In the distant future when iPhone can be used with any major U.S. carrier...

[jmpmntwnty3]

...I'm talking about Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, T-Mobile, and Suncom, in addition to AT&T of course...

Do you think most of the nation's population will be using an iPhone? My opinion on the issue is that people who currently do not have the iPhone and are with other networks are either a.) locked into a contract with another provider and don't want to pay the fee to get out of it or b.) already with the best provider in their area, which is not AT&T (it's a known fact that in different areas some providers are much better ... AT&T might suck in one area, and might be the best in another)

Of course you have the few who don't see the iPhone as the "best phone" and would rather make do with iPhonies (Instinct, Voyager, Glide, Dare, etc.), but screw them. We all know the iPhone is the best phone out right now

 

[Tallest Skil]

None of the CDMA carriers will ever have the iPhone. They will have to switch to a GSM-compatible service and use SIM cards.

If that happens, then yes, the iPhone would become the second iPod.

 

[viggen61]

Unless Apple lets the iPhone drip down the food chain until it becomes a "free" or $9.99 phone, it'll never be the most used phone. Apple makes premium products, not mass-market "disposables".

 

[jmpmntwnty3]

Unless Apple lets the iPhone drip down the food chain until it becomes a "free" or $9.99 phone, it'll never be the most used phone. Apple makes premium products, not mass-market "disposables".

You do have a point, but considering the hysteria that's been surrounding the iPhone, people may just be willing to shell out the extra bucks or even save up for it. Just think, at the moment, the iPhone is only available for ONE carrier and it has made history by being the first cell phone in the world that is in extreme high demand. No one has ever stood in line for a week, or for days, or for hours and hours, for any other phone ... EVER.

Apple is taking over. First with iPods, now with iPhones.

 

[nickspohn]

AT&T and Apple have a 5 year contract.


I'm pretty possible after the 5 years are up that AT&T will stick with Apple and vise versa.

 

[gkarris]

AT&T and Apple have a 5 year contract.


I'm pretty possible after the 5 years are up that AT&T will stick with Apple and vise versa.

I said this in another tread and I was stepped all over. People say that this is FUD. Some say it's more a 2 year one.

I believe it's 5. But talking with someone from AT&T, she believes that AT&T Wireless is very proud to be the EXCLUSIVE provider of the iPhone in the US and has made the iPhone its "flagship" phone. They will do everything in their power to keep it that way...

 

[JML42691]

I don't think that Apple is going to make the iPhone exclusively with any one carrier. Just my $.02, I'd say more, but I went out of my way to get home tonight for the sole purpose of downloading 2.0 for my touch, and I am gone for another week starting tomorrow at 5 AM.

 

[michaelmaxwell2]

I feel that it will stay on cingular. Because all of apple products do have a certain lock down to who can sell and who cant, I think thats what makes their products unique when its hard to get. And also cingular will do anything in its power to keep it, just look at it everyone changed companies to go with cingular because of the phone.

 

[phairphan]

I don't see this happening, due more to the realities of this country's patchwork quilt of non-interoperable networks than Apple's preference for exclusivity. Let's take the big 4: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. AT&T and T-Mobile are both based on GSM. However, T-Mobile's 3G network, which is nonexistent at the moment, won't be compatible with AT&T's 3G network, so Apple will need to build separate T-Mobile and AT&T versions of the iPhone. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, but since CDMA doesn't store network information in an easily and user-insertable SIM card, Apple will need to build a phone for each carrier.

To borrow from jmpmntwnty3's iPod comparison, this would be the equivalent of Apple having to design, build, and more importantly support four different versions of each model of iPod (with different internals, not just casings).

 

[lakaiordie]

i still dont think many people will buy it because the monthly bill ends up being at the cheapest with 200 texts about $90 a month with taxes if you're not getting any kind of discount through work.

 

[DiamondMac]

If the iPhone continues successful sales, AT&T will not dare let Apple go and will do their best to continue being the exclusive carrier for it here

 

[Poeticashes]

...I'm talking about Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, T-Mobile, and Suncom, in addition to AT&T of course...

