Verizon grabs third of iPhone 4 market
Carrier’s share has grown since offering smartphone in February
LOS ANGELES – About 32 percent of the Apple iPhone 4 handsets being used in the U.S. were running on the Verizon Wireless network as of July 1, according to a new study.
“Despite AT&T’s nearly eight-month head start, Verizon has managed to capture nearly a third of the U.S. iPhone 4 market,” research firm Localytics said in a blog post on its findings.
The Verizon iPhone 4 launched in February. AT&T Inc., the only other carrier that sells the iPhone, started selling the latest version of Apple Inc.’s bestselling smartphone in June 2010.
Each month since the Verizon iPhone 4 launched, Verizon has increased its share of the iPhone 4 market, going from 20 percent in February to 32.3 percent in July, Localytics said.
The upticks in iPhone 4 ownership at Verizon could be attributed to the carrier’s offering of an unlimited data plan – something Verizon no longer offers new customers, the Cambridge, Mass., firm said. AT&T stopped offering its unlimited data plan for new customers in the middle of last year; Verizon stopped offering them this week.
Localytics said it “broke down all U.S. iPhone 4 traffic” to arrive at its figures, including charting the Verizon iPhone’s growth since its launch.
“With rumors swirling about the iPhone 5 perhaps launching in September on multiple carriers, Verizon’s recent market share gains may be a precursor of what is to come this fall,” Localytics said.