timing so close to an expected new iPhone release and the sub-zero weather at most sites... 3% of the market, not bad.

 

[NoExpectations]

Exactly. And some of us aren't so dollar foolish as to pay loads to get out of our old contracts. In time we'll get an iPhone on Verizon. It's still amazing how well the Verizon iPhone did. Considering the poor timing so close to an expected new iPhone release and the sub-zero weather at most sites... 3% of the market, not bad.

Yes, but after 5 days on the Market, AT&T is almost selling as many as Verizon (and the trend does not look good for Verizon). That is even more amazing considering that AT&T has been selling this phone for 8 months. I'd be interested to see the next 5 days.

 

[Darwing]

why would anyone leave AT&T for the IP4? It's an inferrior phone with VERIZON... non-GSM, NON-data&voice, Not unlockable... its stupid!

 

[xraydoc]

I dunno... I guess I was expecting roughly 50-50 in sales. Not sure that I'm surprised by these numbers. Did Verizon really think they were going to sell twice as many iPhones as AT&T does??

(happily using my VZW iPhone, by the way)

 

[whooleytoo]

Exactly. And some of us aren't so dollar foolish as to pay loads to get out of our old contracts. In time we'll get an iPhone on Verizon. It's still amazing how well the Verizon iPhone did. Considering the poor timing so close to an expected new iPhone release and the sub-zero weather at most sites... 3% of the market, not bad.

Yup. Much of the iPhone 4 hype is gone; AT&T benefited from the launch hype, Verizon are selling (essentially) a dated model; bearing in mind consumer electronics date very quickly.

The next iPhone iteration will reveal a lot more.

 

[cvballa]

For all you verizon people waiting until June.. I highly doubt Apple will release a Verizon version of their iPhone just 4 months after releasing the iPhone 4. If a June Iphone refresh comes along, I see it as being only AT&T with Verizon to follow later down the line.

I do not get why people think this!

They released the Verizon iPhone as soon as the exclusivity was ended with ATT. Thats why they did it! They didnt want to wait another 6 months and watch many Verizon customers adopt Android. No reason to wait when they can expand their presence.

Then wouldnt Verizon be pissed if ATT had a better phone before them?

It is just stupid to think that the next iPhone wont be Verizon compatible. The only question is will they integrate all the technology into one phone so they are compatible with both or manufacture two different phones.