Apple Limiting Retail Store Staff Vacations Ahead of Verizon iPhone Launch?

[shadrap]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)



You're a Verizon fanboy just like the At&t ones. Either way both suck kiddo, k? AT&T's coverage is spotty and Verizon has many faults. Crappy customer service, no upgrades and you'll more than likely be stuck with the older iPhone for now. The upgrades alone is a deal-breaker. At least with AT&T I can upgrade every 12 months.

Dude I am on Sprint and carry an Evo. I picked up an iPhone 4 on launch and the service was horrendous. Multiple dropped calls, limited 3G area, and bills that never made sense. I love the iPhone, but like Sprints coverage and pricing better. I am willing to pay the cost, but not willing to deal with the poor service. So now that it is going to Verizon I am ecstatic. The nations best coverage, with the nations best phone. I am willing to pay the early termination with Sprint and a higher bill to have the iPhone on a network that works.

 

[hittinofr]

verizoniphone.com

Check out verizoniphone.com it is "unavailable" but has a verizon feel too it. Could it be a site waiting in the wings.

 

[Namji]

Well, sorry. Since day 1 on the 3G I guess. That just shows how ingrained that is in my experience now that I don't remember not having it.

Millions of smartphone users on Verizon are doing fine without it because they've never experienced it. People don't like moving backwards. I'm not going to switch to Verizon if it means when someone calls me and asks "Could you open up that email I just sent you?" I have to hang up to do it. That's just broken.

If you can receive a call....

 

[Mattsasa]

Check out verizoniphone.com it is "unavailable" but has a verizon feel too it. Could it be a site waiting in the wings.

you mean because the text is in red?

 

[Namji]

Dude I am on Sprint and carry an Evo. I picked up an iPhone 4 on launch and the service was horrendous. Multiple dropped calls, limited 3G area, and bills that never made sense. I love the iPhone, but like Sprints coverage and pricing better. I am willing to pay the cost, but not willing to deal with the poor service. So now that it is going to Verizon I am ecstatic. The nations best coverage, with the nations best phone. I am willing to pay the early termination with Sprint and a higher bill to have the iPhone on a network that works.

+1,000!!!

There are rumors of verizon retail staffs having blocked vacation days too...

Looks like something is being released in the next couple of weeks!

 

[Mattsasa]

Its probably Both iPad 2 and CDMA iPhone ( not ness VZ)
Why have an event to say the iPhone is now on VZ network.
An event to say here is the iPad 2, and btw iPhone is now on CDMA networks in US, makes more sense.


I have little faith that VZ is capable of negotiating for an exclusive on the CDMA iPhone. They know they have a good network, and they don't want to give up $ like AT&T did. It really can be that simple.


But I'm not Steve so who really knows.

or are you?

 

[yayitsezekiel]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)



You're a Verizon fanboy just like the At&t ones. Either way both suck kiddo, k? AT&T's coverage is spotty and Verizon has many faults. Crappy customer service, no upgrades and you'll more than likely be stuck with the older iPhone for now. The upgrades alone is a deal-breaker. At least with AT&T I can upgrade every 12 months.

how in the world does pointing out facts that everyone has access to make someone a fanboy?

 

[Geckotek]

well if true at least this indicates that Verizon customers will get the "apple shaft" because if they get iPhone 4 in february they'll feel the burn of seeing AT&T users with iPhone 5 this summer, poor bastards....

Hahaha, this will be the official "sour grapes" mantra of the Verizon haters.

Stop with the iPad 2 speculation. That CANNOT be the reason for restricting employee vacations. Those can be sold in seconds at the store, no problem. It's only a new phone on a new network that takes time to handle in the store.

That brings up a good point. Besides the iPhone, has Apple ever restricted vacation for a product update?

Also, IIRC, in another thread we heard Verizon employees were also blocked from taking vacations.

I may end up regretting it later...but I'm convinced this is really happening now. I'm going on record and say it.....Verizon iPhone will be on sale sometime during the vacation blackout.

If they announce iphone for VZW, it doesn't mean it will be out soon. It could be an announcement that ends up with a launch during the normal cycle.

