The launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon was a big deal for Apple. It was another nut cracked in the marketplace, and Apple was able to come to an agreement with the largest cellular network in the US. Although Verizon users reported fewer dropped calls than their AT&T counterparts, we didn’t see the mass exodus that many expected, and it could be said that the Verizon launch was somewhat anti-climactic.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks that the launch of the iPhone 5 on Verizon will be the true launch for the network.
Here’s what Gene Munster has to say on the matter.
“We note that the Verizon iPhone launch has widely been perceived as a disappointment”
“But in some ways, we see the iPhone 5 as the true Verizon iPhone launch; the first time Verizon customers will have access to a new version of the iPhone. We believe that many Verizon customers made the decision to wait and purchase the iPhone 5 when it launches instead of buying the mid-cycle iPhone 4”
Munster could be right, in a way. Many people who are disgruntled with the hit-and-miss AT&T service could be of the mindset that they will change carriers when their contracts are up. It’s expensive to buy out of a contract, so that notion is completely understandable. What that will do, however, is simply relocate existing iPhone customers, so it’s interesting to see that the sign up of new iPhone customers may have slowed a little.
It will be even more interesting to see how many new customers sign up with Verizon for the iPhone 5, instead of making the switch mid-cycle. Apple is not worried about which carrier people choose; it’s simply about selling the handsets — especially if the next iPhone will support both CDMA and GSM, as rumored.
Article Via AllThingsD
