Citing unnamed Apple sources, BGR posted unit sales totals purported from five Apple stores, including two “very, very prominent” locations. The numbers show Verizon Wireless and AT&T iPhone 4 sales during the Verizon iPhone’s first five days of availability (starting Thursday, February 10):
Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539
Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680
Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471
Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701
Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618
The figures suggest an early rush of Verizon iPhone 4 sales that quickly dissipated. By Sunday, February 13, Verizon’s iPhone sales were only slightly higher than AT&T’s. Online pre-orders for the Verizon iPhone 4 totaled about 550,000 units, BGR reports.
If consumer response to the Verizon iPhone is somewhat disappointing, what’s the most likely reason? You can take your pick of possible explanations, including a cold spell across the eastern half of the U.S. that reduced foot traffic at Apple’s brick-and-mortar locations, or the healthy number of Verizon iPhone preorders online.
Or perhaps iPhone fans are more savvy than slavish. Many have probably heard that the iPhone 5 will arrive this summer. Revelation! It’s smarter to wait a few months and get the latest iPhone on Verizon (assuming it’s available), rather than commit to a two-year contract with last year’s model.
Oh, one other interesting tidbit from BGR on who has bought Verizon iPhones thus far: 30 percent were Android users; 25 percent migrated from BlackBerry; and just 14 percent were AT&T iPhone owners. The rest either didn’t have a smartphone or other mobile handset, or simply didn’t say.