Do you think most of the nation's population will be using an iPhone? My opinion on the issue is that people who currently do not have the iPhone and are with other networks are either a.) locked into a contract with another provider and don't want to pay the fee to get out of it or b.) already with the best provider in their area, which is not AT&T (it's a known fact that in different areas some providers are much better ... AT&T might suck in one area, and might be the best in another)

Of course you have the few who don't see the iPhone as the "best phone" and would rather make do with iPhonies (Instinct, Voyager, Glide, Dare, etc.), but screw them. We all know the iPhone is the best phone out right now

In the distant future...Sprint will be bought out by Verizon..and Verizon and Alltel merger would be complete...

I would love to use the iPhone on Verizon..EVDO Rev. A speeds are blazing in DC.

 

[Kansas-Kate]

...I'm talking about Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, T-Mobile, and Suncom, in addition to AT&T of course... Do you think most of the nation's population will be using an iPhone?

Most? No, of course not.

If I'm not mistaken, the 3G technology -- ¿and therefore the new 3G iPhone? -- is compatible with both GSM and CDMA, so that would eliminate any technological incompatibility. (And if I am mistaken, I'm sure someone can correct me.) As someone else pointed out, Alltel & Verizon (who are about to merge) use CDMA technology, and I'm pretty sure that Sprint has their own proprietary version of CDMA, whereas AT&T uses GSM technology.

Even if DSM vs CDMA weren't an issue, there would be people who don't like the touch screen and want buttons, people who prefer something thicker but shorter like a flip-phone, people who dislike Apple, people who want the cheapest phone, etc.

... My opinion on the issue is that people who currently do not have the iPhone and are with other networks are either a.) locked into a contract with another provider and don't want to pay the fee to get out of it or b.) already with the best provider in their area, which is not AT&T

c.) We currently do not have the iPhone because there is no AT&T service in our area at all. Where we live, there's Alltel and US Cellular.

If we could get AT&T service -- and keep it -- we would, just so we could have iPhones. Getting it is easy; keeping it is another matter. AT&T has coverage all around us, as close as 20 miles away. Friends who have gone to neighboring communities to get AT&T service have had their service terminated after a couple of months, per AT&T's terms & conditions: "Usage: If your minutes of use (including unlimited services) on other carrier networks ("off-net usage") during any two consecutive months exceeds your off-net usage allowance, AT&T may at its option terminate your service, deny your continued use of other carriers' coverage, or change your plan to one imposing usage charges for off-net usage. Your off-net usage allowance is equal to the lesser of 750 minutes or 40% of the Anytime Minutes included with your plan. AT&T will provide notice that it intends to take any of the above actions, and you may terminate the agreement."

Since AT&T coverage is pretty spotty in several areas, I think it's too bad Apple didn't do an exclusive GSM deal w/ AT&T and another exclusive CDMA deal w/ Verizon.

(it's a known fact that in different areas some providers are much better ... AT&T might suck in one area, and might be the best in another)

CDMA carriers seem to have a lot fewer dropped calls than DSM carriers -- something to do with calls per channel, I guess. The people I know w/ AT&T do seem to have more dropped calls. Even so -- and even though it would cost me $200 to get out of my Alltel contract -- I would still switch to AT&T just to get an iPhone and I know my husband would too.

Of course you have the few who don't see the iPhone as the "best phone" and would rather make do with iPhonies (Instinct, Voyager, Glide, Dare, etc.), but screw them. We all know the iPhone is the best phone out right now

We have flip phones w/ Alltel, but as soon as Verizon & Alltel merge, we will upgrade to iPhonies. I'm not sure which one we'll get, but I can tell you it will NOT have Windows software!

iMac 24" 2.4GHz 2GB 500GB
iPod Touch 32GB

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

I said this in another tread and I was stepped all over. People say that this is FUD. Some say it's more a 2 year one.

I believe it's 5. But talking with someone from AT&T, she believes that AT&T Wireless is very proud to be the EXCLUSIVE provider of the iPhone in the US and has made the iPhone its "flagship" phone. They will do everything in their power to keep it that way...

