Four Reasons The Verizon iPhone Launch Failed

1. Timing. Verizon likely wanted the phone to launch around Valentine’s day hoping to capitalize on the consumerism of the holiday driving up sales. The problem is that the iPhone 4 launched almost a year ago. The iPhone’s next incarnation is likely to be introduced in early June and if consumers are going to spend money on a new iPhone, CDMA or GSM, they want the latest and greatest, not a model that’s going to be outdated in less than four months.

2. The Hype: The “If you build it they will come” mentality may have backfired. While it’s no secret that Verizon customers have pleaded for the iPhone again and again, when the official announcement was made, Verizon’s advertising efforts were somewhat nauseating to watch. One campaign spot in particular, thanking Verizon customers for their patience as the clock ticked down to arrival day made me cringe. True, some customers may have been watching the clock, but some weren’t. Nobody likes to think of themselves as being so easily manipulated and persuaded. Then again, the iPhone 4 launch last June caused plenty of chaos, so maybe I’ll just concede that point.