Verizon Activates 6.2 Million iPhones in 4Q 2012, Nearly Two-Thirds of Total Smartphone Activations

Verizon today became the first major U.S. iPhone carrier to announce earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012. Overall, the carrier activated 9.8 million smartphones during the quarter, and GigaOM notes that Verizon revealed on its conference call that 6.2 million, or nearly two-thirds, of those were iPhones.

141852 Verizon logo 300
Perhaps most interestingly, only half of those iPhones activated during the quarter were of the iPhone 5 variety, indicating that Verizon continues to enjoy strong sales of the lower-cost iPhone 4S and iPhone 4.

It sold 7.3 million LTE devices the last three months of 2012, and it activated 9.8 million smartphones in total. It activated 6.2 million iPhones, about half of which were the LTE-enabled iPhone 5.

Approximately 23% of devices on Verizon's base are now LTE-compatible, with those devices representing almost half of the carrier's data traffic. And AllThingsD notes that Verizon has halted any further additions to its 3G networks in favor of continuing to expand its already substantial 4G LTE networks.

Last quarter, Verizon reported total iPhone activations of 3.1 million, representing 46% of the carrier's smartphone sales.

Apple will be reporting its own earnings tomorrow after the close of trading, at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern / 1:30 PM Pacific. MacRumors will have full coverage of Apple's earnings release and associated conference call taking place at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...

Top Rated Comments

MacFan1957 Avatar
159 months ago
How long till the first FanDroid arrives to tell us exactly how these numbers must be wrong! I guess maybe Verizon can't count or maybe the Android phones how up as Linux, has to be that!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nungster Avatar
159 months ago
AAPL back to 700!!!!! :D
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newagemac Avatar
159 months ago
I haven't seen any official numbers but take a look in the forums here, there are a TON of ex iPhone users with Android devices now. I'm one of them, and I know PLENTY in person that have done the same. It's not a knock on iOS(though it needs some serious revision) but it's further proof that the times are changing, and that people want something different, and are willing to give Android a try.

You're giving anecdotal evidence and I'm referring to real statistics. Tech forums are not very indicative of reality. And macrumors in particular is flooded with fandroids and Apple haters who would never consider the iPhone so I would take most "I switched from iPhone to Android and couldn't be happier!" posts with a grain of salt. Not saying that's you though. :)

The proof is in the pudding. Verizon was a huge Android seller. Now nearly two thirds of their activations are iPhones. The picture can't get much more clearer than that.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thehustleman Avatar
159 months ago
Interesting mix. I don't think Verizon has ever sold that high a percentage of iPhones in a quarter. Perhaps the strong sales of the 4S partly contributed to the supposed "cuts" in production of the iPhone 5. It is a bit telling that people on Verizon would still be willing to get the 4S. LTE vs. 3G is a MUCH bigger deal on CDMA. Maybe Verizon did a good job of "downselling" the 4S while the 5 was out of stock.
It isn't the 4s, it's the 4 being FREE with a contract.

I activate a lot of them because people want the iphone name and if they get it free they are happy
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
159 months ago
For comparison:

1 year ago Verizon activated 4.3 million iPhones in the 4th quarter (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/24/iphone-represents-55-of-verizons-4q-2011-smartphone-sales/).

This year was 6.2 million.

The low ratio of iPhone 5s may not mean the 5 is selling poorly, only that the 'free' iPhone 4 is selling well. Remember, Verizon never had a 'free' iPhone 3GS.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainApple Avatar
159 months ago
Good to see the iPhone is still 'relevant', much to the dismay of the Apple Haters. Troubling though that more iPhone 5's were not activated. I guess the average consumer has voted with their wallet, not surprising in these economic times.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)