Should I buy an iPhone 4 now or wait?....
Screw it...I will just go to a bar and pick-up the iPhone 5.
GL
Don't forget the paper bag full of $5,000.
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iPhone 4 Variation Hits Final Field Testing Stage? iPhone 5 at 'Engineering Verification Test' Stage?
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Don't forget the paper bag full of $5,000.
I have an iPhone 4 and have had zero problems with the antenna issue or the proximity sensor. I've even tried to get the antenna problem to happen and couldn't.
You know, come to think of it, supporting dying standards is a bad idea. They sould kill the current iPhone as well. Also, should have never released the original iPhone...that was such a bad idea.
Finally, a post that makes sense.
The death grip won't affect your phone when you have full bars. Go to a place with 2 bars and do a death grip. You will get No Service. I'm not saying in real usage you might death grip your phone, but the signal of both Wifi and Cellular are affected by griping very small areas (where typically a hand rests) on the iPhone 4.
So...you are saying that Apple never upgrades their iPhone mid cycle? Really?
Let's take a walk down memory late to February 2008...
https://www.macrumors.com/2008/02/05/apple-announces-16gb-iphone-and-32gb-ipod-touch/
Looks like they made an upgrade mid cycle if I am not mistaken. They have clearly done it before...they will do it again. So why do this now?
Here's my theory:
Apple knows there is an issue with the antenna but can't admit it because of the PR nightmare. All the while they have been working on a CDMA iPhone. What seems to make the most sense is for Apple to have one phone - a world phone. They can get a new FCC certification without raising eyebrows as to any antenna changes and avoid the PR nightmare of changing things without adding new features. Finally - they can finally do what I have thought they should have done for years now...add a 64GB iPhone. If the iPod Touch (which is thinner) can have 64GB of storage...the iPhone should as well.
I predict this new CDMA/GSM world iPhone will go on sale before Christmas...and if it does I will be getting one.
Doesn't China use a type of SIM cards for their CDMA phones? So, I am not sure why that would be complicated?
Those plans are for data cards. The unlimited plan (RIP) for smartphones is truly unlimited. There is no soft cap. Read back through my old posts before you start arguing this point with me.
Yeah, separate GSM and CDMA phones would be CRAZY!! Who on earth would do that!??! (except almost every other phone manufacturer)
Not to mention the fact that Apple has other products that have different models with differing features.
3 words....to get sales.
You'll be sadly dissapointed. They wouldn't be able to fit it in the current form factor and design is everything at Apple.
It's called RUIM.
Then your in an area with high/good signal strength. Your phone's antenna is attenuating (losing signal) when you touch the spot it is just not noticeable to you since you have high strength. Every iPhone 4 has the issue.
I wasn't referring to the hardware (since there really is a issue - I hate when people say its a "nonissue") but I was really talking about this:
Its not that hard to understand:
1x == 1x-RTT (same speeds as EDGE). Also indicates voice channel signal strength on some phones.
ev == 1x-EVDO (Rev 0, A, B, Advanced, etc) aka CDMA2000 3G (and 4G which was to be known as Rev C but is dead due to LTE)
Business p.o.v.
Here's my $.02 from a business/competitive angle:
-Apple needs more potential customers for the iphone to keep up growth. The only way to do that in a big way is to bring the iPhone to a CDMA network. (Though not necessarily Verizon. I'll discuss why in a second.)
-Apple places huge emphasis on simplicity and few SKUs. Making one phone to sell into both CDMA & GSM markets makes a lot of sense from this perspective. The only question is "does the cost of the specialized CDMA+GSM hardware cost more than the savings gained from making only 1 model at a time?" I'm just stabbing in the dark here, but I remember hearing from one of the 3rd parties that breaks down new products and estimates cost of production that the GSM chip + antenna cost ~$7. Another $7-10 in manufacturing cost is easily justified by production (& distribution) synergies. But, there's something even more exciting (more in a minute.)
-I think with our Mac-fan bias, we're probably underappreciating the competitive pressures being generated by Android. New models with upgraded hardware are coming out every month. I don't think Apple has the luxury of once-a-year iPhone releases. If they were, the iPhone 4 specs will look exceptionally weak come next spring, when compared to Android phones introduced in March or April.
