Verizon iPhone sales - Good but less than expected

[Zen0]

Add this to the fact that people got tired of waiting and jumped on Android already. Even if they would pick an iPhone 4 over their Android device today, they might be locked in or just too lazy to switch.

I had a Droid and then dumped it happily for a $750 iPhone 4 a few days ago.

It's funny how 30% were Android users... it looks like most Android users on Verizon were settling for less for the time being.

 

[Zen0]

I'm off contract and could have switched, but where does that leave me when the new model iphone launches this summer? Locked into a contract or poorer after reselling a six month old phone, that's where. If the iphone 4gs/5 has LTE capacity, I'd really be kicking myself. There's no reason to make a move until they announce the new hotness, no matter how much the AT&T network fails in NYC.

If you're off contract, it makes more sense to wait now than to get a subsidized phone and renew.

If you're on contract, you could pay full price, sell it for a hit, and get the iPhone 5 or 4G or whatever at subsidized price when your contract is up (all timing).

But if you're happy with your current phone, better to just wait until Summer. If you're happy with your current phone and don't intend to get anything at all, better to renew your contract, get a new phone, and sell it for a profit for what would almost be like a year of free service.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Antenna defect is blown way out of proportion

Apple products are blown way out of proportion. :biggrin:

 

[Axon]

If you're off contract, it makes more sense to wait now than to get a subsidized phone and renew.

If you're on contract, you could pay full price, sell it for a hit, and get the iPhone 5 or 4G or whatever at subsidized price when your contract is up (all timing).

But if you're happy with your current phone, better to just wait until Summer. If you're happy with your current phone and don't intend to get anything at all, better to renew your contract, get a new phone, and sell it for a profit for what would almost be like a year of free service.

Forgot to mention I have the iphone 4. I could make some back in the aftermarket by selling my phone, but I'll also be locked into a two year deal or I'll be spending money just to sidegrade and probably lose $150. Better to wait.

 

[purbeast0]

Apple products are blown way out of proportion. :biggrin:

that doesn't even make sense lol.

 

[chocobosandwich]

The reason we have these stupid contracts is because of the way the US cell phone industry works. People are so used to the "free" phones that they get on contract. These same people never bothered to do the math and figure out that they're not actually getting a free phone. The worst part is if you have your own phone, or are off contract, you're still paying the contract price which in part adds in a percentage to cover subsidized phones.

The $600-700 pricetag is quite normal for any high end phone like the Galaxy S and HTC Desire HD as well, particularly outside the US. I also don't see why you are complaining about US cellphone contracts. Have you seen the prices for voice, text, and data in European countries? No all-you-can-eat unlimited buffets either. Most of them give out free phones as well, on-contract. Off-contract users in the US are NOT subsidizing other people's expensive phones. Prepaid off-contract is MUCH cheaper than contract prices.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The $600-700 pricetag is quite normal for any high end phone like the Galaxy S and HTC Desire HD as well, particularly outside the US. I also don't see why you are complaining about US cellphone contracts. Have you seen the prices for voice, text, and data in European countries? No all-you-can-eat unlimited buffets either. Most of them give out free phones as well, on-contract. Off-contract users in the US are NOT subsidizing other people's expensive phones. Prepaid off-contract is MUCH cheaper than contract prices.

Right, there are subsidized contracts in the rest of the world. I see that, but people aren't jumping left and right primarily because it's ALL GSM. Meaning if I sign with Orange today or Taiwan Mobile or any other carrier, I'm free to bring an iPhone, get an iPhone, buy a Nexus One, buy a Desire HD, etc and slap in a SIM.

People don't switch around left and right. The reason people do so in the US is because of exclusive phones, non interoperating networks, etc. The closest you get is T-mo and AT&T but with different 3G bands, it's ugh. With VZW and Sprint you had an interoperable 3G network but neither network lets you use each other's phones, etc.

It's just stupid.

BTW, akugami, you don't save by bringing your own phone. You still have to pay up the ass. The benefit with AT&T is you can get away with the $15 / month plan, but even for 24 months, you don't make your money back.

But i do agrree. People thinking they deserve free phones is retarded. There's a reason the iPhone 2G came out at $599 and then later reduced to $399. Then the $199 spree came. Feature phones used to run $199 and now smartphones run $199. Seriously? How do carriers get that money back? Data plans, huge charges here, huge ETF increases.

So yeah, I wish people got the idea of getting unlocked phones and carriers got that through their head. Data costs should be fixed, not dependent on 3g, smartphone, 4g, etc. It should just be flat data charges (fine if you want tiered or metered, whatever, but it should be across the board charges). Get the whole subsidy fix out of people's heads.

 

[shortylickens]

Verizon's version of the iPhone 4 has fixed the antenna issue for the most part. It's very difficult to get the "grip of death" now. You have to sorta hug it in two hands in order to get the same signal loss.

Anand also praised the AT&T iPhone 4 overall and said the antenna is mostly a non-issue and that the only time calls or data are affected is when signal is very weak to begin with. Pretty much what most reviewers said.

Thats fine but the problem is the iPhone 4 still has a bad REPUTATION. And reputation is worth way more than facts. I wonder if the lackluster sales on Verizon are more related to that than an impending iPhone 5 or an array of 4g phones.

 

[zerocool84]

So the iPhone was the most successful launch Verizon's ever had numbers wise, yet it still didn't sell as well as expected. That's pretty crazy.