I've heard (from an unverified insider) it is a 3 year exclusive deal, with an option for ATT to extend. This way, ATT gets people to sign-up twice (2x 2-year) but now with the 3G, you can actually cut a year off that, 3 instead of 4 total. So about 2 years from now, the iPhone should officially open up in the US. My bet is we'll see an exclusive ATT "ultimate" iPhone version at that point and "other" versions will be available elsewhere. It would be unlike Apple to do this, but I suspect the contract has an "and one more thing" option for ATT, IMHO.

 

[gkarris]

I said this in another tread and I was stepped all over. People say that this is FUD. Some say it's more a 2 year one.

I believe it's 5. But talking with someone from AT&T, she believes that AT&T Wireless is very proud to be the EXCLUSIVE provider of the iPhone in the US and has made the iPhone its "flagship" phone. They will do everything in their power to keep it that way...

Anybody read the front page of MR lately?

 

[imfrog2002]

Yeah, I'm one of the ones that is both locked in a contract with T-Mobile, and doesn't have good AT&T coverage. (Not as good as T-Mobile, anyway.) That's why I unlocked it. I think that almost anybody can be converted to an iPhone, if they get a good enough deal.

 

[Geckotek]

<snip>Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, but since CDMA doesn't store network information in an easily and user-insertable SIM card, Apple will need to build a phone for each carrier.

This is not true at all. All you ever had to do on a CDMA phone is a) activate the ESN on the carriers network and b) program the phone for that carriers network. The hold up is that for sometime now (but historically not always) both Sprint and Verizon would not activate on their networks ESNs of phones they did not sell. However, this situation is currently changing with a lot of the lawsuits and such going on. Verizon has already begun a program to "qualify" non Verizon sold CDMA phones on their network.

Most? No, of course not.

If I'm not mistaken, the 3G technology -- ¿and therefore the new 3G iPhone? -- is compatible with both GSM and CDMA, so that would eliminate any technological incompatibility. (And if I am mistaken, I'm sure someone can correct me.) As someone else pointed out, Alltel & Verizon (who are about to merge) use CDMA technology, and I'm pretty sure that Sprint has their own proprietary version of CDMA, whereas AT&T uses GSM technology.

You are absolutely right....I'll correct you.

The term 3G is a generic term referring to the 3rd generation of high speed data services. It is used to describe both EVDO as well as HSDPA data services. EVDO is typically used by CDMA carriers while HSDPA is typically used by GSM carriers. This is no way means the iPhone is compatible with Verizon's network.

And Sprint's implementation of CDMA is not proprietary in any way. There are people who have successfully used Sprint phones on Verizon and vice versa. The trick is getting the phone programmed and getting customer service to activate the ESN.

Even if DSM vs CDMA weren't an issue, there would be people who don't like the touch screen and want buttons, people who prefer something thicker but shorter like a flip-phone, people who dislike Apple, people who want the cheapest phone, etc.

Absolutely correct! Many people will never see the need to change. It's just a phone for them and they want nothing more.

CDMA carriers seem to have a lot fewer dropped calls than DSM carriers -- something to do with calls per channel, I guess. The people I know w/ AT&T do seem to have more dropped calls. Even so -- and even though it would cost me $200 to get out of my Alltel contract -- I would still switch to AT&T just to get an iPhone and I know my husband would too.

This has actually been my experience. I've had more dropped calls since switching to AT&T back in April than I've had in the last 5 years on Verizon or Sprint put together. But perhpaps it's just that way in Dallas.

We have flip phones w/ Alltel, but as soon as Verizon & Alltel merge, we will upgrade to iPhonies. I'm not sure which one we'll get, but I can tell you it will NOT have Windows software!

iMac 24" 2.4GHz 2GB 500GB
iPod Touch 32GB

Why not? That's a shame, there are some very nice smart phones out there running WM 6.1. If you don't jack with it much and the hardware is of good quality, the phones are very nice and have more capability than the iPhone. But I have to admit I bought the iPhone because Apple did a very good job of making a well polished *shiny* product.