Plain and simple, it appears that Big Red is having issues dealing with the iPhone.  Verizon Wireless thought that they would be able to deal with Apple, AT&T and the iPhone but recent studies show that the carrier is losing ground on AT&T in the area of smart phones.

For any retail wireless carrier, data is the new money maker.  The more data that you can sell to consumers means that they are probably paying a premium price for it.  Speeds don’t add up to what they are advertised but where is a consumer going to go?  With the launch of Long Term Evolution (LTE), Verizon had hoped to again close the gap but it seems that consumers are still buying phone brands as opposed to carriers.

(Source: Asymco)

Smart Phones at Verizon continue to chase those sales at AT&T.  Android has been a big help to Verizon, but you could also make the argument that it has reeked havoc within the company.  Android has essentially booted Research in Motion (RIM), the makers of Blackberry, from the shelves at Verizon stores.  Windows phones are typically very rarely sold and people can’t even remember that Palm still makes a phone.  So now a company that prided itself on diversification has hitched its star to Android.  While Android is a phenomenal operating system, most consumers still live in their little world to where the iPhone is the most desired object.

(Courtesy: Asymco)

The iPhone 4 launch slowed down Verizon’s momentum even more.  The crazy thing is that it was about August when rumors started circulating that there would be an iPhone for Verizon.  That’s very coincidental that the iPhone 4 launched in August.  Now we seem to hear rumors abound that Verizon is still getting the iPhone in the first quarter of 2011.  In my opinion, this is still a rumor that Verizon is trying to practice band-aid control of a hemorrhage leak.  They are losing massive amounts of customers to AT&T and Sprint due to different phones and cheaper plans.  They are trying to stop the bleeding instead of beefing up their lineup.  If Verizon was smart they would go out and get the iPhone, if for now other reason then to get those customers that are on the fence about choosing a carrier.

Related articles

• Verizon’s smartphone Wikileaks (tech.fortune.cnn.com)
• Verizon’s Phone Sales Figures Leaked, Reveal the iPhone Wound is Deep (fastcompany.com)
• Does Verizon’s ‘WikiLeaks’ Show How Badly Carrier Needs the iPhone? (cultofmac.com)