<snip>

The announcement could also include iphone and ipad for VZW, with mention of ipad 2.

Neither Verizon or Apple would want to kill sales of existing hardware by announcing so far ahead. Look for a release 1-2 weeks after the announcement.

Agreed about Verizon iPad and possibly iPad 2.

If there were an Verizon iPhone - would that than work only in the US? Or would this be a triple/quadruple band? How about those trips to Europe, CDMA doesn't work over there...?

There are other countries where it will work (roaming), but not Europe. I've used my in China, South Korea, Uganda, and I think Guatemala.

How much time could it honestly take to introduce a Verizon iPhone...it appears to be very similar to the GSM AT&T version. I figure 10 minutes introducing it and then 5 minutes listening to Verizon's CEO about how much they love Apple and are excited about the partnership..blah, blah, blah.

Most Apple events are 1 1/2 hours so the remaining time will be spent on introducing the new iPad.

Here is my prediction on how it will go down...

10 minutes: Stats
15 minutes: Verizon iPhone
60 minutes: iPad 2 (complete with Verizon CDMA version)

Agreed, I think an iPad 2 might be announced as well with a release shortly after (but not at the same time as the Verizon iPhone.

Did the simultaneous voice + data on CDMA thing ever get worked out?

If not I can't imagine Apple releasing a crippled iPhone that can't do what all iPhone users have taken for granted from day 1.

Yeah...not. It didn't work on the original iPhone.

Verizon is not going to get the iPhone this year.

But don't be surprised if T-Mobile does, since they already have it outside of the US.

Whatever.

Available, probably not, but announced. iPad2 will probably be available in April.

I don't think they'll wait that long if they announce. It will kill sales. This isn't a new product announcement (iPad 2 that is).

This requires nothing on Verizon's network side? Manufacturer just utilizes the chip and it works?

Correct, although I tend to lean toward Verizon implementing VoRa which there was talk about Verizon doing.

No Verizon iPhone till 2012!!!! Listen to me people!

I'm listening. I just have no reason left to believe you. Almost NOBODY thinks the exclusivity contract is still in place....except maybe you.

WRONG....did you go to an Apple store for the original iPad launch? Fire Marshall had to shut down the Houston Galleria launch...and iPads on data networks have to be activated too

Yes, but that was a new product launch, not a small update.

iPhone V

;-)

V iPhone

<snip>
Anyhow, the most likely scenario is that the iPhone is coming to the T-Mobile USA network, not Verizon.

Because????

Because the current handset is a GSM/UTMS based device. T-Mobile USA runs a GSM/UTMS network. The changes Apple would need to make the iPhone fully functional on T-Mobile's AWS band (for 3G data) are very minimal.

Of the three nationwide mobile operators in the United States, Apple would have to do the least amount of engineering to adapt their iDevices for T-Mobile USA. To get the iPhone to Sprint or Verizon would take Apple a lot more effort and money.

Also, it's worth pointing out that T-Mobile is an official carrier of the iPhone is something like 7-8 European markets. The two companies already have a strong business partnership.

Note that recently leaked video of what presumably were iPhone parts showed a SIM card slot, something that a Verizon/Sprint iPhone would not have. The videos showed what appeared to be a slightly tweaked antenna design, which is possibly to accommodate the AWS 1700/2100MHz frequencies.

Ok, you have some good logic as to why Apple might want to build a T-Mobile iPhone. But there's something you are lacking and that is ANY indication from ANYWHERE that Apple and T-Mobile are in talks, no hints, rumors, NOTHING. Not a peep.

Yet you ignore the preponderance of rumors and anectodtal evidence that a Verizon iPhone is coming.

Digitimes source
WSJ source
Fortune source
AT&T early upgrades
CDMA Engineer job listings
Ivan Seidenberg interview
iPad being sold by Verizon
Accessories listed as for Verizon on more than one site
Rumors of Verizon testing their network to handle iPhone load
No vacations for Apple (this only happens for NEW product launches and iPhones)
No vacations for Verizon
And even several sources on this forum that say they are in the know and say it's happening

I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but you get the point. Any of those could be fake and some are even being called out as wrong by a few (yet confirmed by others). But once you start looking at all of the different sources and things we've seen up to this point, there is WAY more reason to believe a Verizon iPhone is coming than there is a T-Mobile iPhone. To ignore all of this is just ignorant.