Because everyone was saying it was going to sell much more. We had people here quoting articles saying that ~30% of Verizon customers were going to switch which we all know wasn't true. That's too high of a number. It's no small number of course just not as high as the analysts were saying.

 

[akugami]

BTW, akugami, you don't save by bringing your own phone. You still have to pay up the ass. The benefit with AT&T is you can get away with the $15 / month plan, but even for 24 months, you don't make your money back.

Maybe you misread what I wrote but that's actually my point. You don't get any savings by bringing your own phone. That's how the US cell phone market operates. Everyone pays the same subsidized price even if you're off contract and on a month to month plan. While I've bought Nokia phones for $600-700 it just doesn't make sense to do so for the most part if you live in Canada or the USA. You're better off getting the "free" phones or the $200 subsidized phones because you'll still be paying the same price regardless of whether you get a subsidized phone or not.

The $600-700 pricetag is quite normal for any high end phone like the Galaxy S and HTC Desire HD as well, particularly outside the US. I also don't see why you are complaining about US cellphone contracts. Have you seen the prices for voice, text, and data in European countries? No all-you-can-eat unlimited buffets either. Most of them give out free phones as well, on-contract. Off-contract users in the US are NOT subsidizing other people's expensive phones. Prepaid off-contract is MUCH cheaper than contract prices.

I know but so many people make it out as if Apple was priced so much higher than everyone else. In the computer markets, they certainly are. It's not a question that Apple's Macintosh computers are indeed priced higher than PC's. As far as MP3 players and phones go, while Apple has been on the very high end of the price range, they aren't priced higher than what others have.

The fact is if you're off contract, you're paying the same price as those who have subsidized phones. The same prices that have already factored in paying for a subsidized phone. Usually they figure to recoup about $200 per year on top of their normal profits. Now, granted I don't look at cell phone plan prices every day but it seems to me that I have not noticed any carrier who gives cheaper rates just because you bring your own phone. What can save you some money is the prepaid plans but only because you know you won't use a lot of minutes. On a per minute basis they're usually as pricey or pricier than contract plan prices.

Speaking of Euro countries and their cell phone plan prices, yes I have. A lot of Euro countries are cheaper than in the US or Canada. Look at the evidence presented in the links below. Notice that pretty much every Euro country is cheaper than the US. Also note that some of the cheapest prices for cell phone use are in territories where subsidized phones and long term contracts are almost unheard of.

Ars Technica article

BillShrink article

OECD Report

I think the evidence speaks for itself. If Americans and Canadians weren't so used to buying subsidized phones we'd all be paying less for our cell phone use. Granted cell phones themselves would likely still cost the same and that can be a shock for many if you have to pay $600 for a phone upfront but you can always opt for a cheaper $100-200 phone. Long term we'd save on our monthly cell phone bills this way though. Especially if you're the type to not upgrade frequently or don't need more than a cheapie phone.

 

[shortylickens]

Because everyone was saying it was going to sell much more. We had people here quoting articles saying that ~30% of Verizon customers were going to switch which we all know wasn't true. That's too high of a number. It's no small number of course just not as high as the analysts were saying.

Hell no, jumping ship on a two year contract costs hundreds of dollars. And buying a phone like that costs several hundred dollars, if you can even find it.
Nope, people are gonna ride out their contracts and then transition over when they feel like it. Assuming the IP5 isnt out by then.

 

[cheezy321]

Thats fine but the problem is the iPhone 4 still has a bad REPUTATION. And reputation is worth way more than facts. I wonder if the lackluster sales on Verizon are more related to that than an impending iPhone 5 or an array of 4g phones.

You really consider the fastest EVER selling phone on verizon lackluster sales? Give me a break. Just cuz it didnt live up to the high expectations of sales doesnt mean that they were lackluster.

Besides, it only has a bad reputation with the android community. Most people I know with an iPhone 4 are extremely happy with their purchase. The only people still talking about 'antennagate' or 'glassgate' are butthurt android users.

 

[purbeast0]

Thats fine but the problem is the iPhone 4 still has a bad REPUTATION. And reputation is worth way more than facts. I wonder if the lackluster sales on Verizon are more related to that than an impending iPhone 5 or an array of 4g phones.

i fail to see how 'breaking day 1 sales' for a phone that i've seen reports of over 750k being sold in about a week is 'lackluster'.

and did you even read the article? it is sales from FIVE Apple stores ... 5.

i have 3 apple stores in like a 15 mile radius of me.

 

[shortylickens]

You really consider the fastest EVER selling phone on verizon lackluster sales? Give me a break. Just cuz it didnt live up to the high expectations of sales doesnt mean that they were lackluster.

Besides, it only has a bad reputation with the android community. Most people I know with an iPhone 4 are extremely happy with their purchase. The only people still talking about 'antennagate' or 'glassgate' are butthurt android users.

I was gonna reply with an intelligent comment, but since you are swimming around in logic failure I think it would be pointless.

 

[cheezy321]

I was gonna reply with an intelligent comment, but since you are swimming around in logic failure I think it would be pointless.

So how big of a fail has every other phone launch (including all android phones) been since the iPhone launch on Verizon was 'lackluster'? Basically you hold apple up to a higher standard then lower the standards when it comes to android phones?

Post your intelligent comment. You are one of the (very) few that thinks the iPhone 4 has a bad reputation. Its been gobbled up in droves, and despite what you think, its not just a bunch of apple zombies and fanboys buying the phone. Its people who are buying it because, hey, its a pretty fantastic phone and one of the best on the market right now.