Verizon Wireless will begin accepting iPhone 4 pre-orders online Thursday at 3 a.m. EST, with a limited quantity of handsets available for existing Verizon subscribers. The wireless carrier said Wednesday the orders it receives will be shipped to arrive on or before Feb. 10.
The 16GB iPhone 4 will be priced at $199.99, while the 32GB version will be $299.99. Existing Verizon subscribers will also need to sign a new two-year service agreement as well as have a current nationwide plan with an unlimited data package priced at $29.99 or higher.
According to Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead, the wireless carrier is giving its existing subscribers preferential treatment in acknowledgment of their patience in waiting for the iPhone to arrive on the nation’s largest wireless network. “We thought it fitting to say thank you to our customers by giving them the phone they want a week before the general population,” Mead said.
Comparing Prices
Though Verizon is offering an unlimited data plan at a price consistent with the going rate for a two-year term until 3G adoption soared, the long-term cost of operating the iPhone on Verizon’s network remains a big unknown, noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group. “I wonder what data on the iPhone 4 is going to cost once Verizon is satisfied with the adoption rate,” Pierce said.
Moreover, to enjoy all the features of their new iPhone 4, customers will also need to subscribe to one of Verizon’s nationwide talk plans, which begin at $39.99 per month for 450 minutes. Moreover, to use the iPhone’s unique 3G mobile hot-spot feature, which can power up to five devices over Wi-Fi, customers will need a separate hot-spot plan priced at $20 per month for 2GB.
“Without the hot spot, it looks like $69.98 for a plan with 450…