Confirmation of the Verizon (CDMA) iPhone Manufacturer?

[StuddedLeather]

At this point I couldn't care less.

Just give me the new phone please. . . I know what carrier I'll be with Verizon would seriously have to bribe me with something the iPhone on AT&T doesn't currently offer me. Save the "dropped calls" line because it's the same on whatever carrier you choose.

 

[ajsnow6234]

As a longtime AAPL shareholder and someone who reads their SEC filings, I do not believe that Apple would be willing to build the CDMA iPhone as a loss-leader. They might have during the era when Steve Jobs was not CEO, but not today.

Most likely, they would wait until the market conditions were right before launching into CDMA iPhone production.

Apple is all about high profit margins. If they dumped money down the drain, they would feel the heat from their shareholders. The big institutional investors and mutual fund managers (about three-quarters of the float) really don't give a rat's arse about Verizon having an iPhone if Apple's profit margins erode.

We shall see...like said, I believe there will be a Verizon iPhone. Also, I don't care either way. Then again maybe they project a CDMA iPhone to gain them big profit margins. Especially if (and I don't think it'd be a question) a Verizon iPhone would be downloading music via iTunes. If they can also take some vcast customers to iTunes it would be worth it.

I don't even know anyone personally that uses Vcast...but I suppose someone must!

 

[AidenShaw]

Fail

http://www.apple.com/support/products/iphone.html

From that link:

b. Limitations The Plan does not cover:

(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including faulty installation, repair or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes;

Note that one of the leading causes of phone mortality is "extreme humidity" from falling into the toilet or urinal.

AppleCare would not have replaced my dropped touch-screen smartphone - Verizon did.

Verizon's insurance:

If your device is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged (including liquid and physical damage), you may file your claim with the insurance agency within 60 days of the incident and the device will be replaced upon claim approval.

http://support.vzw.com/clc/features/calling_features/equipment_protection.html

AppleCare is a warranty extension, not insurance for loss or damage. Yes, I was wrong about "no AppleCare", but in context AppleCare is not insurance.

 

[Geckotek]

Look, if there will EVER be an LTE iphone that works on Verizon then Apple is going to HAVE TO put a CDMA chip in it to fall back on when there is no 4g coverage. They may have decided, let's get to work on CDMA now so when LTE is ready in the next 12-18 months (like when the 2011 Iphone is ready), they'll already have a year of CDMA testing (using real live users.)

VERY good point. I've read it before but forgot for some reason.

Lmao keep dreaming I will Laugh Ridiculously hard when Steve Announces Verizion for iPhone at WWDC.

Didnt all these people Say the Same when Mac would switch to intel etc etc.

Hahaha, me too....but I actually doubt it would be announced @ WWDC for a fall/Christmas (maybe even 2011) release.

 

[AFPoster]

Where do you get these numbers to 20million ppl will make a mass exodus?

If you think about it over 60 million use AT&T and over 50% of those people use the iPhone, over 80% of AT&T's customers complain, 20% of those complaints are threats of switching. I'd say at minimum 20million would leave for a better network, 20 million is a ballpark I would guess more and I can tell you AT&T expects a lot more than 20.

 

[Geckotek]

If you think about it over 60 million use AT&T and over 50% of those people use the iPhone, over 80% of AT&T's customers complain, 20% of those complaints are threats of switching. I'd say at minimum 20million would leave for a better network, 20 million is a ballpark I would guess more and I can tell you AT&T expects a lot more than 20.

Where did you get these stats? The 50% of AT&T users having an iPhone sounds unbelievable.

 

[StephenRzucidlo]

Verizon Iphone

I do agree with you guys i do like AT&T sometimes i just get p-offed with my iphone running on edge. just give me my iphone 4g already or is it called Iphone HD. On another not will we every see tethering with the iphone like they said would happen over a year ago.

 

[tedobo]

What? What multimedia functions would have anything to do with the wireless radio technology? Can't play videos? Can't play music? Can't stream music? Nope...it'll be able to do all of these things.

Yeah 1 thing at a time unlike GSM.

 

[whatever]

The 2011 iPhone will be "thinner" with a faster processor. Am I a credible rumor source now?

And it's also going to allow multitasking!

I think I might be done with these rumor sites.

What's next...

Basically here's the deal, if (we my sources say they won't) Apple opens up the iPhone to Verizon is will be in June. If they don't announce in June, then hold your breath for another year.

 

[ajsnow6234]

From that link:



Note that one of the leading causes of phone mortality is "extreme humidity" from falling into the toilet or urinal.

AppleCare would not have replaced my dropped touch-screen smartphone - Verizon did.

I guess it also depends on the Apple Store taking care of it too. I've heard from several people that they have dropped it or briefly had it in water. The Apple Store techs have apparently fixed what would not normally been covered by Apple Care anyway.

I've heard more frustrations than anything about VZW insurance and still believe that it's more of a waste of money than anything. Either way, it's still a gamble, one that you can actually be proactive about and help prevent damage.

 

[Geckotek]

What? What multimedia functions would have anything to do with the wireless radio technology? Can't play videos? Can't play music? Can't stream music? Nope...it'll be able to do all of these things.

