That has to be one of the longest techno rumors ever, we are referring of course, to the iPhone and Verizon tie up. Finally, today it has been confirmed that the iPhone will be available online and in Verizon and Apple stores from Thursday, February 10, 2011. There is a facility to pre-order, but this will only be available to existing Verizon Wireless customers directly through the Verizon website either on or around February 3, 2010.
Cost
So, how much will it cost? You will be able to pick up the 16GB model for $200 with a two year contract, or the 32GB model for $300 again with a two year contract. Verizon hasn’t announced monthly service plan pricing yet but as soon as they do we’ll take a look at a comparison with AT&T and try to help you find the best deal.
Is It A Good Deal For Verizon?
Well that’s the question, there’s no doubt they are going to shift a whole bunch of iPhone 4’s but how will this impact on their other smart phone sales? Currently Verizon stock Android but soon Blackberry and the Windows Phone 7 will be joining them too – surely they are bound to suffer somewhat?
Perhaps it may not be as big a problem as first thought as the iPhone is 3G and most of the shiny new Android phones will be running on 4G. This will keep the 3G network pretty free for the iPhone so the actual network service will be very good. With the new iPhone 5 due out around June time, if Apple brings out 4G to this device then things could get messy. They don’t have to do it and in many respects it would make sense for them to ‘hold out’ until next year to bring 4G to the iPhone 6. Watch this space on that one.
How Much Will It Cost To Leave AT&T?
If you have decided that you really want to switch network providers now and move over to Verizon then you may be in for a shock. Many customers are locked into a contract of one sort or another and the early termination fee starts at $325 and decreases by $10 per month for each month you have served in your contract. So you are going to really have to do your homework to access whether it is a worthwhile decision or not. Once we have taken a look at the pricing plans, we’ll help you with that.
