BusinessInsider is reporting that lineups for the Verizon iPhone 4 have been underwhelming.
The lines, so far, are not very long. (And some are laughably short.) But that's not entirely surprising, given that it is FREEZING outside in many cities; that online pre-orders have already started shipping to peoples' homes and offices; and that this is only kind-of halfway a new iPhone.
RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky offered some reasons for why the Verizon iPhone 4 launch might not perform as well as the AT&T one.
● The iPhone 4 at Verizon is new, but not novel (vs. when AT&T first launched its version of the iPhone 4).
● A lot of existing Verizon customers with Google (GOOG) Android phones are still on contract.
● AT&T offered customers an early upgrade option; Verizon did not.
● There are a lot of AT&T iPhone owners who might like to switch, but are still on contract.
● Verizon's data plan ($30/mos.) is more expensive than AT&T's $25 and $15 offerings.
● AT&T's first-quarter iPhone 4 sales covered 13 weeks vs. Verizon's 7 weeks.
● Some potential Verizon customers are holding out for the iPhone 5, expected to arrive this summer.
It is a bit strange that the line ups are so short considering Verizon announced its most successful first day of sales in the history of the company after it sold out of iPhone 4 pre-orders in less than one day.
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The lines, so far, are not very long. (And some are laughably short.) But that's not entirely surprising, given that it is FREEZING outside in many cities; that online pre-orders have already started shipping to peoples' homes and offices; and that this is only kind-of halfway a new iPhone.
RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky offered some reasons for why the Verizon iPhone 4 launch might not perform as well as the AT&T one.
● The iPhone 4 at Verizon is new, but not novel (vs. when AT&T first launched its version of the iPhone 4).
● A lot of existing Verizon customers with Google (GOOG) Android phones are still on contract.
● AT&T offered customers an early upgrade option; Verizon did not.
● There are a lot of AT&T iPhone owners who might like to switch, but are still on contract.
● Verizon's data plan ($30/mos.) is more expensive than AT&T's $25 and $15 offerings.
● AT&T's first-quarter iPhone 4 sales covered 13 weeks vs. Verizon's 7 weeks.
● Some potential Verizon customers are holding out for the iPhone 5, expected to arrive this summer.
It is a bit strange that the line ups are so short considering Verizon announced its most successful first day of sales in the history of the company after it sold out of iPhone 4 pre-orders in less than one day.
Read More