February 3, 2011: The iPhone is finally coming to Verizon Wireless, the largest carrier in the United States, ending nearly four years of exclusivity with AT&T.
The move comes as Apple faces pressure to expand its customer base, with Android phones continuing to grow in popularity. The deal starts with the iPhone 4, which Verizon’s 93 million customers can preorder.
The Verizon iPhone is an instant hit
After years locked to AT&T, Apple’s signature smartphone has finally been released. But the beginning was not just a new sales channel. It marked a seismic shift in America’s wireless landscape. With Android devices surging and iPhone growth starting to stagnate, the move unlocked tens of millions of new potential customers overnight.
Expanding iPhone availability beyond AT&T proved to be big news for Apple customers in the United States in 2011. According to research firm Gartner, Android smartphones outsold the iPhone at the time.
Last October, Apple CEO Steve Jobs even made a rare appearance on a conference call to blast Android — describing Google’s mobile platform as fragmented. The first Verizon iPhone gave Apple another front in the battle for smartphone supremacy.
A record move for Verizon Wireless
Tech watchers saw the Verizon deal as coming at an ideal time. When pre-orders began on February 3, the Verizon iPhone became the fastest-selling debut in the wireless company’s history. This was despite the fact that pre-orders were taking place in the middle of the night. Additionally, only existing Verizon customers could purchase them.
“It was an exciting day,” Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, said at the time. “We’ve already sold more phones in the first two hours than any first day launch in our history. And when you consider that these first orders were placed between 3am and 5am, it’s an incredible success story. It’s heartening to know that our customers have responded so enthusiastically to this exclusive offer – designed to reward them for their loyalty.”
Verizon and Apple stopped pre-orders just over 17 hours after they started due to the massive popularity of the iPhone 4. General availability of the first Verizon iPhone followed a week later on February 10th. The phone was sold directly through Apple and Verizon, as well as at Best Buy and some Walmart stores.
Were you a first time Verizon iPhone user? Leave your comments below.
