I usually stick to under promise, over deliver, as well, but the problem with it is that if you under promise, you likely won't reach maximum potential for sales. If no one knows about it, they can't get it. Verizon seems to (at least in the past) thought that Windows Phone wasn't worth promoting or getting hyped up because no one wanted it. But no one can want it if they don't know about it. So it's a catch 22 I suppose.
I don't blame Verizon, but they certainly aren't making any fans out of Windows Phone enthusiasts by being too quiet, and not showing that they support it. If they don't support the platform I want, how can they expect my loyalty? It's not like Windows Phone is some crazy one-off brand that is obscure and owned by some small, useless company. This is Microsoft we're talking about. And Windows Phone is bigger than BlackBerry now. Sure, it's not as big as Android or the iPhone, but it never will reach its full potential if it doesn't get carrier support.
Verizon isn't about sales, it is about maintaining its customer base. Launching a phone before its ready for primetime or announcing a phone only to have the available product to be inefficient are not ways to please your customers and maintain a stable and growing monthly customer base. Verizon's attitude is to let their competition run into problems with new tech or low quantities on new phones. If they did that, they would not be as reliable as they are. Fact is, Verizon customers tend to be with them because of their network, not because of the phones they have on the network.
Essentially Verizon's core is this: What's the point of having the latest and greatest if you can't consistently access the cell network it runs on? AT&T ran into this problem early with the iPhone. They went for the bright, shiny object and didn't think about the impact on their network or the fact that the network was not up to the task. AT&T's way of doing things is to throw as many phones at the wall and see which ones stick. They are a device oriented company. If you want the latest and greatest, go with AT&T - but the latest and greatest may not fully function on the network at all times.
Over the summer, I was visiting Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park. As I was taking pictures in the middle of the park, I was also posting them online. Other guests of the park noticed that it seemed I had a connection and asked my carrier. AT&T and T-Mobile customers had no signal because there are no cell towers in the park, yet I DID have a signal - I even had LTE. Only two bars, but that was a lot better than what others had. THAT is what Verizon is all about.
Verizon is WAY ahead of their competition on LTE rollout and they will be able to flip a switch at some point next year and ramp up their entire network. Remember, the 929 (like the 928) will support the even higher speeds and they are already deploying their AWS spectrum in markets. It'll be national next year. They have hit 100Mbps in testing and expect that the average joe will be able to maintain 80Mbps on a standard connection.
But the 929 must not only work with the current deployment, but also the future deployment. They don't want someone who upgrades to a higher end new phone right now to be left behind when they turn on their AWS stuff. However, by this time next year, most of Verizon's LTE map will be available AWS.
THIS is Verizon. Ahead of the curb on their network deployment and making sure their customers have reliable phones as opposed to flashy phones. This is why they test a new phone in all major markets before they launch. And they also want customers to get the phones. I've heard of supply problems with the 929. I've also heard that they could launch, but they'd have limited supply. They don't want that. They don't want a great number of people to be disappointed that they can't get their phone. In fact, they feel AT&T's rush to get the 920 out last year hurt the WP8 brand and caused one of those terrible "overpromise, underdeliver" issues. Not to get political here, but regardless of your stances we see that now with the ACA too - and both sides of the aisle are so often guilty of overpromising and underdelivering. Many companies do too - and AT&T does it frequently in their launches.
Verizon will announce when the are confident they can meet demand and that the phone lives up to their standards. They will not make people wait weeks or months to get the phone. They will take care of it now.