Anticipating significant demand, Verizon asks staff to wait to buy new iPhone 4

Expecting that the number of pre-orders of the new iPhone 4 could completely outstrip its initial supply of the new CDMA-equipped iPhone 4, Verizon has sent an internal memo to its staff asking them to refrain from buying the handset “for the time being”.

The memo, sent internally to employees by Verizon COO John Strattion and obtained by AppleInsider, tells employees that the “customers and non-customers alike have waited for years to see this product on America’s most reliable wireless network. Demand will be unprecedented”.

The smartphone, which is available to pre-order by existing customers in the U.S in a matter of hours, has already received favourable reviews, launching with a slightly modified design that can take advantage of Verizon’s CDMA networks. Verizon wants to “ensure [it] meets customer demand for iPhones”, so it can “show those millions of people what it means to be a Verizon customer — providing them the best network, joined by the very best customer service and support, all adding up to a world-class customer experience.”

We expect the Verizon iPhone to help Apple break another of its on sales records, many existing AT&T customers dismayed at the company’s dismal reception issues have already noted their intentions to switch networks once the device launches.