T-Mobile touts 'gangbusters' first day of iPhone sales
First day sales of Apple's iPhone on T-Mobile's network have the carrier's executives beaming, with T-Mobile's Chief Marketing Officer calling the day "gangbusters" for the carrier.
Customers line up ahead of T-Mobile's iPhone launch. Image via BTIG Research's Walter Piecyk (@piecykw)
"Today has been gangbusters for T-Mobile," CMO Mike Sievert told AllThingsD last week. "We experienced lines out the door this morning at nearly all of our almost 3,000 stores nationwide."
The iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4 debuted on T-Mobile on Friday, and Sievert's comments back up reports from multiple outlets that customers had lined up at T-Mobile locations around the country to get their hands on Apple's smartphone. Sievert provided no estimate of first day sales or any indication that the stores had sold through their iPhone stocks.
AllThingsD notes, though, that some reports had those lines dissipating as the day wore on, with the crowds mostly gone by midday.
Up until Friday, the iPhone wasn't officially offered by T-Mobile. Instead, the carrier encouraged iPhone owners on other networks to switch to T-Mobile and bring their devices along. Those users, though, were stuck with slower data speeds due to the Apple handset's incompatibility with T-Mobile's higher-speed offerings.
T-Mobile is the last of the big four U.S. carriers to get the iPhone. The company hopes to siphon customers from its competitors by offering a novel pricing structure and a no-contract standard. T-Mobile's pricing switch has caught the attention of other carriers, though it remains to be seen how they will react.
Customers line up ahead of T-Mobile's iPhone launch. Image via BTIG Research's Walter Piecyk (@piecykw)
"Today has been gangbusters for T-Mobile," CMO Mike Sievert told AllThingsD last week. "We experienced lines out the door this morning at nearly all of our almost 3,000 stores nationwide."
The iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4 debuted on T-Mobile on Friday, and Sievert's comments back up reports from multiple outlets that customers had lined up at T-Mobile locations around the country to get their hands on Apple's smartphone. Sievert provided no estimate of first day sales or any indication that the stores had sold through their iPhone stocks.
AllThingsD notes, though, that some reports had those lines dissipating as the day wore on, with the crowds mostly gone by midday.
Up until Friday, the iPhone wasn't officially offered by T-Mobile. Instead, the carrier encouraged iPhone owners on other networks to switch to T-Mobile and bring their devices along. Those users, though, were stuck with slower data speeds due to the Apple handset's incompatibility with T-Mobile's higher-speed offerings.
T-Mobile is the last of the big four U.S. carriers to get the iPhone. The company hopes to siphon customers from its competitors by offering a novel pricing structure and a no-contract standard. T-Mobile's pricing switch has caught the attention of other carriers, though it remains to be seen how they will react.
Comments
Edit: grats tMobile, present and future customers.
I hope all the analysts/troll shrieking how interest in iPhones is waning and people have gotten "bored" will shut the **** up now. People will still lineup for quality, and a quality product.
Speak for yourself. I am -- and I am sure lots of others are -- perfectly happy with a carrier sounding elated about an Apple product. The numbers will come.
I'm more interested in hearing future work on network growth.
It's cold outside, it's raining, these people are obviously waiting around to buy brand new Android phones! Nope!
T-Mobile's network is slowly and quietly expanding. Here in Sacto, I am seeing 4G service in more places on my 4S over the past couple of weeks. Edge is still the majority, but, especially after MetroPCS's acquisition, high speed cellular should be the norm within months, finally.. been patiently waiting for this as an iPhone T-Mobile customer since last October.
And in related news:
Here is a picture from a recent Samsung launch. In this picture, if you look closely, you can see at least 428 Fandroids all waiting in line, wearing their invisible cloaks, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest Android phone.
.
I think all those people are peeing on the T-Mobile store.
To be fair though, there is one other recent line of people that beats out the number of people waiting in line to purchase an iPhone 5 from T-mobile.
This is a picture of customers, patiently waiting in line to return their BB10's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I think all those people are peeing on the T-Mobile store.
As long as they're all walking out with an iPhone 5, then that's fine by me, let them go right ahead.
"T-Mobile's pricing switch has caught the attention of other carriers, though it remains to be seen how they will react."
It is clear that there is a considerable number of people who are not satisfied with the standard 2 year contract that the cartel (ATT, VZW, & SPR) has established, or who simply are unwilling to continue paying subsidy rates for service long after their phone is paid-for. Whether the cartel will see this and respond is TBD. It may be that even with the enthusiastic adoption of a year-old phone, these are simply not the type of customers or the number of customers that will cause the cartel to change their SOP.
Still, ya gotta wonder whether the next iteration of the Samsung phone will be as eagerly sought by first day shoppers.
Seriously, if this was the line for a Samsung/HTC/Nokia/Scary Movie 5 launch, you'd all be rolling around laughing at how pathetic it is....
Originally Posted by Superbass
Wow, hope Apple has enough supply to keep up with all 11 of those customers!
Seriously, if this was the line for a Samsung/HTC/Nokia/Scary Movie 5 launch, you'd all be rolling around laughing at how pathetic it is....
It's T-mobile, for a 7 month phone, bad weather...
Anyway, they are really stupid. Why wait in line? I don't get it.
I want to have Apple-related news, not T-Mobile related news, please.
Straight Talk doesn't get much press, but they seem to be doing quite well, also. I don't know if it's their presence at Walmart or their no-contract terms and unlimited everything pricing, but I suspect that it's some of both. i know I don't like 2 year contracts and the enormous subsidies that the traditional carriers are charging and suspect that lots of others are in the same boat.
Uh huh. Samsung doesn't get this kind of lines even for their newest phones. This is an old phone halfway through it's release cycle and people are standing outside in the rain. Nokia? Even in their prime, the never generated interest like this. Clearly, Apple generates demand that their competitors can only dream about.
11 > 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by lightknight
Bit irritating though that there is no "US-only" category on that site. I mean, who the hell cares that some small carrier in America has succeeded in selling a few iPhones?
I want to have Apple-related news, not T-Mobile related news, please.
Comment liked, at this moment in time this thread should really be in a back page somewhere.