-The Holiday selling season is hugely important to any retail business. I can easily see Apple releasing 3,1 (or 4.5 or whatever we want to call it) in time for Thanksgiving, in order to have the most competitive product during the Holiday shopping season.
-Apple's distribution model is evolving. First it was carrier exclusivity (by country), then multiple carriers by country. Apple only begrudgingly works with carriers - in Apple's perfect world, the networks wouldn't be quite so controlling and you would pick the phone independent of network. I think iphone 3,2/4.5 will be a multi-network device (CDMA+GSM), with earth-shaking implications:
THE ABLITY TO CHANGE NETWORKS ON THE FLY: I'm surprised that this hasn't come up in this thread. This capability is HUGE! Imagine being able to sign-up for service without signing a contract with a carrier. Imagine switching carriers (or networks) instantly or by month based on lower prices or better signal. You'll still be able to get a carrier-subsidizied iPhone @ $199 or whatever, but pay full price on the hardware from Apple and you'll be able to take advantage of inter-carrier competition.
(As a result, you'll also get better reception.)
The other reason that Apple will pursue multi-network iPhones is to add a feature unavailable on Android. (I'm guessing that the mish-mish of Android manufacturers and carriers would have difficulty managing the thousands of possible product permutations and their network connections.
So, my guesses - in line with today's rumor:
-iPhone 3,1 to land before Thanksgiving. 3,1 will be GSM-only, but will have a smaller form factor or additional features vs 3,0. (Maybe more storage for the same price, or a camera upgrade, or something like that.) I'll say a 40% chance of this prediction becoming reality.
iPhone 3,2 to land in January. 3,2 will be multi-network (CDMA+GSM). Biggest reason for delay of 3,2 vs 3,1 is ATT's exclusivity, ending at the end of the year. Prediction certainty: 90% certain of a new phone by February, 80% chance of CDMA-capability, 70% chance of flexible network capability.
iPhone 5 to land during the traditional summer period.
Whaddya think?
Here's my $.02 from a business/competitive angle:
-Apple needs more potential customers for the iphone to keep up growth. The only way to do that in a big way is to bring the iPhone to a CDMA network. (Though not necessarily Verizon. I'll discuss why in a second.)
-Apple places huge emphasis on simplicity and few SKUs. Making one phone to sell into both CDMA & GSM markets makes a lot of sense from this perspective. The only question is "does the cost of the specialized CDMA+GSM hardware cost more than the savings gained from making only 1 model at a time?" I'm just stabbing in the dark here, but I remember hearing from one of the 3rd parties that breaks down new products and estimates cost of production that the GSM chip + antenna cost ~$7. Another $7-10 in manufacturing cost is easily justified by production (& distribution) synergies. But, there's something even more exciting (more in a minute.)
-I think with our Mac-fan bias, we're probably underappreciating the competitive pressures being generated by Android. New models with upgraded hardware are coming out every month. I don't think Apple has the luxury of once-a-year iPhone releases. If they were, the iPhone 4 specs will look exceptionally weak come next spring, when compared to Android phones introduced in March or April.
-The Holiday selling season is hugely important to any retail business. I can easily see Apple releasing 3,1 (or 4.5 or whatever we want to call it) in time for Thanksgiving, in order to have the most competitive product during the Holiday shopping season.
-Apple's distribution model is evolving. First it was carrier exclusivity (by country), then multiple carriers by country. Apple only begrudgingly works with carriers - in Apple's perfect world, the networks wouldn't be quite so controlling and you would pick the phone independent of network. I think iphone 3,2/4.5 will be a multi-network device (CDMA+GSM), with earth-shaking implications:
THE ABLITY TO CHANGE NETWORKS ON THE FLY: I'm surprised that this hasn't come up in this thread. This capability is HUGE! Imagine being able to sign-up for service without signing a contract with a carrier. Imagine switching carriers (or networks) instantly or by month based on lower prices or better signal. You'll still be able to get a carrier-subsidizied iPhone @ $199 or whatever, but pay full price on the hardware from Apple and you'll be able to take advantage of inter-carrier competition.
