Will Verizon Remain on top If the iPhone Doesn’t Come in 2011?
Verizon Wireless is often touted as the largest wireless carrier in the United States and rightfully so, but the line dividing first place from second place is growing thinner and thinner. According to Apple Insider, some of the most recent figures place Verizon’s number of customers at 92.1 million compared to AT&T’s 90.1 million. A big part of the closing gap is AT&T’s exclusivity deal that has locked Apple’s iPhone into its network since 2007.
Verizon’s response to the iPhone has been heavy advertising of smart phones running Google’s Android operating system. However, since the iPhone 4 was released, even that isn’t helping Verizon much. Check out the chart from Asymco and ITG Investment Research below:
That put things into perspective better? Since the high point in August, Verizon’s smart phone sales have been dropping. With the iPhone 4s end of June release date and the supply problems Apple faced at first, it’s pretty clear that the more available the new iPhone has become, the less Verizon phones sold. This begs the question: what if Verizon doesn’t get the iPhone in 2011?
Verizon iPhone rumors have been circulating since before the first iPhone even came out in 2007. Who’s to say that Verizon really will get a version of the iPhone early next year? Neither company has made anything official and so far, the Verizon iPhone rumors are all just speculation. No leaked documents have surfaced and no executive has spoken off the record (though the WSJ and some other big papers have run stories claiming Verizon is getting the iPhone next year). Can Verizon remain on top if it doesn’t get an iPhone? With its declining smart phone sales and AT&T’s strong work towards improving its own wireless network, the balance appears to be shifting quickly towards AT&T’s favor.
Don’t get me wrong. I want a Verizon iPhone as much as anyone but I will believe it when I see it. I’ve been disappointed before and I don’t know if I can survive another year waiting for a Verizon iPhone. Verizon might not be able to keep its place on top without it.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Will AT&T become the largest carrier in the U.S. if Verizon doesn’t get the iPhone soon? It’s more likely than you think and Apple will be the one deserving the credit.
Tags: rumor, market share, carrier news, verizon iphone, Apple iPhone
The person who wrote this is like most people who ran out and bought the iphone. Just because at&t has about the same amout of subsribers as verizon does not mean they are just as good as service provider as verizon. People I know with the iphone always complain of the sevice and consumer reports has at&t ranked dead last as far as the foukpr major carriers. Apparantly the person who wrote this is caught in the iphone hype like most people and never picked up a droid. True iphone has more apps than the android system but its been out longer. So people need to do their homework and try both phones out before th hey decide.
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I know for a fact that my brother, his wife and my cousin (all iPhone users for years) are anxiously awaiting the Verizon iPhone to be unveiled so they can get as far away from AT&T as possible. AT&T’s service is still weak, or completely nonexistent in San Francisco at my brother’s house in the Haight-Ashbury district. If you can’t provide good service in a major technology-inclined city, then what good are you?
As a 10-year Verizon customer and no fan of Apple, and as a person who’s never owned a smartphone, I can wait forever for Verizon to get the iPhone. The current crop of Verizon Android phones don’t do it for me because they’re either running 2.1 (blech) or no single phone has the full set of features that I want. And as for the next generation of my current phone (Samsung Alias 2), all they did was change the color to black, re-name it as the Zeal and shat it back out into the market with the exact same 2.5 year old technology. I’m not shacking up with the same outdated phone all over again.
So, my wait for a suitable smartphone marches on. I wouldn’t mind an iPhone or an Android that’s running version 2.3 with a full set of features that really complete the phone. None of these exist yet though…but I can wait.
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I’m sorry Verizon but, as it turns out, 5 years will be the limit of my patience. If a Verizon iphone isn’t available when my contract expires in May I will go month to month until the iPhone 5 and I WILL switch to AT&T.
The golden rule of business: If you don’t give your customers what they want your competition will.
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My contract with ATT has expired as of 4 months ago. I am currently an iphone 3G user and have loved my iphone, but have been very unhappy with AT&Ts cell service. If an announcement isn’t made in the next 30 days that Verizon will have an iphone, I’m going to go back to AT&T to buy an iphone 4. I want to be a Verizon customer, but if they cant give me what I want, then I will have to stay where I am.
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I’ll be leaving AT&T in Jan 2011 regardless of a Verizon iPhone. I have an iPhone 4 now and the previous versions before that. I can’t handle the EXTREMELY poor service (if you want to call 5 to 10 dropped or failed calls per day service) anymore. Love the iPhone but AT&T is has become an embarrassment to my business. I need dependable, quality, reliable cellular service and AT&T is none of those.
