Verizon Wireless put a stop to online orders of the iPhone 4 on Thursday evening after extremely high demand.
The iPhone won’t be released to the public on Verizon’s network until Feb. 10, but the carrier and Apple Corp. opened the portal for online orders early on Thursday morning.
“This was an exciting day,” said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer for Verizon Wireless. “In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story. It is gratifying to know that our customers responded so enthusiastically to this exclusive offer – designed to reward them for their loyalty.
This was a big win for Verizon, who tried since the first iPhone was released four years ago, to compete with AT&T by introducing several smartphone devices by various manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola.
“I am proud of our employees who worked tirelessly to strengthen and scale our systems, enabling unprecedented customer orders through our website. Overall, it was a very good day,” he added.
Mead also said customers will have another opportunity at being among the nation’s first to own an iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless network.
“Yesterday’s launch set the pace for next week when we open up sales to everyone across America.” The launch will also be the true litmus test of which 3G network is better. AT&T customers have constantly complained about AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage, especially in urban centers, and complained about dropped calls. Many users, especially those who jumped to AT&T just to buy the iPhone, insisted Verizon’s network was faster and more reliable. AT&T, of course, has tried to counter these widespread claims by running television ads saying their network covers, “97 percent of all Americans.”
The general market launch of the iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless network will occur on Feb. 10. The company will open its more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores at 7 a.m. It will also be available at all Apple store locations, Best Buy, select Wal-Mart stores, and online at www.verizonwireless.com and www.apple.com.
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