Verizon sold 2M iPhones last quarter, 700K less than AT&T

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., sold two million iPhone 4 units last quarter, falling 700,000 short of rival AT&T. The carrier also declined to reveal its launch numbers for the iPhone 4S.



Verizon reported its quarterly earnings on Friday, revealing its profits rose to $1.38 billion, or 49 cents per share, up from $659 million and 23 cents per share a year earlier.



For the three-month span ending in September, Verizon sold a total of two million iPhones. Those sales represented a period before the iPhone 4S was announced, and the iPhone 4 remained Apple's top-of-the-line device.



During the conference call that followed the quarterly earnings release, executives with Verizon blamed rumors of the iPhone 4S before its announcement earlier this month for slowing iPhone sales during the quarter. Executives from Apple said the same thing during their own conference call on Tuesday, noting that iPhone sales slowed significantly toward the end of the September quarter as iPhone 4S rumors began to pick up steam.



During the question-and-answer session of Verizon's call, executives were asked to reveal how many iPhone 4S units were sold by the carrier at launch. Verizon Telecom and Business CEO Fran Shammo said the company was pleased with iPhone 4S sales and ran out on the first day, but said he wouldn't get into volumes.



The iPhone-related numbers from Verizon fell short of what AT&T reported on Thursday, when the rival carrier revealed that it activated 2.7 million iPhones last quarter, and also activated 1 million of the iPhone 4S through Tuesday. AT&T is the second-largest carrier in the U.S. behind Verizon.



But Verizon also closed the gap somewhat with AT&T compared to the previous quarter. In July, it was revealed that AT&T activated 1.3 million more iPhones during its June quarter than Verizon.







The two million iPhone sales at Verizon in the September quarter were more than a third of the 5.6 million smartphones the carrier activated in the quarter. Shammo said about half of Verizon's smartphones were Android-powered devices.



At AT&T, 56 percent of smartphone activations were represented by Apple's iPhone. AT&T also said that sales of Android devices more than doubled year over year.



AT&T was the exclusive U.S. carrier of the iPhone from when it first launched in 2007 until February of this year, when Apple added Verizon as a second option for consumers. Availability of the iPhone expanded once again this month, when Sprint became an official partner, while a smaller, regional wireless carrier, C Spire, is also set to begin carrying the iPhone 4S soon.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Hardly surprising, I'm sure that most Verizon customers were awaiting the new iPhone rather than getting involved in a contract of an already dated device.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    I don't think people hate ATT as much as is reported. There are pockets for both companies were sevice is bad or better than the other guy. Plus there is the impact given by the years lead ATT had over the Verizon.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    The title should read "..., 700K fewer than AT&T."



    Less is used when the amount cannot be counted. For example, "I have less energy today than I did yesterday." Fewer is used when when the amount can be counted. For example, "There are fewer cars on the road today than yesterday."
  • Reply 4 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gmost View Post


    The title should read "..., 700K fewer than AT&T."



    Less is used when the amount cannot be counted. For example, "I have less energy today than I did yesterday." Fewer is used when when the amount can be counted. For example, "There are fewer cars on the road today than yesterday."



    Notable exceptions are for money amounts and time.



    "I have less than a hundred dollars."



    "I did it in less than two hours."
  • Reply 5 of 26
    It should be noted that Verizon does not have the cheaper iPhone 3Gs. I'm sure that has something to do with this.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Napoleon_PhoneApart View Post


    Notable exceptions are for money amounts and time.



    "I have less than a hundred dollars."



    "I did it in less than two hours."



    Are iPhones in their own category in the English language, too?
  • Reply 7 of 26
    Many Verizon customers got tired of waiting for the iPhone and started using an Android phone and like it. I have mixed feelings about the iPhone 4S. I really like Siri. I love the new camera but I don't like not being able to change the battery myself or the smaller screen size compared to what you can get with an Android phone. And I sure don't like that Apple doesn't build in a Micro SD card slot and instead charges an arm and a leg for additional storage. I'm sure there are lots more people like me. Oh, and I'm a long time Mac user.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    stelligentstelligent Posts: 2,680member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gmost View Post


    The title should read "..., 700K fewer than AT&T."



    Less is used when the amount cannot be counted. For example, "I have less energy today than I did yesterday." Fewer is used when when the amount can be counted. For example, "There are fewer cars on the road today than yesterday."



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Napoleon_PhoneApart View Post


    Notable exceptions are for money amounts and time.



    "I have less than a hundred dollars."



    "I did it in less than two hours."



    I applaud your mission to be grammatically correct; however, there is more to this *story*.



    First of all, the fact that "fewer" is used for countable objects is not in dispute. For "less", the commonly understood usage is to refer to things that can be measured (including time). Historically, however, "less" has been used for countable objects. In fact, according to Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage, this more generalized usage of "less" predates the recommended restricted use of it (to measurable objects only).



    All to say, the title is fine.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wwelsh39 View Post


    Many Verizon customers got tired of waiting for the iPhone and started using an Android phone and like it.



