Apple confirmed the Verizon iPhone will be available for pre-order starting February 3rd. This initial pre-order is available for Verizon customers to pre-order the iPhone 4 from the Apple Store and Verizon Wireless. A limited number of handsets are available and orders will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.
A second pre-order will begin on February 9th for all qualified customers who wish to sign up with Verizon Wireless. Qualified customers will be able to order a Verizon iPhone online for in-store pick-up or delivery on February 10th. The 10th is the date the iPhone will finally be available for walk-in purchases at both Apple retail stores and Verizon Wireless stores nationwide. Apple Stores will open at 7AM local time to accomodate this launch.
Analysts and Verizon itself are heralding the launch of the iPhone 4, but it will be interesting to see how many iPhone 4 handsets the carrier will move in its first month of sales. The Q1 2011 numbers will be equally telling when they are unveiled later this year. Those figures will give us our first glimpse at how many customers left their current carriers to join Verizon for the iPhone 4. Verizon’s last quarter was les than stellar. Though the company’s data revenue is high and churn rate is low, the carrier only grabbed 900,000 new subscribers and lost its position as the nations largest wireless carrier to rival AT&T.
Apple’s full press release with the iPhone 4 pricing and pre-order details are available on the second page.