iPhone 5 release date: Verizon, Sprint get post-4S leg up on AT&T

by Bill Palmer

The iPhone 5 release date marks the turning point at which iPhone newcomers Verizon and Sprint will finally gain the upper hand on original iPhone carrier AT&T, as it’ll mark the first time a truly new iPhone generation rolls out on all three carriers simultaneously. Verizon gained the iPhone 4 after it had already gone the majority of the way through its first-run life cycle, and it merely sold middlingly for the carrier. The iPhone 4S last fall saw its debut on Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T all at the same time and has seen record-breaking results on all three. But despite being officially considered the fifth generation iPhone, the 4S wasn’t a truly new iPhone iteration. According to some accounts, it wasn’t even supposed to have ever been a flagship model, having been substituted into the spotlight once it became clear to Apple that the iPhone 5 wouldn’t be ready in time for the holiday 2011 buying season. While the 4S has proven immensely popular overall, it hasn’t (aside from Siri) done much to attract those who already had an iPhone 4. That means that AT&T’s hordes of iPhone 4 users haven’t yet been in position to be picked off by Sprint or Verizon, despite arguably better offerings. That’ll all change once the iPhone 5 reaches its release date later this year…

Apple hasn’t breathed a word about the iPhone 5, and observers are divided as to whether it’ll launch in the summer or the fall (we essentially consider it to be a coin flip at this point). But it’s widely expected to a 4G LTE enabled phone, and Verizon is significantly ahead of AT&T in that regard. The 4G LTE era will result in increased data usage thanks to faster network speeds and the additional capabilities which will come along with that, and Sprint offers unlimited data to new customers even as AT&T closed that door and recently began actively harassing its existing unlimited data users. All of this opens the door for Sprint and Verizon to make a move on longtime AT&T iPhone users who are seeking greener pastures but have been waiting for the right time to switch. When the iPhone 5 sees its release date, all three carriers will begin running ads explaining why their iPhone 5 experience is the superior one. And when existing AT&T iPhone 4 users begin weighing their options, we’ll find out how big of a carrier shift the iPhone 5 release date will bring.

About Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is Editor in Chief of Beatweek Magazine. His editorial contributions include interviews with musicians and iPhone industry coverage.