    Or, you know, a lot of them bought iPhones in the first quarter of the CY. Or, maybe, the fact that because Apple has been with ATT since the beginning, their customers' contracts line up perfectly with iPhone releases, while Verizon's doesnt?
  • Reply 10 of 26
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saarek View Post


    Hardly surprising, I'm sure that most Verizon customers were awaiting the new iPhone rather than getting involved in a contract of an already dated device.



    Plus the cheaper (now free) 3GS option which is exclusive to ATT.



    It would also be interesting to know how many of those ATT customers were upgrading from an older iPhone vs new to iPhone. And for both carriers, how many were people upgrading from a smartphone vs from a non-smart phone. A new smartphone user brings in a new source of revenue from adding the data plan. Whereas an existing smartphone user is just an expense cost for the carrier's subsidy.



    If most of Verizon's 2 million iPhones were new smartphone data plans and most of ATT's 2.7 million sales were to existing iPhone/smartphone users (just making up a scenario), Verizon is probably the "winner" here.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    on the iPhone 4S



    I have no doubt that this gave some pause wanted to go with Verizon, but decided to wait for the next phone
  • Reply 12 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saarek View Post


    Hardly surprising, I'm sure that most Verizon customers were awaiting the new iPhone rather than getting involved in a contract of an already dated device.



    Remember, this is against AT&T in the exact same quarter. A quarter that AT&T had been selling "an already dated device" for five quarters.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by McDavies View Post


    I don't think people hate ATT as much as is reported. There are pockets for both companies were sevice is bad or better than the other guy. Plus there is the impact given by the years lead ATT had over the Verizon.



    It doesn't appear to be the case. The Internet forum consensus was that everyone with an iPhone would be happy to pay their ETF to dump AT&T if Apple offered it on any other US carrier.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gmost View Post


    The title should read "..., 700K fewer than AT&T."



    Less is used when the amount cannot be counted. For example, "I have less energy today than I did yesterday." Fewer is used when when the amount can be counted. For example, "There are fewer cars on the road today than yesterday."



    This is what Stephen Fry has to say about that...
  • Reply 13 of 26
    Perhaps the fact that Data and Calls can't work hand in hand with Verizon. I've seen too many clients getting pissed when in the middle of a session and a phone call cuts them out.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    Perhaps the fact that Data and Calls can't work hand in hand with Verizon. I've seen too many clients getting pissed when in the middle of a session and a phone call cuts them out.



    But it was repeatedly proclaimed that 1) people don't care about nor use that feature, 2) when on WiFi you then get the option for simultaneous voice and data.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    But it was repeatedly proclaimed that 1) people don't care about nor use that feature, 2) when on WiFi you then get the option for simultaneous voice and data.





    Repeatedly? For those who have never enjoyed simultaneous use of voice and data, it may not matter, but this ability is very important when on the go, where WiFi is not always available. I would never give up this feature that AT&T offers.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    Perhaps the fact that Data and Calls can't work hand in hand with Verizon. I've seen too many clients getting pissed when in the middle of a session and a phone call cuts them out.



    Agreed. Data/voice multitasking is an absolute requirement. I've secured many business deals with this feature (talk to customer while looking up data).



    It's sort of like power windows in a car; once you have it you wonder how you lived without it. AT&T is the only provider that supports this on the iPhone.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pjgchicago View Post


    Repeatedly? For those who have never enjoyed simultaneous use of voice and data, it may not matter, but this ability is very important when on the go, where WiFi is not always available. I would never give up this feature that AT&T offers.



    This is exactly the case. Those who have never had the capability tend to pooh pooh it. Those who have, would never give it up.



    It's like when your parents say "we don't need high speed internet, we hardly even use the dialup internet we have!". Turns out once you have the ability to do it, you realize how nice it is and you won't give it up.
  • Reply 18 of 26
    8002580025 Posts: 175member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    During the conference call that followed the quarterly earnings release, executives with Verizon blamed rumors of the iPhone 4S before its announcement earlier this month for slowing iPhone sales during the quarter. Executives from Apple said the same thing during their own conference call on Tuesday, noting that iPhone sales slowed significantly toward the end of the September quarter as iPhone 4S rumors began to pick up steam.



    Wonder if they ever considered that it might not be iPhone announcements that are slowing sales at verzion, but the carrier? Even with the name change from general tel to verzion, one thing remains constant: Sub-par service.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cameronj View Post


    This is exactly the case. Those who have never had the capability tend to pooh pooh it. Those who have, would never give it up.



    It's like when your parents say "we don't need high speed internet, we hardly even use the dialup internet we have!". Turns out once you have the ability to do it, you realize how nice it is and you won't give it up.



    Gruber of Daring Fireball switched from an AT&T iPhone to a Verizon iPhone. He surely didn't think it was a big deal and I don't recall him saying that he does in fact miss the dual usage feature.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Napoleon_PhoneApart View Post


    Notable exceptions are for money amounts and time.



    "I have less than a hundred dollars."



    "I did it in less than two hours."



    Or when you're describing any mathematical domain, sequence, range, etc. Fewer is never used as x is fewer than [x is less than], etc.
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