Apple and Verizon to hold iPhone 12 event for businesses on Nov. 19

Apple and Verizon are holding an event Thursday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET to pitch the iPhone 12 and 5G wireless networking to businesses.

Verizon said in an announcement Monday the event will “showcase how business customers can use the new iPhone 12 lineup and Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband to power innovative solution,” which is about as business-sounding as you can get. The companies will focus on manufacturing, field service and healthcare, according to the announcement. It included an image of someone using a Microsoft HoloLens headset to interact with a skeleton, with not any iPhone 12 in sight. The image has since been removed from Verizon’s website.

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The event, which comes mere weeks from the iPhone 12’s launch, will be the fourth announcement from Apple in three months. Both Apple and Verizon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apple and Verizon’s joint event is just the latest way the two companies are working to hype up the iPhone 12. Apple’s latest handset, which comes in four variants starting at $699, went on sale in waves, starting Oct. 23 for some models and then others on Nov. 13.

When Apple first announced its iPhone 12 during an online-only video livestream in October, it brought Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg onto its digital stage to discuss its 5G wireless capabilities. Verizon also used the event to effectively launch its 5G wireless network in North America.

With the iPhone launch, Vestberg said at the event, “5G just got real.” The new wireless technology, he added, will allow new innovations allowing people to watch more video, play games and surf the web more easily. In turn, Apple CEO Tim Cook called Verizon one of his company’s “closest partners.”

The event also offers Verizon an opportunity to more directly compete with its rivals, AT&T and T-Mobile, particularly when it comes to offers for existing subscribers. As the carrier looks to push users to 5G, and its pricier unlimited plans that support its fastest millimeter-wave network, new promotions geared towards the enterprise may help with that shift.

The carrier also began offering 30-month financing options for Apple’s pricier iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max in an effort to draw potential customers with a lower monthly price while keeping them on Verizon’s network for a longer period of time.

Verizon said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, will lead the event along with Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Markets, Apps, and Services