All indications point to an iPhone being announced today by Verizon Wireless and I can’t wait so we can move on to the next multi-year smartphone rumor.
Verizon Wireless's expected announcement Tuesday that it will begin selling the iPhone later this month should prove a boon for mobile ad networks and marketers. With Apple likely to sell an estimated 9 to 12 million iPhones on Verizon's network this year, that will only further expand the mobile audience on one of the top smartphone platforms.
It doesn’t matter that this iPhone will have no LTE, may or may not be white, can’t make calls while checking email or surfing, or have very high data costs because Verizon will still sell millions of them.
Brian White, a senior research analyst at Ticonderoga Securities, suggested that Verizon could activate up 13.2 million iPhones over the next year. He also suggested that an iPhone deal could expand Verizon's iPad offerings beyond Wi-Fi/MiFi.
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Verizon is the nation’s largest network and most regular people don’t travel overseas that often and thus don’t care if a phone can be used outside the US. I know several family and friends on Verizon and the number one question I have gotten is, “When is the Verizon iPhone coming?” I think the masses will buy it because it is an iPhone on Verizon and they don’t care if there are limitations or another updated one coming to AT&T or Verizon in a few months. People who have stuck with Verizon instead of jumping on AT&T while waiting for this iPhone will buy it no matter what.
In addition to expanding the iPhone audience, the Verizon deal could also lead to higher usage levels through an unlimited data plan the carrier will offer with the device, according to a Wall Street Journal report. AT&T caps how much Internet data customers use each month.
The iPhone started out as a very slick feature phone and has moved to a very powerful smartphone that appeals to most people. The smartphone market has changed a lot since the first iPhone launch on AT&T and there are other worthy smartphones out there. Hard-core smartphone geeks still may not like some of the limitations and lock down by Apple, but this doesn’t matter at all to the masses.
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