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Behind the Scenes of the Apple-AT&T Relationship

butterfly0fdoom said:
Given that the iPhone 4 has a pentaband 3G chip, it does support every GSM/UMTS carrier in the world now. It just doesn't support the CDMA ones.
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The iPhone 4 does not support the 1700MHz UMTS band that T-Mobile USA uses, or we would see hoards of people buying iPhone 4's either outright or canceling service with AT&T in favor of T-Mobile.

Didn't realize there were 14 (!) of them, either! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands
 
pmz said:
Try reading just a fraction deeper. If Apple had gone with a different chip more suited to AT&Ts sparse coverage, all it would have is slow AT&T down, rather than light a fire under their rump. That's what Apple likes to do. Push their partners to become better, rather than acquiescing so they can compete for the middle.
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pmz, if AT&T can not put up towers fast enough due to red tape, what is the point in apple lighting a fire under AT&T's rump? Apple should have cooperated with AT&T at that time, in the interest of users. They were the sufferers.
 
Le Big Mac said:
I'm sure Apple and Verizon will get along just perfectly. Because Verizon is all about open access and no controls on cell phones.
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I see what you did there. ;)

Remember why the Storm v1 didn't have WiFi people? Verizon wanted its users to use their 3G network.
 
I bet another reason apple won't allow the iPhone on Verison's network is that they don't have voice and data at the same time... having phones on different networks that don't function exactly the same is something apple wouldn't do.
 
liavman said:
pmz, if AT&T can not put up towers fast enough due to red tape, what is the point in apple lighting a fire under AT&T's rump? Apple should have cooperated with AT&T at that time, in the interest of users. They were the sufferers.
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Thats what I was implying. If Apple even had an ounce of a doubt instead of passing the buck off maybe they should have taken into consideration AT&T's warning.
 
FIJIGabe said:
Actually, that's not correct.

Cingular was a conglomerate based on a couple got the former Ma' Bell pieces, including Bellsouth Mobility (where I'm located).

After forming Cingular, they bought the former AT&T wireless, and absorbed their debt (AT&T Wireless was heavily in debt, and needed the pockets of Cingular to bail it out).

Several YEARS after the sale, AT&T stepped in and put in a bid for Cingular, and bought it out. This wasn't an act of Cingular taking AT&T's name. They were genuinely bought out and the name changed.
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This is the way it came about. (I think...)

Cingular - Owned by BellSouth and SBC
AT&T Wireless bought by Cingular (Blue Account (AT&T) and Orange Account (Cingular))
SBC changes name to AT&T after buying AT&T Long Distance
"The new" AT&T buys BellSouth wholly owning Cingular
Name changed to AT&T Mobility.

Clear as mud :cool::confused::cool:
 
Apple needs to make the next iPhone world-capable (CDMA/GSM), unlocked, able to support the T-Mobile USA UMTS as well, then sell it for $399/499/599 on the Apple Store without contract for the 16, 32, and 64GB flavors.

If the carriers want to sell it locked with a subsidy, so be it.
 
baryon said:
How the hell does changing carriers affect the phone's hardware in any way? Changing carriers only requires changing SIM cards, and that the software allows it (which it does by default unless a company deliberately blocks other carriers' SIM cards to make more money). Otherwise how would the same iPhone function in other countries?
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i was just thinking the same thing. I have used my mobile over seas no problem swap sim whalla job done
 
tempusfugit said:
I'm glad they stuck with ATT.

Where I have lived and traveled over the past 3 years (length of iphone ownership) in the midwest, ATT has always been good.

I lived in minneapolis, ALWAYS 5 bars.

I live in Chicago, great coverage and much faster data than verizon.

Traveling to cleveland, orlando, lansing, milwaukee, coverage has always been good.


I can't speak for the coasts but I'm glad I have ATT. Verizon's 3g coverage in chicago is crap and their speeds are much lower. A very good friend who has an incredible routinely participates in speed test comparisons with me while we're out and about. ATT is the clear winner in Chicago, and its not even close.

Just the other night I hit 572 kilobytes/second down. Thats about 4.5 Megabit. And with a constant 1.5 MBit uplink, I'm uber-happy.

A fandroid with an EVO recently did a speed test comparison with me while we were at the same place, and he had "4G" coverage. He got 2.5 megabit and I got about 3.

"4G" is a ridiculous marketing technique. Its hardly in ANY major cities, but chicago happens to be one of them and it can't even keep up with ATT 3G.

Nuff said.