I'm not ruling it out, I'm just pointing out that the least amount of work to go to a second U.S. carrier is to alter the handset to work on T-Mobile USA's network.

I'm simply applying Occam's razor.

Based on the above, Occom's razor would say the most likely explanation of all the rumors is because it is true.

<snip>

Also within the last few months my software developers have shown me Apple job postings for Verizon Network engineers for iPad.

All signs point to iPad 2 CDMA version as well as the AT&T GSM version.

Those job postings were for CDMA engineers with iOS knowledge. Nothing specifically stated iPad or iPhone...or Verizon for that matter.

That is the one item that makes question whether this is about a CDMA iPhone. Also wasn't the first iPhone introduced at a press event in Janurary?

Yes, it was announced in January, but only because it was a brand new product launch. Any updates are always released within weeks of an announcement.

CDMA is still a big player in Asia where in China, Japan, and Korea. However, the US implementation of CDMA is fundamentally crippled; all the other nations use R/UIM cards which are functionally identical to SIM cards. This allows for device upgrades without having to beg for the device to be authorized onto a provider's network.

US CDMA has no real point because it is incompatible with the standard implementations across the globe. If one wants a phone that works outside of the US, they have to buy a "global" phone with a GSM radio in it, and pay the roaming fees.

With the advent of LTE-Advanced, that will alleviate issues somewhat, so an unlocked device can work across more than just AT&T/T-Mobile. However, this won't be complete until the backlevel protocols go away, just like AMTS.

Actually, a US CDMA phone can roam on other CDMA networks. It just can't be easily switched to use a local number (using R/UIM...but might be OTA programmable by the carrier...but I don't know if any do).

This could explain the "sim" tray we saw in the leaked parts video. It could be for R/UIM.

Hey everyone, first post in a while, but visit daily. I have a friend who works with verizon tech support and they were told today that there was a lot of OT available and closed vacations for the 11th. Also he said they trained them today on device presales and pulled all meetings for the 11th. Like said above, definitely looks like the ipad2 and/or cdma iphone 4. Something is definitely going down on the 11th.

This goes along w/ some other posts in another thread about Verizon blocking vacations.

You can all but guarantee they will do precisely that, unless AT&T has re-negotiated from full exclusivity down to timed exclusivity, which is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

I've been thinking this is a possibility as well.

 

[oban14]

well if true at least this indicates that Verizon customers will get the "apple shaft" because if they get iPhone 4 in february they'll feel the burn of seeing AT&T users with iPhone 5 this summer, poor bastards....

As a former AT&T iPhone owner, you can rest assured that none of us will every feel shafted by any poor SOB stuck with AT&T.

 

[cmichaelb]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)

well if true at least this indicates that Verizon customers will get the "apple shaft" because if they get iPhone 4 in february they'll feel the burn of seeing AT&T users with iPhone 5 this summer, poor bastards....

Hahaha, this will be the official "sour grapes" mantra of the Verizon haters.

Stop with the iPad 2 speculation. That CANNOT be the reason for restricting employee vacations. Those can be sold in seconds at the store, no problem. It's only a new phone on a new network that takes time to handle in the store.

That brings up a good point. Besides the iPhone, has Apple ever restricted vacation for a product update?

Also, IIRC, in another thread we heard Verizon employees were also blocked from taking vacations.

Sorry, I may end up regretting it later...but I'm convinced this is really happening now. I'm going on record and say it.....Verizon iPhone will be on sale sometime during the vacation blackout.

If they announce iphone for VZW, it doesn't mean it will be out soon. It could be an announcement that ends up with a launch during the normal cycle.

Also with iphone 3G and 3GS, I'm not convinced that the next iphone update/upgrade will be iphone 5...rather, another variant of the iphone 4.

The announcement could also include iphone and ipad for VZW, with mention of ipad 2.