(As a result, you'll also get better reception.)
The other reason that Apple will pursue multi-network iPhones is to add a feature unavailable on Android. (I'm guessing that the mish-mish of Android manufacturers and carriers would have difficulty managing the thousands of possible product permutations and their network connections.
So, my guesses - in line with today's rumor:
-iPhone 3,1 to land before Thanksgiving. 3,1 will be GSM-only, but will have a smaller form factor or additional features vs 3,0. (Maybe more storage for the same price, or a camera upgrade, or something like that.) I'll say a 40% chance of this prediction becoming reality.
iPhone 3,2 to land in January. 3,2 will be multi-network (CDMA+GSM). Biggest reason for delay of 3,2 vs 3,1 is ATT's exclusivity, ending at the end of the year. Prediction certainty: 90% certain of a new phone by February, 80% chance of CDMA-capability, 70% chance of flexible network capability.
iPhone 5 to land during the traditional summer period.
Whaddya think?
Yes, there is a chance, however we won't be certain until one can read about it at Apple.com or Sprint.com.Any chances iPhone ever ends up on Sprint
Anything before that is hearsay and conjecture, i.e., vaporware.
This is why you go with Android, they dont have these probelms......hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....sorry couldn't keept a straight face, just trying to see things from Android Fanboy side, it sucks
1. Why come out with iOS 4.2 for iPad when iPad v2.0 is coming out around the corner. Just wait. There is no good reason to. There is always new products 3-9 months from now.
2. Who thinks that Apple just inked these iPad deals just last couple weeks? I don't. Much more likely these deals were inked long time ago and have been logjammed by Apple's struggles to keep up with iPad demand. Just like Apple's plans to roll out iPad outside the US. Just like Apple's plans to deploy 3G version .
If the plan back in Jan-Feb had been to roll out to other retailers by July-August it wouldn't have been "just around the corner" to iPad v2 release.
3. Why should Verizon turn down revenues? Let's say Verizon only sells 20K iPad + Mifi units between November and iPad v2.0 launch (Feb-March). At $599 average price thats about $11M leaving on the table. Nevermind, that is probably at least 10K more Mifi sales that they would not have made if not coupled to one of the hottest products out right now. Also nevermind that hooked another 20K folks into long term data contracts. (an annuity stream that will last for at least 2 years for most of them. )
Selling the combo doesn't have to be a runaway success for Verizon to make money. I'd bet a small sum that most Verizon retail locations that also sell netbooks will sell at least as many iPads per store. Minimally selling iPads will help boost "same store year over year" revenue numbers.
4. Even if doesn't sell huge number Verizon and Apple can work out the logistics of ordering and getting products deployed to the Verizon retail locations. Work the kinks out on that and then when get something much higher volume won't have as many problems.
If Verizon and Apple can work out a less cluster****ed launch process they will have an advantage over ATT.
I wouldn't expect to see just a 3G (evdo) iPad. I'd expect Verizon to get a LTE enabled one. That is going to be a significant jump over the Mifi combo for most folks. The bleeding edge earlier adopters may complain but they have their head under a rock. The hot Verizon data modem products that they will have after the LTE launch will not be a EV-DO only MiFi card.
If all the device is doing is pumping TCP/IP data packets .... how is that not 100% aligned with LTE ? A voice+data multi-radio transmitter device perhaps but a purely digital communication device. Besides getting the antenna right should not be a big problem.
For the iPad launch it didn't make sense for Verizon to go for an model when both the iPad (with v 2.0 ) and Verizon's data network going to take significant leap in 2011 . The MiFi solution is an interim band-aid solution that doesn't cost them anything.
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@2005cts I said a new iPhone...not the same one with more memory. I remember the bump in memory because I had both.
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@geckotek True indeed.
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@deconstruct60 good point.
@2005cts I said a new iPhone...not the same one with more memory. I remember the bump in memory because I had both.
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)
@geckotek True indeed.
