Icon

[aknowles4]

With the phone being retired, will I still be able to buy one from Microsoft and activate it on Verizon's network?

[NancyAnnL · Accepted solution]

You currently may purchase the Icon, in either black or white, for $99 on Verizon contract through Amazon.

[NancyAnnL]

I forgot to say, you can also purchase it directly from Microsoft on Verizon contract as well.

[vzwenduser]

VZW is probably retiring the icon because they did not anticipate there being many sales and therefore did not order that many of the phones. Furthermore, the 928 is probably retired too, its just that they probably have more in inventory. An analogy is: they just got their feet wet instead of jumping all in because they didn't want to jump in and the water be frozen. I think the ICON has much more to offer than the iPhone or the Galaxy S5, it has also had very good reviews, and I just got one recently myself so I can attest to how good it really is, so I don't completely understand where things went wrong. I do know that two salesmen tried to vehemently stop me from buying it so I believe that was a big factor. Because if a lot of people use an ecosystem developers will develop for it, but some people are not giving it a chance because they think android and ios already do the job well, but I have use ios on ipad and have had a few androids and they have their own drawbacks as well.

[dgc1962]

I think the larger question is "Do you really want a phone for which you may get little to no support for from the carrier?"

Verizon has been utterly reticent on both the Cyan and the Denim updates for the Icon.  I have been looking daily and the only change is now they're retiring the phone itself.  Given what I have seen, Verizon has changed their corporate culture toward customer service drastically over the last few years - for the worse in a huge way.  While I did considerable research on the Icon before I bought 2 of them, it was centered around comparisons to other phones.  I wish that I had thought to come to the Verizon forums to read about the tremendous lack of support Windows phones, and in particular the Icon are getting from Verizon Wireless.  I might have changed carriers, but more likely would have just gone with the S5.  Unfortunately, until the other carriers get really serious about bettering their networks, Verizon has a pseudo-monopoly.  Of course, if their customer service continues its death spiral, even that won't keep them at the top.

Whether the Icon is superior to the IPhone/Android is irrelevant.  Betamax was superior to VHS and it was generally held in the early days of PCs and Macs that the Commodore Amiga was the superior machine.  Superiority of hardware means nothing if it is not supported.

[bsites1968]

Because the Icon is an awesome phone and Verizon WILL be getting the update out to users.  Patience.

[dgc1962]

Again, the awesomeness of the phone is irrelevant, or at the very least minimally relevant if the carrier doesn't support it, or places it on the back burner.  Given the retirement of the Icon by Verizon, it is most definitely on the back burner.  I don't see how that can be argued.  Add to that an OS that employees try to dissuade you from choosing to begin with and a carrier that is regarded by most WP users as "Windows Phone hostile" - the worst of the big carriers for Windows Phone. 

I did a lot of research on the phone after the HTC One for Windows caught my eye.  Clearly the majority of users of the Icon thought it far superior.  I use my phone as my only camera so for me it was a no-brainer between the two.  The mistake I made was not looking deeply enough into carrier support.  Had I done that, the clear choice for Windows Phone would have been AT&T and I would have made that move without hesitation.  My mistake, but as I said above, my past experiences with Verizon's customer support had me lauding them to friends for their high-quality approach.  Those days, however, are clearly gone.  Take a look at the forums here, or better yet the Verizon Facebook page - complaints outnumber praise by a factor that may approach 100 to 1. 

Do you doubt that Verizon could have pushed the update already were they so motivated?  Do you think that they'd be this silent about it if an equal percentage of their Android customers were asking about an update? 

(Some of what I've read lately has included the idea that a deal-breaking hardware conflict might be the issue, in which case their desire to push it is moot.  Equally likely though is that their margin is greater on the HTC One, and withholding the update to the Icon makes them more money and that is the ONLY thing that matters to Verizon.)  I'm patient enough, but I'm not about to stand idly by and be treated like a 2nd or 3rd-class citizen by a company I'm paying over $2,000 annually.  I'll probably let Verizon have until the end of the year to push the updates.  I've already looked into it, and even without their buyout of contracts ($350 per line) I would be money ahead after a year just in monthly savings (about half of what I'm paying with Verizon) with Sprint.

Were it not for my hope that you are correct and I'll be enjoying Denim before the end of 2014, I'd already be back on Android, and with Sprint.

[NancyAnnL]

I still have hope we Icon users will get the updates for which we are waiting patiently.

Sprint is not a viable choice for me- their network coverage abruptly cuts out at the end of my street.

[rednibkram]

I agree with you.  However, I must add that the only reason the Icon did not sell well is because Verizon sales reps were actively disuading customers from purchasing it.  How can sales be good if sales reps are convincing customers not to buy it.  I still think Microsoft should investigate this and sue Verizon over it!  That's MILLIONS in sales nationally that Microsoft probably lost because of this.

I also have decided to take the wait and see approach.  If AT&T releases the Denim update for the Lumia 1520 before Verizon releases it for the Icon, Verizon is history and I'll be getting a Lumia 1520 on AT&T.

Also, I want to add more more thing.  I seriously believe that with the coming of Windows 10, Windows Phones with Windows 10 will be a big seller.  Why wouldn't anyone want a phone that runs apps that also runs on your Laptop, Desktop, tablet, Xbox, etc.?  That is the future of Windows and I can't wait.  In my fantasy, Microsoft refuses to provide any Lumia phones to Verizon and everyone leaves Verizon for AT&T to get a Windows 10 phone.  We can dream, can't we?  lol

[dgc1962]

I still have hope as well.  Regardless of the savings, I don't want to risk connectivity as I travel a lot and also simply don't want the hassle of changing providers, taking my number with me, etc.  Additionally I have read some accounts of Verizon delays in releasing phone numbers.  I was pleased to see that Sprint has won some customer service awards recently.