Neither Verizon or Apple would want to kill sales of existing hardware by announcing so far ahead. Look for a release 1-2 weeks after the announcement.

Agreed about Verizon iPad and possibly iPad 2.

If there were an Verizon iPhone - would that than work only in the US? Or would this be a triple/quadruple band? How about those trips to Europe, CDMA doesn't work over there...?

There are other countries where it will work (roaming), but not Europe. I've used my in China, South Korea, Uganda, and I think Guatemala.

How much time could it honestly take to introduce a Verizon iPhone...it appears to be very similar to the GSM AT&T version. I figure 10 minutes introducing it and then 5 minutes listening to Verizon's CEO about how much they love Apple and are excited about the partnership..blah, blah, blah.

Most Apple events are 1 1/2 hours so the remaining time will be spent on introducing the new iPad.

Here is my prediction on how it will go down...

10 minutes: Stats
15 minutes: Verizon iPhone
60 minutes: iPad 2 (complete with Verizon CDMA version)

Agreed, I think an iPad 2 might be announced as well with a release shortly after (but not at the same time as the Verizon iPhone.

Did the simultaneous voice + data on CDMA thing ever get worked out?

If not I can't imagine Apple releasing a crippled iPhone that can't do what all iPhone users have taken for granted from day 1.

Yeah...not. It didn't work on the original iPhone.

Verizon is not going to get the iPhone this year.

But don't be surprised if T-Mobile does, since they already have it outside of the US.

Whatever.

Available, probably not, but announced. iPad2 will probably be available in April.

I don't think they'll wait that long if they announce. It will kill sales. This isn't a new product announcemnent (iPad 2 that is).

This requires nothing on Verizon's network side? Manufacturer just utilizes the chip and it works?

Correct, although I tend to lean toward Verizon implementing VoRa which there was talk about Verizon doing.

No Verizon iPhone till 2012!!!! Listen to me people!

I'm listening. I just have no reason left to believe you. NOBODY thinks the exclusivity contract is still in place....except maybe you.

WRONG....did you go to an Apple store for the original iPad launch? Fire Marshall had to shut down the Houston Galleria launch...and iPads on data networks have to be activated too

Yes, but that was a new product launch, not a small update.

iPhone V

;-)

V iPhone

Those Blackberrys were dual-mode for voice only, not data.

There are several factors that may contribute to the lack of smartphones with dual-mode voice and data: power consumption, cost (including significant licensing fees), bulk, and performance.

Anyhow, the most likely scenario is that the iPhone is coming to the T-Mobile USA network, not Verizon.

Because????

Because the current handset is a GSM/UTMS based device. T-Mobile USA runs a GSM/UTMS network. The changes Apple would need to make the iPhone fully functional on T-Mobile's AWS band (for 3G data) are very minimal.

Of the three nationwide mobile operators in the United States, Apple would have to do the least amount of engineering to adapt their iDevices for T-Mobile USA. To get the iPhone to Sprint or Verizon would take Apple a lot more effort and money.

Also, it's worth pointing out that T-Mobile is an official carrier of the iPhone is something like 7-8 European markets. The two companies already have a strong business partnership.

Note that recently leaked video of what presumably were iPhone parts showed a SIM card slot, something that a Verizon/Sprint iPhone would not have. The videos showed what appeared to be a slightly tweaked antenna design, which is possibly to accommodate the AWS 1700/2100MHz frequencies.

Ok, you have some good logic as to why Apple might want to build a T-Mobile iPhone. But there's something you are lacking and that is ANY indication from ANYWHERE that Apple and T-Mobile are in talks, no hints, rumors, NOTHING. Not a peep.

Yet you ignore the preponderance of rumors and anectodtal evidence that a Verizon iPhone is coming.

Digitimes source
WSJ source
Fortune source
AT&T early upgrades
CDMA Engineer job listings
Ivan Seidenberg interview
iPad being sold by Verizon
Accessories listed as for Verizon on more than one site
Rumors of Verizon testing their network to handle iPhone load
No vacations for Apple (this only happens for NEW product launches and iPhones)
No vacations for Verizon
And even several sources on this forum that say they are in the know and say it's happening

I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but you get the point. Any of those could be fake and some are even being called out as wrong by a few (yet confirmed by others). But once you start looking at all of the different sources and things we've seen up to this point, there is WAY more reason to believe a Verizon iPhone is coming than there is a T-Mobile iPhone. To ignore all of this is just ignorant.