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@deconstruct60 good point.
chrmjenkins said:
In part I agree, but I don't discount that there possibly may be an antenna fix in the mix. Apple, I think, would cunningly spin this out as an updated phone with x/y new features that may attract existing ip4 owners to upgrade. They may include an antenna fix but remain quiet on this. Word of mouth from new owners about no issues on the new phone will become apparent and fuel a new wave of up graders. This way Apple can hold it's public line that there is no antenna issue thus not admitting to it.
Every iPhone 4 has the antenna issue. The issue is real because it can be easily covered up (as has been mentioned ad nauseam) by both hi signal areas and using the bars as the only reference.
Once and for all to identify this issue. You must do the following (while since you suggest you are only present in areas with full signal strength). Remember, this issue is easily identified in low signal areas even referencing from the bars. But since you are always in a high signal area this is how to see the problem:
1-Jailbreak ip4
2-Install SBSettings from Cydia
3-In SBSettings touch 'More', 'System Options', turn ON 'Numeric GSM'
4-Hold iP4 in flat palm of left hand. Note the numerical GSM reading. Now clasp your left hand around the phone in a grip so the meat of your thumb covers the antenna join (bottom left of phone) this is defined as 'bridging the antenna'. This is also a natural way to hold the phone. This can also be achieved in the right hand by letting the pinky naturally rest over the same antenna join on the left bottom of the phone. No-one can claim this is not a natural way to hold the phone because I've seen everyone who came in contact with my iphone held it in exactly that way. In fact all the TV commercials show users holding the phone with the pinky covering the join.
Watch the numerical value change over a 10-20 sec period while gripping the phone. It will change from, for example -75 to -95. In most all cases it will shift in value by up to -24. Note I've personally seen up to -30 variation.
A note on these numerical values. These are negative integers. That means that -75 is very strong (5 bar like signal strength), -120 is very low such as 1 bar. This value is in decibels or dBm. The value is logarithmic. That mean -80 is not double -70, it's actually significantly more. In ending this test will show signal loss (attenuation) of around 20dB. This is actually very significant. In simple real life situations it means that if your phone has 2-3 bars of signal strength and the antenna is bridged for a period of time that -24dB loss will result in the phone loosing signal completely and going into the 'searching' for carrier signal mode. As you personally and obviously exist in only 4-5 bar signal areas, this loss is not quiet able to drop the signal completely, thus you have not noticed any problem but incorrectly conclude and deny there is actually a hardware problem with the antenna.
Yes, Apple keeps a SIMPLE set of sku's, but one sku is way beyond simple. 2 sku's is still simple. There's no reason Apple can't have a CDMA model + a GSM model. There are plenty of varied product models in Apple's lineup.
Additionally, have you seen any of the global phones with both GSM and CDMA radios? They are much larger and would not fit into the current iPhone form factor. I don't see Apple moving backward in design to make a thicker/larger phone so that they can fit both CDMA and GSM radios inside.
The 3,2 model has been around in the iOS code for quite a while. It's clear this model has been in development for a while and is most likely another version of the iPhone 4. So yeah...this is most likely a CDMA iPhone with the GSM version of the iPhone 5 still to come out this summer. I've always said it makes sense to have 2 different release cycles for 2 different versions of the iPhone.
Back then, it wasn't such. 3G in the states was very light and EDGE was all over the place. So, it made sense. I don't buy Jobs' excuse of power hungry chips. I simply think Apple's money making mind at work there.
This is a joke? Please tell me this is a joke.
You lost me at RTT.
No it's not. I looked it up. It's the types of tech CDMA is involved to make calls or data transfers.
Edge was just as dated then as CDMA is today. Except for potentially having a larger subscriber base, both were at the same point in the technology release cycle (meaning a new technology is looming).
Saying CDMA is dead is just an ignorant statement. You're exaggerating and you know it.
Let's see, CDMA, 20% of the world uses it... also, current 3.9G LTE will be a project based on the 3GGP's project, which the 3GGP is a follower of what technology? Oh yes! GSM. Release 8 of the UMTS enhancements if I am correct.