Update: An official statement from Microsoft was given to WinBeta today, stating that Verizon has ‘temporarily sold out’ of all Lumia Windows Phone devices. You can read about this here. Read the original story below.
It appears that Verizon Wireless has pulled all of its Lumia smartphones from the Verizon Wireless website. As a Verizon customer with a Lumia Icon, it looks like my wait for the Cyan update will be indefinite and I am none too pleased. The only Windows Phones that are available on Verizon are now down to two: the HTC One (M8) and the Samsung ATIV SE. Verizon has not issued an official statement on what is going on, and I can only speculate that this is incredibly bad news for me and other Verizon customers sporting a Lumia smartphone.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore tweeted on December 19, 2014:
Happy Holidays WP users on Verizon! The 928 and 922 updates (WP8.1 + Denim) go live today and the ICON is on deck for early 2015.
That tweet gave me little hope that my Icon would be updated eventually, but it seems that the Icon went from a Verizon flagship phone to nothing in just under a year.
I always thought that it was weird that Verizon would update the Lumia 928, but not its successor, the Lumia Icon. I think that the Lumia Icon is a great smartphone; great camera, great screen, and great Windows Phone OS. Alas, it appears that Verizon does not feel the same way about the Lumia brand.
I was looking forward to a successor to the Lumia Icon, but now it looks like I may have to find my new Lumia Windows Phone device on a carrier other than Verizon Wireless. There has been no official comment regarding Verizon removing the Lumia smartphone line from Verizon’s website, but I am sure there will be in the next few days. Stay tuned for more information as this story develops.
Let us know what you think about Verizon’s move in the comments section. Was this intentional or perhaps a glitch?
