[billyblonco]

Now that the Iphone 4 is on verizon and there are no new blackberries as of late, i see a lot of storm/bold owners jumping ship. Was this verizons plan all along?

[VideoEngineerAJS]

Now that the Iphone 4 is on verizon and there are no new blackberries as of late, i see a lot of storm/bold owners jumping ship. Was this verizons plan all along?

Verizon's plan? How is it Verizon's fault that RIM hasn't come out with a new Verizon phone? How is it Verizon's fault that RIM actually expected Verizon to sell a Storm 2 refresh as a new phone?

Trust me, Verizon wants to make as much money as possible and keep as many customers as possible. If they could do that with BlackBerry's they would.

[TheScionicMan]

We opened up the iPhone option to our users and a few have taken it up, but many are excited for their new 9650's as well.

Verizon's in business to sell phone service, I doubt they have devious plans against certain phone makers. It's not like they've turned down a bunch of phones RIM offered them... When RIM puts out new CDMA phones, I'm sure they'll gladly sell them too.

[sleepngbear]

We opened up the iPhone option to our users and a few have taken it up, but many are excited for their new 9650's as well.

Verizon's in business to sell phone service, I doubt they have devious plans against certain phone makers. It's not like they've turned down a bunch of phones RIM offered them... When RIM puts out new CDMA phones, I'm sure they'll gladly sell them too.

No devious plans, and maybe they haven't outright turned down BB phones directly, but Verizon hasn't exactly been burning the house down developing new phones with RIM like AT&T did with the Torch. As you noted, they're in the business of selling wireless service, and right now they seem to feel their best shot is with Androids and iPhone. It does look like RIM will have some new models pegged for CDMA, so it will definitely be interesting to see how BB stacks up in the coming year.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[elgolfman]

Nevertheless, its odd at&t has pushed exclusive, co-branded RIM devices (9000 Bold and Torch) while Verizon (other than the flop Storm) really has not…

[jamesd98ca]

Verizon, to RIM, is just another carrier. meh...there will be some phones coming to V (and some good ones) but CDMA sucks, so it's hard to be excited about Verizon. RIM will sell devices and services to whomever wants em, Verizon being on that list...

BUT

CDMA is so dang crappy, and non-international -- I'm befuddled as to why americans are so enamored with that company!

[jamesd98ca]

Let's be clear -- the carriers do NOT "develop" phones with RIM. AT&T did NOT develop that device with RIM. There are no minds in the carriers that can actually make development contributions to the design process. The carriers are simply mutually inclusive sales channels for RIM (and all other device developers). The day of the "exclusive" availability paradigm for devices is pretty much over. Watch RIM this year -- all devices will be released on all carriers IN THE YEAR....mark this one ya nerds!

No devious plans, and maybe they haven't outright turned down BB phones directly, but Verizon hasn't exactly been burning the house down developing new phones with RIM like AT&T did with the Torch. As you noted, they're in the business of selling wireless service, and right now they seem to feel their best shot is with Androids and iPhone. It does look like RIM will have some new models pegged for CDMA, so it will definitely be interesting to see how BB stacks up in the coming year.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[TheScionicMan]

developing new phones with RIM like AT&T did with the Torch.

That's just a marketing slogan, IMO. Other than maybe getting behind the slider idea, which was probably already being kicked around, there's nothing else that's not BB through and through. What other input would ATT have? Besides, its only exclusive here in the US.

ATT needs reasons for people to come to their network cuz the ratings and rankings won't do that. They figured out with the iPhone that its worth paying for exclusivity to drive demand by removing carrier choice. They must pay enough to make it worthwhile to the phone makers, because they're both screwing the overall customer base in the process...

[TheScionicMan]

Let's be clear -- the carriers do NOT "develop" phones with RIM. AT&T did NOT develop that device with RIM. There are no minds in the carriers that can actually make development contributions to the design process. The carriers are simply mutually inclusive sales channels for RIM (and all other device developers). The day of the "exclusive" availability paradigm for devices is pretty much over. Watch RIM this year -- all devices will be released on all carriers IN THE YEAR....mark this one ya nerds!

LOL, I spent too long typing...

[jamesd98ca]

BUT -> again, mark my words here...there will be NO more "exclusive deals". the devices will come as fast as possible to all carriers. Whiners rejoice!!!!

[kat89447]

Just wait til June when all of those happy (right now) iPhone users will be mad because the iPhone 5 comes out and they can't upgrade. lol Every mfg company has it's issues, the truth is that CDMA is only popular in the States, overall that is a very small part of the global pie. If you are going to build a phone and wanted the best possible sales numbers, would you build exclusively for one tiny slice or build for multiple slices. GSM works internationally and in the States, CDMA not so much.

[californiablackberry]

Just wait until June when all of those happy (right now) iPhone users will be mad because the iPhone 5 comes out and they can't upgrade.

This is exactly the reason why I didn't purchase now.
My 9650 can work for another three and a half months.

[Gawain]

Just wait til June when all of those happy (right now) iPhone users will be mad because the iPhone 5 comes out and they can't upgrade. lol Every mfg company has it's issues, the truth is that CDMA is only popular in the States, overall that is a very small part of the global pie. If you are going to build a phone and wanted the best possible sales numbers, would you build exclusively for one tiny slice or build for multiple slices. GSM works internationally and in the States, CDMA not so much.

Two things: One, do we really know if the 5th generation iPhone will be available for Verizon at the same time it will be available for AT&T?

Two, CDMA, while having a much smaller share of the global market, is available in key areas of the global economy: US, Canada, Japan, Korea, China, India, parts of eastern Europe. Not as ubiquitous as GSM standards for sure, but no longer in a couple "dark corners". Given its presence in the biggest stand-alone economies in the world, CDMA is doing just fine (for the next 10 years at least). It's too bad it won't live up to its full potential now that LTE appears to be the coordinated, adopted standard moving forward.

[TheScionicMan]

Don't forget Mexico and parts of S.A. for CDMA too.

From what I've read, the chip being used in the VZW iPhone can support both CDMA and GSM so they should be able to add both radios to the iPhone 5 and be Global.

For those early adopters that didn't wait now, they'll probably end up waiting the same 3-4 months in two years or else they'll be in the same boat... Buy old tech iPhone 6 or wait for 7...

[ericsmcdonald]

Verizon hasn't exactly been burning the house down developing new phones with RIM like AT&T did with the Torch.

AT&T developed one phone with RIM and they're burning the house down?

Verizon developed one phone with RIM, and we got the Storm and everyone hated it.

You can't have it both ways, people! Having a carrier help develop a device is frosting on the cake. It's the manufacturers' jobs to develop phones people want!

[AFCEA]

Marketing is a key player here! Both the manufacture and the carrier are in it to make as much coin as possible. I suspect carriers take on the phones that make them the most profit. Blackberry markets its phones to the business community, you don’t find a 16 year old running around with one do you? Apple and Android market its phones to the generation that likes gadgets and hi tech toys. So naturally you’re going to find that the manufactures and carriers are driving their gravy trains towards those devices and leaving the other devices on the shelf.

[TheScionicMan]

Actually, I see a lot of teenagers using BBs. And if you saw Jim Ballsillie's comments from MWC, he said that 80% of their business comes from consumers...

And today's reports are saying the VZW iPhone sales have been lackluster. Has it outlived its coolness? Personally, I think it has more to do with contracts. Most people aren't going to pay an extra few hundred to get a phone early when they've waited this long. When ATT would put out a new iPhone, it coincided with the contracts expiring for iPhone users...