Latest On Apple's Phone: Cingular Out, MVNO In?

[lmalave]

I would prefer to see Apple connect with an EVDO carrier... Apple Airport extreme cards with EV-DO?

Thank god they got rid of cingular, or visa versa... TOO SLOOOOW. 😀

But T-Moblie and Cingular are rolling out HSDPA which is even faster than EV-DO.

 

[shelterpaw]

I'm a cingluar customer. My contract is up in January. If Apple does release a phone with T-Mobile, I'd switch. Not for the phone, but for Catherine Zeta-Jones. 😛

 

[daveyjokes]

sounds über-uncertain as to anything reliable...id say no, maybe they are just investigating not developing?

 

[ThinkandDrive]

I'm a cingluar customer. My contract is up in January. If Apple does release a phone with T-Mobile, I'd switch. Not for the phone, but for Catherine Zeta-Jones. 😛

Actually, T-Mobile did not renew CZJ's contract. She's no longer the spokesperson for the T-mob. 🙁

 

[mashinhead]

i always thought they'd be the guys who released an unlocked, unbranded, un-network affliated phone. I think that would be the smartest way to go. Drop in a SIM and go.

 

[jcfennell]

Hmmm -

So Apple owns the network, and they are selling us the hardware to use it.

Kinda sounds like the itunes/ipod thing.

Do you think they're going for the same business model? Create a cheap network to get people to buy the hardware?

 

[slffl]

The iPhone is going to be released around the same time the iTablet and iNewton are.

 

[KEL9000]

GSM - 2G (Cingular)

Both use CDMA
EVDO - 3G (Verison,Sprint)
UMTS/HSDPA - 3G (Cingular)

I don't think the iPhone would use an outdated technology like GSM considering Apple was the first company to stop supporting floppies, and analog serial connectors. There is a tremendous amount of potential in next gen wireless applications none of which GSM could support.

 

[maxterpiece]

ironically, you misspelled "misspelled."

haha very true, but my post wasn't on the front page. Oh yeah and I was going for the irony... right!

 

[twoodcc]

well this is bad news for me, since i'm in a contract with cingular. i hope the new phone somehow works with cingular so i could use it

 

[donlphi]

GSM is not compatible with EVDO, all things considered I would put my money on a quad-band GSM phone as it would give you the largest subscriber base globally with a single unit. Also gives you global roaming.

Besides – Sprint & Verizon are like the Microsofts of the telco world. I can’t give them money, and I really want a smart phone that works with my new MBP.

I'm kind of a newbie to the whole GSM and EV-DO thing. Which is faster EV-DO Revision A or the CINGULAR EDGE network?

IF a GSM phone or NETWORK is so slow, what good is it? E-mail? How are we going to run Mobile iChat on our new Apple iPhones if we are running on a slow network?

By the way... Cingular Wireless is like the Commodore of the tellco world. I don't know how, I just like how excited everybody gets when somebody mentions Commodore 64/128/Amiga 500 etc.

Peace

 

[bigandy]

i only ever use the wifi on my Orange SPV M600. the EDGE, despite being better than GPRS, is still waaaaay too slow. 🙁

 

[KindredMAC]

I've believed it since the beginning of the rumors and it is getting more and more rock solid.... there will be NO iPhone.

I think it has gotten to the point that people think it will be out so bad that the rumor has been allowed to live on.

Why would Apple want to get into the cell phone business? I could think of only one good reason... the iPod will not last for much longer unless they add some serious additional functionality to it.

I believe that Apple has more to gain from the "iTV" model plan than going cellular.

Everyone has a TV. Everyone NEEDS a TV. Everyone LOVES their TV. Not everyone needs a cellphone. Not everyone LOVES a cellphone.

Cellphones have become a burden on society. Why do we need to be intouch every second of the day? We don't. Cellphones are the only form of technology out there that actually causes grief for other individuals. Think about it, how many times has the movie you are watching, the dinner you are trying to enjoy or the church mass you are trying to worship at been interrupted by the "lovely" little blaring chime of a cellphone? Or even better yet, that person picking up the call and talking on it as if the person on the other end of the line is more deaf than Helen Keller. How many times has someone cut you off in traffic or almost hit you, only to get a look at them to see that they are gabbing away on their phone, oblivious of the fact they almost killed you?

My family has a TracFone. ONE TracFone. It is to be used when we are out traveling or when someone is out shopping and might need to call back home for something. No conversations are held on it, that's why a have a Verizon bill each month for my home lines. Besides, why would anyone think I would want to hear their conversation with someone about how "Brad is such a dick because he hasn't called me in 3 days. Do you think I shouldn't have slept with him on our first date?"??? ***Real conversation I had the "privilege" of "over hearing" right behind me in my ear one day standing in line at the mall.***

Where are the GOOD rumors. Like about what new Mac Apple is coming out with? Or what new feature the iPod is going to have to blow everyone away again? How about this one, "When is Asteroid coming out???"