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I own a Verizon Blackberry and a apple Itouch…to say I’m sick of having my music in one and making calls and checking my email on the other is an understatement…after 7 years, if the V IPhone doesn’t come out by Q1 2011…I’ll have to go with AT&T.
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Verizon will always be on top, even if they never got the iphone. They own the entire U.S. geographic network. Unless you live your entire life in the shadow of an ATT cell tower (few and far between), you’re going to want Verizon. ATT just can’t compete on geographic coverage area. For those of you who don’t know, ATT only has coverage in areas of high demographic density, leaving big holes all over the country. To borrow from another slogan: “It’s not the device, stupid! It’s the network”
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I am only not changing from Verizon to see if they get the Iphone and also hold their unlimited data plan at $30. If they do not get the Iphone or get it and raise their data plan or install a data limit, I’m going to AT&T.
Sick of the rumors!
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I think your chart is skewed because late summer/ early fall when verizon smart phone sales start to drop was when the verizon iphone rumors first got real serious. My own verizon contract is up and ready to be renewed/ get a new phone for the next two years. But with these rumors flying around I’m going to wait at least another 6 months for an iphone before I settle for an android phone on verizon.
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There will be NO iPhone on Verizon in 2011.
The iPhone does not have 700mhz (LTE) capabilities.
Thus no voice and data at the same time. Plus
Verizon 3g speed is Slow.
Sorry. Maybe with iPhone 5.
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im thinking about leaveing your service is starting to suck too and was was with that $10 extra a month thing that was really stupid sometimes desperate calls DON’T call for desperate measures.Just do your company and clients a favor get the iphone.Or eventually you will be left in the past.With dinosaurs of clients………..
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Yeah I’m pretty much fed up with the B.S. I’ve decided if Verizon AND Apple can’t get theit act together, I am moving to Sprint so that neither of them get my money.
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Anonymous Reply:
December 28th, 2010 at 11:40 am
@Jim, Sprint is the worst. I got away from them to go to Verizon and it was the best decision ever.
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Don’t know how long but I seen the ipad selling in Verizon store now. I hope they do get it ,for I dislike the ideal going to Att
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Verizon is shooting themselves in the foot. They are going to lose the top spot due to their own ignorance. If Verizon don’t get the iPhone by the next iPhone update I don’t think anyone who wants a iPhone for Verizon will stay with verizon even for the verizon’s next generation network which is going to fail.
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For me I have 5 Verizon phones on my account and this is Verizons last chance I have been waiting long enough! Do it or loose it (my loyalty)
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I had an iphone and loved it but had to give it up because AT&T’s service was so bad in my area. I could not get service in my house. I went back to Verizon and got a Blackberry. If Verizon comes out with an iphone, I will definitely move to that, but I will not go back to AT&T. What good is a phone without phone service!
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I have an andriod phone and I am here to tell that is is mediocre at best. The iphone is a better product and i will have to switch to att is verizon does not get iphone!
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It will be a big disappointment if Verizon chooses to not have the iPhone available in 2011. The CEO made the mistake once back in 2007. He should not make the same mistake again 4 years later.
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It’s coming, just a matter of weeks.
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I’m getting an iphone with or without Verizon, however I’d prefer to have it with Verizon but I am only going to wait for so long….
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Ditto. I still have an old LG flip phone with no internet or email because I have been holding, and holding, and holding… out for the iPhone on Verizon. If there isn’t something concrete about it by next February/March I will have to go back to AT&T. BTW if Verizon really thinks Droid can beat iPhone long term they are dreaming.
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I personally feel that a nice blackberry, such as the bold, is good enough. I currently own a blackberry and I love it, I of course would like a iPhone, but the torch would be nice too.
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Had AT&T offered 2 things when I went to ask about the i phone 4, they would already be my provider for cell and home cable and internet, First offer and unlimited data plan, second don’t hard push sales about other offered products you have till you secure me as a customer. Not sure how long I can hold out waiting for verizon
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My contract with Verzion was up last month, I’ve been with them for 9 years. Verizon has been calling me to see if I want to re-up and I keep telling them I’m giving them a few more months and then I’m outta here for the iPhone. I’m on a mac at home and I’ve been waiting, but my patience is just about out. I think they’ll be sorry if they don’t make something happen soon.
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Anonymous Reply:
December 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 pm
@Jason, me too!
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Yes, I will leave Verizon for sure next year if they don’t get the iPhone
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