I can't find the exact test result I was talking about but heres a similar one so everyone knows I'm not just full of hot air: http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/42835179.png
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I live in the midwest, too, and could not be more pleased with AT&T's service. Although I usually get about 2 Mb down, last week I checked and was getting just over 4 Mb down. I was really surprised, although I haven't seen it sense.

Parts of the Wired story (the bit about Infineon) were widely reported at the time. I'm skeptical that Steve kept suggesting switching to Verizon in 2007; the 5 year contract was already signed by then, and it has only been very recently that Verizon has suggested any kind of flexibility in not installing its V stuff (or having its logo) on the phone.

As an aside, I don't really mind the design of the Droid Incredible, but I think that having both the Verizon logo and the HTC logo on the front of the phone is very tacky and basically ruins the aesthetics of the phone.
 
They both have faults.

I'm just waiting for iPhone to be available to other carriers already! Not for boosting sales (don't care), but the fact it lessens the strain of the network I am on.

I switched 3G on to check the weather today. It took almost 30 seconds to retrieve the data. The default Weather app and not TWC. So if a Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile iPhone does come out, please let it all happen.

And who cares about the elitist status and exclusivity feeling you get? It sold 3 million. If you want to feel special with an iPhone 4, get the Diamond edition of it. The white iP4 with diamonds has only 50 made in existence and will cost $20K! Our regular iPhone 4's is just way too common now.
 
So apparently this unnamed source seems to know nearly every negative interaction that took place between the 2 companies over the last 2 years.

Yeah right.

This is probably just a Wired hit-generating piece based probably on very flimsy and dubious statements from some random folks in both companies.
 
A couple more quotes from the article:

On the two-year tethering impasse: Apple wanted it included in the data plan, AT&T wanted to charge extra.
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Greedy...we'll see what happens after Verizon gets it.

It’s filled with fun anecdotes too, like early on when an AT&T representative suggested to one of Jobs’ deputies that the Apple CEO wear a suit to meet with the AT&T board, he was told “We’re Apple. We don’t wear suits. We don’t even own suits.”
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Lol, nice! Imagine Steve being the suit type? Only for the Oscars!

One day Steve will walk out in a bright green t-shirt and then the whole Internet explodes.
 
I use Apple products.
I am a Verizon customer.

But rumors of Verizon iphones are just that: rumors.

I repeated these rumors myself on two occasions only to look a fool. "Guess what I read! iphone is coming to Verizon in xxx months"

LOL

The ONLY way I'll ever believe that rumor is when Apple and Verizon announce it. Until then, my response to every rumor of iphone coming to Verizon is:
"No its not!"
 
I still say the AT&T Network is the better choice due to simultaneous voice/data use which is priceless but I do wish others would offer the same b/c there is no question adding another network would only make all iPhone users more happy and create less stress on everything.

As long as there is NO branding it would not matter to me what Network carried the iPhone. I will always fight and resist Ad's and Branding and gladly pay to keep it out of my world.

I don't allow door to door sale people to come to my door and the same holds true in the digital world.

.
 
vincenz said:
I thought the Verizon iPhone was a legend told to children during storytime.
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Anyone who watched the unveiling of the switch to Intel after years of the "Power PC forever" mantra realizes that Apple's had iPhone prototypes running every major cell protocol since early in the design process until today.

When they're ready for whatever reasons - contractual, technological, strategic, whatever - they'll be able to roll out iDevices for whatever networks they choose.

duaneu said:
Actually, it was Cingular that bought the "old" AT&T. The combined company adopted the AT@T name later.
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Somewhat, but that simplifies the situation a bit.

More thorough info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T
 
ten-oak-druid said:
I use Apple products.
I am a Verizon customer.

But rumors of Verizon iphones are just that: rumors.

I repeated these rumors myself on two occasions only to look a fool. "Guess what I read! iphone is coming to Verizon in xxx months"

LOL

The ONLY way I'll ever believe that rumor is when Apple and Verizon announce it. Until then, my response to every rumor of iphone coming to Verizon is:
"No its not!"
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Yeah but as soon as the verizon iphone is available, I'm bailing on ATT
they are horrible and overpriced in maine.
 
quagmire said:
AT&T/T-Mobile uses the global standard GSM. Verizon/Sprint use CDMA. GSM and CDMA requires different hardware. Thankfully, AT&T and Verizon are both adapting LTE( is Sprint's 4G network LTE?) so making the iPhone multiple carrier capable will be a whole lot easier.

I don't see a Verizon iPhone until this dual-chip or until LTE is rolled out.
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Ohhh, so I bet that makes things a bit more complicated...
 
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