A report over on
Digital Daily this morning reveals something that may not come as much of a surprise -- people on other carriers (in this instance, Verizon) want the
iPhone. Recent research out of Morgan Stanley shows there is "significant" demand for Apple's cellular delight -- with about 16.8 percent of Verizon's subscribers having "extreme interest" in the product compared to 7.5 percent in the overall population. What does this mean? It means that, if given the chance (i.e. if the
iPhone came to Verizon), about 17 percent of current users would switch. That's a pretty high number, to be sure, and Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty estimates that such a deal could move around 7 or 8 million iPhones annually. Of course, all of this comes from an analyst, and it's based on an unscientific survey, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, what's the deal, Steve? We know you love money -- make it happen!
posted May 24th 2010 1:35PM
Engadget, where is the "Breaking" tag?
@JXCGunrunna
This sure sounds more `breaking` than the last breaking news they showed us, that's for sure.
@JXCGunrunna - "Breaking"? for a Wall Street Morgan Stanley dweeb that knows nothing of cellular matters and is simply speaking from the "balloon knot"? PLZ!!
PS I bet there is some behind the scenes "wall street style prospecting" going, I bet ya. Crooks the lot of em!
@Frankenstein Black
What a poor survey. What about the people with "tremendous interest" and "gigantic interest"? They are left out and forgotten. What a one sided view. :-(
@JXCGunrunna
Very BAD study, not statistically relevant and with many failures in the design.
@JXCGunrunna
I hope Apple announce Verizon/CDMA iPhone for latter in the year. It would bring Verizon into the iPhone camp and certainly starve Android of oxygen.
@scottkrk same here, it would be an ice-breaker if it will be announced on MWDC that there's still light to that rumored verizon iPhone 4G. Reactions- http://j.mp/4g-verizon-iphone-dream
@JXCGunrunna I love Apple products and own and use them daily, but I think Steve made a stupid move in being married to ATT for so long. I got tired of waiting for the iPhone to come to Verizon so I bought a POS Storm which made me wish even more for an iPhone. I recently bought the Incredible and I love this phone so much that I could care less less about the iPhone. Too little too late Steve.
How is 7.5% extreme in any way?
@GenericMessage I think 16.8 percent of Verizon customers say they are extremely interested. Not extreme to the max.
@GenericMessage
You have to get 10% to be 'gnarly' and 15% to be 'rad'.
Seriously though, this is Huberty for goodness sake. It's not supposed to make sense.
@GenericMessage That's what she said
@Jimbojones
I really REALLY want that one to work..........but no.
@GenericMessage That 7.5% were all skateboarding over a canyon at the time.
@GenericMessage
it's not the number that's extreme, it's the want that those users have... Notice that they are identified as having "total extreme want"....
@(Unverified)
Is that why more ppl bought a Droid than an iPhone in the first 74 days?
I'm an iPhone 3g user and I have "extreme interest" in switching to Verizon once they get the iPhone.
@Center Same here, but it'd be tough because all the family members would have to be out of contract too.
@Center I'm as well AT&T customer and have extreme interest to get rid of my iPhone because I am sick of the restrictions and happy world of Steve Jobs.
@Jimbojones
Steve Jobs told me to tell you good riddance.
PS once the iPhone is on verizon, say goodnight to Android. What average consumer is gonna pick some techy nerd phone when the well-known, easy-to-use iPhone is right next to it?
@TomSawyer
I don't think Android is going anywhere, regardless of any iPhone coming to Verizon. Not everyone thinks the 'easy-to-use' iPhone is the bees knees.
I remember a phone that really changed the market, the RAZR. Once everyone had one though, it lost it's pizzaz and newer/better phones hit the market.
Android will exist and continue to exist for one reason: choice.
@TomSawyer
People who want their keyboards and 3.5"+ screens. People who can't stand iTunes. People who like to have choices regarding Flash (and Air, etc.) content. Basically anyone who wants a modicum of choice in hardware. At least WinMo7 could be in contention for these people.
My dad's no tech junkie, but boy does he love him some 4.3" screens...
@Saauron
if your dad knows the fact that the screen is 4.3". Then he is more of a tech than 85% of cell phone users. Tech nerds don't understand that people do not care about that stuff. You know why the iPhone sells so well. The iPhone is one of the very few phones you sell to anyone from a 6 year old to and 95 year old. If you don't think that happens then you are not you need to wake up and open your eyes. I own an android device and an iPhone. I let my grandparents who cannot use there home phone use my iPhone and they won't touch my android phone because they are confused. To many buttons, to many whistles for them. The iPhone is all tiles right in front of them.
@TomSawyer If you think an Android phone is hard to use, you may want to go back to a RAZR. An Android phone is no harder to use than an iPhone. Hell, if anything, it could be easier since it has (required? can't remember) physical buttons like the call or search buttons.
Aside from that, rather than littering your screen with icons, Android uses a drawer to put icons in, and lets you put the ones you want on the home screen (by holding your finger on them for a couple of seconds, hopefully that's not too hard). After that, rather than having to be techy to know how to use the phone, you'd have to be techy to know any difference other than style.
The argument that Android is hard to use compared to an iPhone is absolutely ridiculous, however, the advantages of Android stack up rather quickly. About all the iPhone has going for it now is the larger library of apps, which is dwindling quickly. Also, the iPhone has iTunes which is supposed to make music, movies, and tv shows easier to download and install, but iTunes is bad enough that it's not even really worth counting that as an advantage.
@TomSawyer
you made the milk come out of my nose.
