Htc is stealing some of Apple’s thunder as more smartphone users opt for the speedier 4G advantage.
The HTC Thunderbolt, the first phone to run on Verizon’s faster 4G LTE network, briefly overtook the red-hot iPhone in sales at Verizon stores late last month, according to a Wall Street research firm.
The Thunderbolt, which runs Google’s Android software, appears to be a fave of those looking for WiFi-like speeds on their smartphones, while Verizon’s iPhone 4 still uses the dated 3G CDMA technology.
The popularity of LTE could spell trouble for Apple, as smartphone customers are looking for something new.
ITG Investment Research estimated that sales of Verizon’s iPhone 4, available since Feb. 10, would come in at 2 million for the quarter.
As of late March, the HTC Thunderbolt “surpassed the iPhone as the top-selling phone at Verizon,” ITG said in a report.
That jives with a survey from BTIG, a second research firm that also found the Thunderbolt outselling the iPhone 4 at a number of Verizon stores.
Verizon declined to comment.
Another report this week from SocialNuggets, a firm that measures sentiment across the Web, said the Thunderbolt rose to the No. 1 spot from No. 8 on its smartphone index. The iPhone 4 dropped from No. 6 to No. 10.
One analyst yesterday said Apple diverted more of its resources to beefing up its iPad dominance with the launch of an iPad 2 than it did to developing an iPhone 5. Now, there is talk a new iPhone won’t be ready until as late as next year.
AT&T had been the only US carrier to offer the iPhone, and introducing the phone to Verizon’s 90 million customers was seen as a major new revenue stream for Apple.
Apple is expected to release quarterly results today, and Wall Street is expecting it to report iPhone sales of 16 million to 17 million units.