Verizon CEO: We Expected iPhone 5 in Early Summer, Now Planning For Fall


Incoming Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, speaking on CNBC today, noted that revenue growth in the past quarter had been impacted because the next iPhone hasn't been released yet.

We had assumed that we would see an iPhone early in the summertime as it's been usually, and that's going to be a little bit later in the year now.

In a conference call with analysts today, McAdam suggested analysts check with Apple on when the next iPhone will come out -- but expected it this fall:

We are probably what I would view as maybe a quarter behind what we had talked about in January, primarily because we expected an iPhone 5 refresh sometime this summer.

We don't know when the next one is going to come out. You will have to ask Apple that, but we expect that probably sometime in the fall, and I think you will see a significant jump there when we get to that point.

Later in the CNBC interview, McAdam discusses Verizon's switch to tiered data plans for smartphones, noting that streaming video is the main reason they dropped unlimited data plans:

We just converted over to tiered pricing, data tiered pricing, because we see a huge wave of video coming. That's going to take a lot more capacity in the individual networks, and so I think for a lot of customers that won't be an issue from a revenue perspective. But, for the heavy users, we do see the revenue go up significantly.

Lowell McAdam is the current COO of Verizon and will be replacing current CEO Ivan Seidenberg.

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Top Rated Comments

nagromme Avatar
187 months ago
Its too bad the iPhone 5 won't have LTE :( at least I doubt it... Deal breaker for me.
I can see the desire for 4G (other than bulk and battery-burning, which will be solved in time). Still, every other phone has much bigger deal-breakers:

* Fewer apps, but more importantly: lower-quality apps. Even those apps that do have Android versions are seldom as good (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/26647/).

* Poor battery life. Potentially "solveable" by manually managing processes and troubleshooting your apps to find out the hard way which ones you shouldn’t have downloaded. No, thanks.

* No retina display? I’ll never go back!

* Android devices are frequently abandoned by the manufacturer and/or carrier, and get no further updates. Now, no device lasts forever; but Android devices get obsolete way too fast.

* Fragmentation: it’s not just a problem for programmers, but for users, when big-name, important apps only work on certain selected models.

* No iCloud? Well, I don’t have it yet, either... but it’s coming, and nothing out there can offer what Apple is offering with iCloud.

* Malware apps. Compare the percentage of users impacted on Android vs. on iPhone.

* Where’s the integrated music store and synching? Where are the movies and TV shows? Android solutions for those are painful half-efforts compared to iTunes.

* No serious tablet companion with a serious library of tablet apps.

And the number one Android deal-breaker for me:

* No full backup/restore! When I replace my iPhone, everything down to the last custom setting and icon placement transfers over. Every song, every document, every high score, every password, every carefully-organized folder with an Emoji icon. On Android, a few things synch to the new device, but the rest is lost in the wind. Unacceptable.

I really hope (and believe) that someone will make a flavor of Android that solves all that, someday. For now, 4G LTE absolutely can’t make up for them.

For now, while Google TALKS in vague buzzword terms about giving me more things I can do with my phone, Apple actually does so! Android is still too limiting.

I hope my 2012 iPhone has 4G (I’m sure it will) but I also hope it doesn’t suffer the problems (bulk and battery drain) of current 4G phones.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Popeye206 Avatar
187 months ago
No its not, only on the TBolt. And they have LTE in 120 cities... including every city around my area = millions of people. This is a ridiculous comment.
Not from what I've read... battery life seems to be an issue on many of the 4G Android based phones. The Thunderbolt just seems to be the worst.

Glad to hear you live in a 4G area... not here yet.

BTW... the other poster is right about the Droid Charge... it seems to do very well with battery life in 3G or 4G mode.... so maybe it's not the 4G but just the others are poorly built phones????? Don't know?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ImNoSuperMan Avatar
187 months ago
yes, one day apple is going to announce the next iphone without testing or certifying it on any carrier's network. in fact FedEx will just start delivering boxes to Verizon Stores with no one having any idea what they are.

all of those millions of verizon iphone 5's will just magically work out of the box with no backend preparation by verizon or any carrier.

what happens is SJ presses a button and a magic script runs that adds the data to all the carriers' and partners' computer systems at once
They didnt say that next iPhone doesnt exist or they have no idea what its supposed to be. All they said is they dont know the release date, which isnt really surprising to me considering they are talking about an Apple product here.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Orlandoech Avatar
187 months ago
i can see the desire for 4g (other than bulk and battery-burning, which will be solved in time). Still, every other phone has much bigger deal-breakers:

* fewer apps, but more importantly: Lower-quality apps. Even those apps that do have android versions are seldom as good (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/mimssbits/26647/).

* poor battery life. Potentially "solveable" by manually managing processes and troubleshooting your apps to find out the hard way which ones you shouldn’t have downloaded. No, thanks.

* no retina display? I’ll never go back!

* android devices are frequently abandoned by the manufacturer and/or carrier, and get no further updates. Now, no device lasts forever; but android devices get obsolete way too fast.

* fragmentation: It’s not just a problem for programmers, but for users, when big-name, important apps only work on certain selected models.

* no icloud? Well, i don’t have it yet, either... But it’s coming, and nothing out there can offer what apple is offering with icloud.

* malware apps. Compare the percentage of users impacted on android vs. On iphone.

* where’s the integrated music store and synching? Where are the movies and tv shows? Android solutions for those are painful half-efforts compared to itunes.

* no serious tablet companion with a serious library of tablet apps.

And the number one android deal-breaker for me:

* no full backup/restore! When i replace my iphone, everything down to the last custom setting and icon placement transfers over. Every song, every document, every high score, every password, every carefully-organized folder with an emoji icon. On android, a few things synch to the new device, but the rest is lost in the wind. Unacceptable.

I really hope (and believe) that someone will make a flavor of android that solves all that, someday. For now, 4g lte absolutely can’t make up for them.

For now, while google talks in vague buzzword terms about giving me more things i can do with my phone, apple actually does so! Android is still too limiting.

I hope my 2012 iphone has 4g (i’m sure it will) but i also hope it doesn’t suffer the problems (bulk and battery drain) of current 4g phones.

amen!!!!!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NebulaClash Avatar
187 months ago
Doesn't this guy read MacRumors? We knew a long time ago that the next iPhone wouldn't be out in the summer (though many posters here refused to believe it nevertheless).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple... Avatar
187 months ago
I have a Droid X and want an iPhone. Will wait for iPhone 5, I guess - rather than buy the 4 now and regret it. Sigh.
There should only be a few months left. Hang on! :cool:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)