If it wasn't for android... I wouldn't have a smartphone. period. I'd get by with a cheap phone and a netbook. I never had the slightest interest in iPhone, WinMob, Palm, or any other closed system phone os. I never even considered a smartphone before android. And if it disappeared tomorrow, I would do without. And my Grandmother could use an android phone, it's stupid simple. It was actually dissapointing, I like command line now and then.
@businessman25
I dunno about that; I'm not saying he knows that the screen is 4.3", but he can definitely see the difference between 3.5" and 4.3". And hell, almost everyone has a tech nerd in their family. I don't doubt the iPhone fills the needs of many non-techies out there, but having a variety of options at a number of price points will ultimately come to be Android's advantage.
What is extreme? Are there protesters with signs reading, "God loves the iPhone on Verizon"? That's my measure of extreme.
I'll piss myself laughing if it doesn't happen this year too.
lol, every year since the launch of the original iPhone I've heard the SAME rumors.
I really doubt this.
Guess I don't follow this logic.
Since when did 17% of a random survey of customers equal 17% of the entire Verizon user base actually buying an iPhone. I have extreme interest in plenty of things. Doesn't mean that I would buy them all.
@bjsguess So by your definition we can disregard the NPD survey that says Android out sold the iPhone in Q1 then. I mean, they too used some random survey to come to their conclusion didn't they?
@bjsguess About 86% of surveys you see online are made up on the spot.
Perhaps 16.8% would like to have the OPTION of buying one. Not necessarily buying one. Once you actually compare it side to side with what Verizon already has, they can make a better decision.
Come on Apple, give the people what they want!
@sonola777 Since when does Apple give the people what they want. They only give the people what Steve thinks you should have.
@Edobe They sell a million plus iPhones in 72 hours almost every launch, you don't achieve those type of numbers by not giving people what they want.
@sonola777 Right, but things people wanted were missing at each launch. Much like the first gen iPad not having a camera. All I'm saying is Apple is not know for saying "Hey people want this, let's give it to them." It's more like, "we can make more money if we don't give them this yet". Ya know?
@Edobe
None of what you said has anything to do with the iPhone not being on Verizon. The reason iPhone is not on Verizon is because the CEO of Verizon turned them down when Jobs came by to shop the iPhone to them.
I think it's hilarious, all the outrage at Apple only being on AT&T. You want to blame somebody for that? Blame Verizon, and Sprint, and T-Mobile for turning Apple down when they were OFFERED the iPhone.
@Edobe
Eh, I just don't know about that. As an iPhone owner who has gone from the 2G to the 3GS over the years, I've seen Apple implement basically everything that I have wanted, and respond to what customers feel are major shortcomings of the platform.
Examples include copy/paste, landscape keyboard in SMS, unified inbox, rotation lock, global search, 3rd party applications and (for some) multitasking. None of these features were available on the original iPhone, and have since been added via software updates that come in a predictable manner.
@Edobe
So what? its his company!;
end sarcasm
@Jack
I think part of the reason Verizon turned down the iPhone is because they would have to give up a great amount of control to another company, for just one device.
But I don't recall Sprint and T-Mo getting invites for the iPhone? Apple would have been nuts to offer exclusivity to either of those carriers.
@ebgolfin
Unfortunately, they've implemented everything you wanted over 3 iterations of the basically the same device. Droves of people ran out to get the 3G, just because it had 3G.. but 3G phones were available at the launch of the 2G iPhone? Video recording only on the 3GS? Multitasking only on the 3GS? And what 3rd party applications (unless you are referencing jb)?
I wouldn't call it Apple giving customers what they want. I would say its more Apple being forced to give customers what they have requested time and time again.
@Mr Blue
Apple shopped it to all the major carriers. And exclusivity was never what Apple wanted. Why would they? Exclusivity doesn't help Apple, it only helps the carrier. Apple wanted the iPhone to be on EVERY carrier.
You are right though, that Verizon turned down the iPhone at least in part because of the changes that Apple wanted the make to their infrastructure, i.e. not allowing any of Verizon's crapware on the iPhone, implementing Visual Voicemail, allowing an unlimited data plan, etc.
That's still Verizon's fault. They changed their tune pretty fast after they saw how popular the iPhone became, so you get phones like Droid that have unlimited data plans.
Like Gordon Ramsey said on TV the other night, "Change or die."
if apple really had 5 year contract with att with the iphone exclusive, apple can't just switch ship before end of the deal.
Big deal, just switch to AT&T like I did. I love my iPhone 3GS and no major complaints about AT&T either they've been fine. I do get an occasional dropped call but I did on Verizon too. And AT&T has visual voicemail on the iPhone, simultaneous voice+data, rollover minutes, and very fast 3G data most of the time.. Maybe I'd switch back to Verizon eventually but whatever, I switched and am very happy with my iPhone for now.
I don't get these people that want an iPhone so bad that they will bash the network that its on and most of them have no clue what they're talking about.
@phinn What you said is true as long as your are not walking through downtown Chicago and the best you can pull is one bar on Edge. For less populated areas with 3G and low usage AT&T is great. What good is it for the cities?
@incubusmac I don't know if Chicago has some particular issue with AT&T and 3G, but I love in the central NJ area and I'm in NYC all the time and my iPhone 3GS works great almost everywhere. I can test my data speed at around 3Mbits right now.
@phinn Chicago definitely has issues. I'm a few hundred yards from a tower site and I can rarely maintain a call in my home.
@incubusmac
I'd consider Philadelphia to be a city, no? No problems here.
@incubusmac That's B.S. I work right in the Loop and I have full bars right now. That's not to say I don't have problems occasionally but there's no need to exaggerate.