I posted this same hypothesis on the thread "Thunderbolt delayed" located here:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-news/123525-thunderbolt-delayed-7.html#post1271958
you know what I think?
I think BB will have it on the 14th. I think VZW isnt going to get it then because of this reason:
When I preordered the iPhone(mistake) online it only gave me an option for a 2 year agreement. I got to work that morning and promptly cancelled my order because there was absolutely no way to get a 1 year contract.
With that said, VZW is soaking up its new-comer and uninformed consumer with a 2 year phone agreement in which they will not be able to upgrade their contract after 14 days of sale or 13 months of contract anymore...due to the changes in their return policy and their change to their NE2 stuff.
So in short, VZW played a "check" on us consumers. They made it so the iPhone hungry, trendy folks can pad verizons wallet and buy as much as ever. Remember that within the first 2 hours of Pre-Sale, the iPhone sold more units than any phone ever in VZW's history.
Also I think its important to note that what VZW is also doing is saying the first 4G device is the Thunderbolt...but they dont want the "non covered LTE" consumer to purchase because they dont have a way to universally charge those customers at the launch of a national LTE phone. Its not like they can make me pay for a service and not be able to utilize it. So what is being said...under the covers is that if you get a 3g/4g device and are on a 29.99 unlimited contract for said phone, you are grandfathered.
where will VZW make their money? iPhone boners...this is why...
In a few months...the iPhone 5 will be LTE released and the masses will then want that phone...people will jump on it paying full retail and whatever contract (tiered data plans or whatever) they need to in order to fulfill their trendy hunger...the iPhone customers are VZW's cash cow just like those customers were for ATT.
We as an informed public have a chance to play a "check" on VZW...if we snatch up these TB's and are on a UNLIMITED 3G/4G data plan and only paying 29.99 a month....we are grandfathered...for unlimited LTE data...forever...unless we change our contracts...we will be the better off consumer because of this...for those of us who do the research and ask the questions over and over will be happier when those birds are paying crazy tiered data packages and we are getting that service on the cheap...we however will not.
I remember when I was on the SERO plan for Sprint...I was getting everything and more for literally $30 per phone that a top dollar ($90) phone plan consisted of...
Trust me when I say..VZW probably doesnt want us to jump on that bandwagon...and they probably want us to wait for the Bionic or a dual processor phone...
I for one have no prob getting this stellar phone with a locked in 2 year agreement with unlimited 3g/4g data...plus with BB's buy back program offered free you essentially can get a phone within 6 months for like $350 cash without doing anything to your contract...I almost paid $360 for an iPhone 4 on a 2 year contract...what a bone head move that could have been.