I'm not ruling it out, I'm just pointing out that the least amount of work to go to a second U.S. carrier is to alter the handset to work on T-Mobile USA's network.

I'm simply applying Occam's razor.

Based on the above, Occom's razor would say the most likely explanation of all the rumors is because it is true.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)

It's the iPad 2 on Verizon and AT&T. Apple wants steal some CES thunder from all of the competing products that were announced at CES.

Also within the last few months my software developers have shown me Apple job postings for Verizon Network engineers for iPad.

All signs point to iPad 2 CDMA version as well as the AT&T GSM version.

Those job postings were for CDMA engineers with iOS knowledge. Nothing specifically stated iPad or iPhone...or Verizon for that matter.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)



That is the one item that makes question whether this is about a CDMA iPhone. Also wasn't the first iPhone introduced at a press event in Janurary?

I still say iPad 2 native to Verizon and AT&T will be announced, but the two things above do introduce some doubt in my mind.

Yes, it was announced in January, but only because it was a brand new product launch. Any updates are always released within weeks of an announcement.

CDMA is still a big player in Asia where in China, Japan, and Korea. However, the US implementation of CDMA is fundamentally crippled; all the other nations use R/UIM cards which are functionally identical to SIM cards. This allows for device upgrades without having to beg for the device to be authorized onto a provider's network.

US CDMA has no real point because it is incompatible with the standard implementations across the globe. If one wants a phone that works outside of the US, they have to buy a "global" phone with a GSM radio in it, and pay the roaming fees.

With the advent of LTE-Advanced, that will alleviate issues somewhat, so an unlocked device can work across more than just AT&T/T-Mobile. However, this won't be complete until the backlevel protocols go away, just like AMTS.

Actually, a US CDMA phone can roam on other CDMA networks. It just can't be easily switched to use a local number (using R/UIM...but might be OTA programmable by the carrier...but I don't know if any do).

This could explain the "sim" tray we saw in the leaked parts video. It could be for R/UIM.

Hey everyone, first post in a while, but visit daily. I have a friend who works with verizon tech support and they were told today that there was a lot of OT available and closed vacations for the 11th. Also he said they trained them today on device presales and pulled all meetings for the 11th. Like said above, definitely looks like the ipad2 and/or cdma iphone 4. Something is definitely going down on the 11th.

This goes along w/ some other posts in another thread about Verizon blocking vacations.

You can all but guarantee they will do precisely that, unless AT&T has re-negotiated from full exclusivity down to timed exclusivity, which is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

I've been thinking this is a possibility as well.

The most comprehensive reply I've ever seen and humorous, well done.

As for the job postings I was shown, they did not say iOS- they specified iPad. May mean nothing, but it was specific.

 

[kdarling]

PLEASE people, do not repost a hundred lines just to add a few of your own.

Edit responsibly.

Mobile browsing may be faster these days, but it's still annoying to see someone quote huge posts or pictures.

Thanks.

 

[Geckotek]

As for the job postings I was shown, they did not say iOS- they specified iPad. May mean nothing, but it was specific.

My mistake, we must have seen different job postings.

 

[cmichaelb]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)

PLEASE people, do not repost a hundred lines just to add a few of your own.

Edit responsibly.

Mobile browsing may be faster these days, but it's still annoying to see someone quote huge posts or pictures.

Thanks.

Sorry, I apologize for my lack of forum etiquette, I should have gone back and edited it.

 

[alex.sebenski]

Verizon announced an event for January 11th, 2011! Game over! GAME OVER!

 

[NebulaClash]

Verizon is not going to get the iPhone this year.

Still feel this way?

 

[black743]

Still feel this way?

Of course they do. It reminds me of Baghdad Bob, where he stood on camera saying the U.S. was nowhere near the city....as tanks rolled by in the background.