Yeah 1 thing at a time unlike GSM.

What? You still make no sense. It will multi-task in OS 4.0 just like a GSM OS 4.0 iPhone would.

 

[whatever]

hehe, actually, I dont get dropped calls, maybe its just a bunch of bad eggs of the bunch, seems hit or miss amongst my friends here in SO Cal

Here in Boston (and also everywhere I travel, I'm on the road about 3 weeks a month with my home office in Palo Alto, CA) the best provider I've had is AT&T. Maybe I'm just lucky, but with Verizon I could never get a dial tone from my house. Sprint if I turn my head while speaking on the phone I would drop the call. With AT&T I'm able to walk around my house.

 

[jclardy]

Please let Verizon get the iPhone. And Sprint. Then I will either switch carriers, or maybe AT&T will finally allow tethering because all their iPhone subscribers are leaving.

 

[marksman]

Sources close to the situation have said that to compete with this potential new threat, AT&T has a new android based device in production made by Motorola.

It is going to be called the "One Iota"

 

[AidenShaw]

Either way, it's still a gamble, one that you can actually be proactive about and help prevent damage.

One big part of the insurance issue is that if you "self-insure", then if the device is ruined you have to replace it at the full non-subsidized price. So, you're not insuring against a $250 loss, but against an $800 loss.

I destroyed an earlier Vzw touch-screen smartphone, and Vzw wanted $700 for a replacement, or I could cancel my contract for a $270 penalty and start a new 2 year contract for $250. (I found the same phone on eBay for $250, and went to the Vzw website and switched my number to the new phone for free.)

 

[theelysium]

Really More of This?

Why do we keep hearing things about Verizon??? Engadget confirmed that Apple has a 5 year (2012) deal with AT&T!

Here is the article:


The term of Apple and AT&T's iPhone exclusivity deal has long been a mystery -- although USA Today reported a five-year arrangement when the original iPhone came out in 2007, that number has never been independently confirmed, and it's been looking suspect in recent weeks as Verizon iPhone chatter has gotten louder. But we've been doing some digging and we can now confirm that Apple and AT&T entered into a five-year iPhone exclusive in 2007, based on court documents filed by Apple in California. Read on!

Here's the deal: an ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone's required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years -- thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone. Obviously Apple had to respond to these allegations, and in addition to arguing that no one was ever promised an unlocked iPhone after two years, the company's lawyers repeatedly confirm the existence of the five-year agreement while noting it was publicly reported in USA Today. It's extremely black and white -- check these choice quotes from Apple:
"The duration of the exclusive Apple-[AT&T] agreement was not 'secret' either. The [plaintiff] quotes a May 21, 2007 USA Today article – published over a month before the iPhone's release – stating, "AT&T has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for five years-an eternity in the go-go cellphone world."
...
"[T]here was widespread disclosure of [AT&T's] five-year exclusivity and no suggestion by Apple or anyone else that iPhones would become unlocked after two years... Moreover, it is sheer speculation – and illogical – that failing to disclose the five-year exclusivity term would produce monopoly power..."
Now, this all went down in October of 2008, and while it's sort of amazing we hadn't seen it earlier, the real question is whether or not the exclusivity deal is still on the books. (The case is ongoing, but most of the relevant bits have been under seal since 2009.) Contracts can be canceled, amended, and breached in many ways, and AT&T's spotty recent service history plus the explosion of the iPhone and the mobile market in general have given Apple any number of reasons to revisit the deal. In addition, the two companies obviously hit the negotiating table again to hammer out the iPad's pricing plans, and there's no way of knowing whether that deal involves the iPhone as well. But it's nice to finally know for certain that AT&T's initial iPhone exclusivity period was booked until 2012 -- now we just have to see if all this recent chatter means something's changed.

P.S.- Oh, and this case also covers some other relevant and controversial ground: the plaintiffs argued that Apple exerted illegal monopoly power over the iPhone applications market by barring third-party apps from iPhone OS 1.0, and the court ruled the argument was valid enough to go forward. Pretty prescient for 2008 -- we're guessing Adobe and the Federal Trade Commission are very interested in what's going down in California's Northern District right around now.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/10/...tandt-signed-five-year-iphone-exclusivity-de/

 

[Geckotek]

Why do we keep hearing things about Verizon??? Engadget confirmed that Apple has a 5 year (2012) deal with AT&T!

Simply because contracts can change.

 

[marksman]

I get 4 or 5 dropped calls a day. If I talk to someone else with an iPhone for longer than 60 seconds, the dropped call rate is 100%. Meaning, I have never had an iPhone to iPhone conversation longer than a minute without a dropped call. That's horrendous. I'm pretty set on leaving AT&T regardless of whether or not the iPhone goes anywhere else. There are plenty of other phones, and I refuse to put up with AT&T's service anymore.

Something is wrong then... that is not normal. I talk to people on iPhones all the time and don't have this problem.

Just a thought but maybe they have bad coverage where you are?

 

[cvaldes]

Something is wrong then... that is not normal. I talk to people on iPhones all the time and don't have this problem.

Just a thought but maybe they have bad coverage where you are?