I'm tired of iPhone this and iPhone that. Give it a rest people. How long has this rumor been going? Maybe the better part of 18 months? Every single Mac Expo and Convention gets this crappy rumor attached to it and NOTHING HAPPENS.

Ahhhhh.... I feel much better now. Thank you.

 

[KEL9000]

I'm kind of a newbie to the whole GSM and EV-DO thing. Which is faster EV-DO Revision A or the CINGULAR EDGE network?

IF a GSM phone or NETWORK is so slow, what good is it? E-mail? How are we going to run Mobile iChat on our new Apple iPhones if we are running on a slow network?

edge was att wireless' stop gap effort for 2G GSM. GSM is dead. EDGE was dead a few years ago. CDMA based EVDO or UMTS are minimum requirements for next generation wireless applications. Cingular has chosen UMTS and has said publicly that they have no interest in supporting 4G efforts. Verison and Sprint use EVDO for their 3G network which is faster than UMTS. I would have to hope and guess that since EVDO is becoming the 3G defacto standard apple would chose it.

 

[donlphi]

edge was att wireless' stop gap effort for 2G GSM. GSM is dead. EDGE was dead a few years ago. CDMA based EVDO or UMTS are minimum requirements for next generation wireless applications. Cingular has chosen UMTS and has said publicly that they have no interest in supporting 4G efforts. Verison and Sprint use EVDO for their 3G network which is faster than UMTS. I would have to hope and guess that since EVDO is becoming the 3G defacto standard apple would chose it.

THANK GOD... and Apple (if this is true)

 

[robertnq]

thank you...

i was so hoping that they wouldn't go with cingular....t-mobile or verizon are the only companies that I would deal with...or go MVNO... 😀

 

[truz]

I'm guessing apple is going to release a phone (if they release one) thats unbranded and open to any GSM network (would be an unlocked phone) like the samsung d807 you can use it on cingular and tmobile network, few others as well..

I honestly don't see Apple allowing a T-Mobile or Cingular logo on there phone 🙂 They "think different" and it would just make a white/black/stainless steel phone look ugly with an Orange/White Cingular logo on the phone or a Red/White TMobile.

they will sell the iphone on there website at a high price and it will supply multi networks (guessing) or they may use the Disney Mobile network to promote disney 🙂

 

[yg17]

what does "(MVNO) on Cingular's network" mean ? In my area, Cingular absolutely STINKS.. even the city council called in Cingular reps to #$@# them out. It's been absolutely terrible since the AT&T/Cingular buyout.

I've since switched to Verizon which has a great network in our area anyway.. but I hate the phones.

Kansast

It basically means they rent out Cingular's network and resell Cingular's service under Apple's name. And since as you said, Cingular sucks horribly, I hope Apple doesn't MVNO with them.

 

[kresh]

I hope it's not T-Mobile. They are not in North Carolina. Sure they have roaming agreements with Suncom, but you can't get a local NC number, nor a local number for most of SC. That's a couple million people right there that would not have access to an Apple phone.

It's my understanding that there are a few more US states that have a zero presense from T-Mobile other than roaming agreements.

They are not a "real" national carrier that provides local numbers nationally in the US. They are only national in the sense that they have roaming agreements nationally.

edit: Also, if a company does not own numbers locally, you can not port your number from another carrier to them in that area.

 

[gugy]

I hope this is true. I hate Cingular. Crappy service.
If iPhone comes is either Apple has their own service, or iPhone will be available for all carriers.
I was so scary by the original rumor that Cingular had the exclusivity for the iPhone. Glad is not the case anymore.

 

[jonharris200]

Why do I get the feeling that, yet again, this product will be US-only at launch? Oh yeah, no-one in UK has heard of Cingular, that's why! 😉

 

[SilvorX]

I would rather see Apple sell unlocked GSM phones at the Apple Stores, and CDMA (with hopefully EV-DO) phones through the carriers themselves.. CDMA carriers don't love phone hardware portability. I would love to own an unlocked Apple cellphone, I'm sure it would be possible though

 

[Cybix]

Cingular this, cingular that...

I'm in Australia, Cingular doesnt exist here, therefore I dont care, at all.

just give me the damn phone and I'll connect to whatever network I please 🙂

 

[AppleIntelRock]

that idea is horrible. apple wants to go along the tracks of disney mobile? let them. product wise, I'm very unhappy with apple right now.

 

[sbrhwkp3]

If Apple does want to go MVNO, it makes perfect sense to chose cingular. They have the largest digital network in the U.S... perfect for downloads...

Here comes the iPhone..