Katie Marsal
Long considered a lure for carriers, Apple's iPhone is now believed to be attracting a full third of those switching providers towards AT&T — the highest ever percentage of converts since the iPhone was released.
The figure is a record for AT&T and is even higher than spikes seen in July 2007 and June 2008, both falling roughly in line with Apple's launch plans for new iPhones in each circumstance. Verizon's tally itself was a modest 2-point increase, but the carrier hasn't once passed AT&T in demand since the original iPhone was unveiled in early 2007.
Researchers also observe that AT&T customers are less likely to defect, as 9 percent are strongly considering jumping ship while 11 percent of Verizon customers are less than happy with their experience.
The same can't be said for the actual quality of service, however. Even as exactly half of respondents using Verizon were "very satisfied" with their service, AT&T could only boast 31 percent and is in a dead heat with Sprint and T-Mobile.
Verizon's network was perceived to be more reliable, too, as just 1.8 percent of its subscribers reported dropped calls while 3.3 percent reported the same with AT&T.
As such, the results create an unusual tension for AT&T where it regularly attracts customers but has a harder time pleasing them once they've signed aboard. It isn't as much of a dilemma with the iPhone as an exclusive, the analysts say, but the difference in quality could hurt AT&T's lead if it no longer has sole rights.
And while AT&T is rumored to be negotiating an extension of its iPhone exclusive until 2011, ChangeWave notes countering reports of Verizon possibly landing phone-like devices of its own, any of which could give AT&T "plenty to worry about" in the marketplace. Either way, AT&T and Verizon aren't viewed as the real victors.
"There’s one clear winner here no matter which way the Apple falls from the tree — it’s the Apple," the report maintains.
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Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
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77 Comments
Long considered a lure for carriers, Apple's iPhone is now believed to be attracting a full third of those switching providers towards AT&T ...
And all those that will flock away once iphone is no longer exclusively with at&t.
Pretty sad commentary on the state of the cell carriers here in the US when 50% satisfaction is leading the pack.
Verizon's network was perceived to be more reliable, too, as just 1.8 percent of its subscribers reported dropped calls while 3.3 percent reported the same with AT&T.
The Teckstudian Research Group, Inc. has been telling us for a couple years now that Verizon?s dropped calls are 0.0% and that AT&T?s dropped calls are 100%. Which one should we believe?
And all those that will flock away once iphone is no longer exclusively with at&t.
By then they should have converted their 700MHz spectrum to 850MHz, increased general coverage areas, added more 3G and upped their 3G data rates significantly by then. However, Apple is still adding exclusive carriers in countries that are all GSM/WCDMA-based networks and have reportedly worked with different Chinese carriers for exclusivity which means that, so far, there is no evidence that Apple wants to go hog wild in cell phone market with carrier cooperation.
That may all be true, but I think it's important that we all wait until we hear what tekstud has to say.
the sooner Apple gets away from AT&T, the better. I don't know why it is such a burden for Apple to make a CDMA phone. Every other handset manufacturer who are 1/10 the size Apple could do it. Why can't Apple? The weakest part of the iPhone will always be AT&T. They've been constantly feed us garbage that they're building up their network and there are never any performance differences.
Apparently there are rumors going around that Apple is already pissed at AT&T because they were charging unlock prices for people who had issues when moisture leaked into the phone.