Apparently you don't read the tech news. There are large areas of very poor AT&T cellular coverage. The most notorious ones are San Francisco and Manhattan.

So yeah, if you live in one of those "bad coverage" areas, you will get lots of dropped calls.

I'm surprised that you've never heard this before. Your profile shows that you joined MacRumors in June 2007. You've honestly never read about AT&T's poor network performance in certain areas? I think every iPhone thread in this bboard has at least 5-10 mentions of it.

 

[ajsnow6234]

One big part of the insurance issue is that if you "self-insure", then if the device is ruined you have to replace it at the full non-subsidized price. So, you're not insuring against a $250 loss, but against an $800 loss.

I destroyed an earlier Vzw touch-screen smartphone, and Vzw wanted $700 for a replacement, or I could cancel my contract for a $270 penalty and start a new 2 year contract for $250. (I found the same phone on eBay for $250, and went to the Vzw website and switched my number to the new phone for free.)

You're one of those people who just enjoys hearing themselves talk?
No matter what way you look at it...the insurance is a gamble. In my opinion, I'd rather make better use of that $6 per month. I take care of my electronic stuff and would be willing to accept the consequences if I ever "destroyed" it.

 

[marksman]

Good post for sure! The iPhone was ATT's (first) greatest acquisition and will turn out to be (in the end) it's biggest downfall. It has destroyed the perception of ATT's network, has cost people faith in it and Apple (the latter is very unfortunate as an Apple fan), so the sooner it gets moved the better for Apple. Too bad for ATT, and I cannot wait to see it happen. I will laugh my as off as ATT gets crushed in loss of customers and the destruction of the stock price. Whether it happens in 2010, 11 or 12, it doesn't matter. It WILL happen and it WILL be a glorious day.

Yes AT&T is in a world of hurt.

They only made 12 billion dollars in 2009.

Of course the mighty Verizon, by comparison, made 3 billion dollars in 2009.

 

[ihaveNFC]

Or not. Perhaps you didn't know that separately, both Verizon Wireless, Sprint Carry More Data Traffic than AT&T.




...and I will when all those Verizon Iphone customers finally have a fast, reliable network - and the AT&T Iphone customers are still dropping calls.



Verizon heavily pushes 3G for laptops - both with embedded OEM radios and USB/card plugin modems. Laptops typically use 20x the data bandwidth of a smartphone.

The Iphone is really unlikely to bog down Verizon's network.




Verizon sells a number of "world phones" with both GSM and CDMA radios, so it's really not a big deal.

The Qualcomm "Gobi" chip supports most of the major radio standards, plus has assisted GPS on the radio chip. The only issue of note is dealing with antenna design for the different frequencies.

The point I made prior to your speech was that no one I know who owns an iphone has a problem with their service or speed. I just find it ironic that those who push VZ (like yourself) "assume" that the service will be seamless, if not superior. Seeing how VZ charges an arm and leg for their plans and pumps out crappy phones, I would hope this to be the case. But regardless, I think the number of those willing to migrate over to VZ are far less than you anticipate.

Anyway, don't forget how the article ended:

"Despite AT&T’s big emerging-devices push, ABI anticipates that Verizon will maintain the top data traffic position over the next five years. But AT&T’s share of mobile data traffic will increase, and by 2012 AT&T will take the No. 2 position."

 

[marksman]

The same reason anyone does - because they are the largest carrier in the US. By your logic no one would ever produce a CDMA phone!

Yeah but Apple is already on the largest Smartphone provided network, so maybe they are happy with that?

Go look at the coverage map. Then get back to us.

Go look at an electorial college map and get back to us.

Verizon iPhone - NOT GONNA HAPPEN

It will happen. It is not going to happen in 2010, and has started to become questionable in 2011, but at some point and time Verizon will sell a future model of the iPhone. I just think it is going to be much longer off than a lot of people here want to believe.

If true and the Iphone Comes to Verizon. Iam jumping ship tired of the coverage in south new jersey 90% of the time my iphone 3gs is on the edge network if i wanted to be on the edge network i would have bought a regular flip phone. i can care less about talking on the iphone while surfing the net at&t just hope it supports verizons LTE network

Given the slower network thoroughput on Verizon and the inability to talk and do data, I am afraid your Verizon experience would feel just like AT&T edge.

 

[marksman]

If you think about it over 60 million use AT&T and over 50% of those people use the iPhone, over 80% of AT&T's customers complain, 20% of those complaints are threats of switching. I'd say at minimum 20million would leave for a better network, 20 million is a ballpark I would guess more and I can tell you AT&T expects a lot more than 20.

Do you work for NPD?

 

[cvaldes]

Given the slower network thoroughput on Verizon and the inability to talk and do data, I am afraid your Verizon experience would feel just like AT&T edge.

There's newer CDMA technology called SV-DO that allows for simultaneous voice and data on CDMA networks. Whether or not such chips are shipping in quantity or if Verizon and/or Sprint have implemented such technology is a separate issue, but there's a definite possibility that in the future, a Verizon iPhone could work with simultaneous voice & data, even on CDMA (i.e., doesn't have to be on 4G LTE).