Now that the long-rumored Verizon Wireless iPhone is a reality, opinions about what this means for the wireless industry are flooding in. Although it’s hard to discern the impact for AT&T or Verizon, the Feb. 10 rollout of the iPhone 4 on Verizon’s CDMA network will offer early clues.
The smartphone world is well acquainted with the features of the iPhone 4, complete with Retina display, a five-megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, FaceTime video calling, and so on. Verizon’s version will also offer a new Personal Hotspot capability that lets customers use the iPhone 4 to connect to up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Verizon’s CDMA iPhone 4 comes with a price tag similar to AT&T’s GSM version. Verizon customers will pay $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a two-year agreement. Verizon will begin taking pre-orders on Feb. 3.
Impact on Android
“This is going to be a huge deal for Verizon. They are going to sell so many of these it’s going to make people’s heads spin, but it’s not going to kill AT&T,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis.
“Most of AT&T’s customers are locked into a contract, or they are on a family plan, or they are on a business plan,” he added. “Switching is not going to be painless, and for the ones who are willing to go through that pain, AT&T is going to lose those customers, but it’s not going to kill AT&T.”
In fact, for all the headlines pitting AT&T and Verizon against one another, a Verizon iPhone could actually hurt other carriers more, Greengart said. Some customers who weren’t willing to switch to AT&T for an iPhone may be willing to switch from T-Mobile or Sprint Nextel to an iPhone if it’s on Verizon.
It may also impact Android…