Verizon iPhone 4, buy now or wait for iPhone5?

[Eric8199]

In my opinion there is no way apple will introduce a vPhone in February only to replace it four months later with a completely new model. Makes no sense to do a relatively small production run like that, with the likely effect of ticking off a lot of NEW customers.

So, two options...

The phone introduced in february will be for a one-year run. When they introduce the gsm version in June, the vPhone will get a firmware upgrade to include as many of the new gsm phone features as possible. Then, in 2012, there will be a convergence to a dual band gsm/cdms LTE phone.

Or, apple will surprise us all in February with a dual band phone that will still be a 3G unit with some new features. And it will become available to all the other carriers in June. This would be a nice way for verizon to have a bit of a brief competitive advantage, for which I am certain they would have compensated apple with a wad of cash.

Or option three, which is what WILL happen. They will release the iphone 4 in Feb on Verizon. Then, in June, the iphone 5 will be released for Verizon and AT&T. The iPhone 3GS is discontinued. The iphone 4 price drops to $99. Now they didn't screw anybody,because that phone will be available for another year, just cheaper.

This is EXACTLY what will happen. The iPhone 5 will likely be dual band. Apple doesn't want to create fragmentation by having a newer version avaialbe on one carrier and not another. If they were going to do that, the Verizon iPhone would be updated over the AT&T one. It's not.

 

[steven10093]

There isn't going to be an iPhone of AT&T anymore because AT&T is not the exclusive seller anymore. Verizon is now the exclusive seller. So I highly doubt that there will be an iPhone 5 this year

 

[irDigital0l]

There isn't going to be an iPhone of AT&T anymore because AT&T is not the exclusive seller anymore. Verizon is now the exclusive seller. So I highly doubt that there will be an iPhone 5 this year

No. The whole point of this was to also allow Verizon to get the iPhone, Apple gets more $$$.

ATT & Verizon both have the iPhone now.

 

[richpjr]

There isn't going to be an iPhone of AT&T anymore because AT&T is not the exclusive seller anymore. Verizon is now the exclusive seller. So I highly doubt that there will be an iPhone 5 this year

That's not correct. They will be sell it. Furthermore, Verizon has already come out and said they do not have an exclusive on the CDMA model so Sprint could theoretically start carrying it as well.

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

Or option three, which is what WILL happen. They will release the iphone 4 in Feb on Verizon. Then, in June, the iphone 5 will be released for Verizon and AT&T. The iPhone 3GS is discontinued. The iphone 4 price drops to $99. Now they didn't screw anybody,because that phone will be available for another year, just cheaper.

This is EXACTLY what will happen. The iPhone 5 will likely be dual band. Apple doesn't want to create fragmentation by having a newer version avaialbe on one carrier and not another. If they were going to do that, the Verizon iPhone would be updated over the AT&T one. It's not.

If I buy a vphone in February 2011 and then, just four months later, in June a newer better iPhone dual band is introduced, I will be really ticked off, as will everyone else who does the same. If apple was going to intro a dual band phone in June 2011, they would not introduce a single band CDMA phone in February. What would be the point? There is no emergent need to get a phone into the hand of verizon customers. Apple would just wait until it is ready in June. To intro a single band CDMA phone in february and then come out with an entirely new phone in June would be a public relations disaster.

I'll bet you a buck I'm right...

 

[Eric8199]

If I buy a vphone in February 2011 and then, just four months later, in June a newer better iPhone dual band is introduced, I will be really ticked off, as will everyone else who does the same. If apple was going to intro a dual band phone in June 2011, they would not introduce a single band CDMA phone in February. What would be the point? There is no emergent need to get a phone into the hand of verizon customers. Apple would just wait until it is ready in June. To intro a single band CDMA phone in february and then come out with an entirely new phone in June would be a public relations disaster.

I'll bet you a buck I'm right...

The point is to get people on Verizon as soon as possible. How many new Droids have come out since the first one? Its life, there's always a better one coming. I'm getting the iPhone 4 day one, and I won't be upset in June when they DO release an iPhone 5 on Verizon, because I made that choice. Why do you think Verizon is on any different terms than every other iPhone carrier? When they opened up the iPhone to all carriers in Canada, did they release it at different times for each carrier? Nope. Why do you think they will do that in the US?

 

[Darthdingo]

There will be an iPhone 5 this June like clockwork. There is no way Apple sticks with the outdated iPhone4 as their flagship until 2012, Android will be night and day better, come this Summer, with the EVO 2 and Nexus-3.0 both with dual core cpu's, 1gb ram, bigger and longer lasting batteries, all running the newest aOS.

An iPhone 5 with dual cores, and 1gb ram is strongly rumored to be in the works, and set for a summer release in 5 months from now. Some say it will be a thinner phone but also have slightly larger screen, and a much revised new OS update. And even better battery life.

And will be released at the same time for both ATT + Verizon. How pissed off would customers be, if only one carrier gets the i5 first, and the other carrier needs to wait 6 months, no way that happens.

Apple launching the iPhone4 now on Verizon is like a big test for Verizon, to get them primed and ready for HUGE launch days, get any bugs or issues worked in customer service now, etc..., and then be all set and have a game under their belt already, so to speak, once the iPhone 5 launches in Summer.

 

[ap3604]

Personally, I would wait, but to play devils advocate couple of reasons to get now:

1. If you get it now, you will be upgrade eligible in time for iPhone 6, which will be better than 5.

2. You don't know if apple will update a CDMA iPhone this year, while I belive they probably will, we don't know for sure so you may end up waiting for nothing.

3. Odds are the iPhone getting released this year will probably still be 3G or might have hspa+ (3.75G) next years will probably be the LTE iPhone, so that's the one you want to be eligible for.

You sir, are a genius!

I'm gonna wait till Feb for the White iPhone 4 but I really appreciate your own double perspective on this. It seems like the even numbered iPhones (2, 4) get the major upgrades while the odd numbered iPhones (3, 5) will only get minor speed bumps. Just a personal opinion of course but I'd rather be on the even numbered side of things

 

[DevinTDodson]

Personally, I would wait, but to play devils advocate couple of reasons to get now:

1. If you get it now, you will be upgrade eligible in time for iPhone 6, which will be better than 5.

2. You don't know if apple will update a CDMA iPhone this year, while I belive they probably will, we don't know for sure so you may end up waiting for nothing.

3. Odds are the iPhone getting released this year will probably still be 3G or might have hspa+ (3.75G) next years will probably be the LTE iPhone, so that's the one you want to be eligible for.

I was thinking the same thing. That's why I'm considering getting a Verizon iPhone 4 come February 10, instead of the iPhone 5 in the summer; Only for the reason of being eligible for an LTE iPhone upgrade in 2012. Is it really going to depend on what time we get an iPhone this year, whether or not we get a non-full retail priced iPhone 6 next summer (2012)? Anybody here familiar enough with Verizon upgrade policy to say for sure?

 

[ucfgrad93]

At this point, I would wait until the summer to buy an iPhone.

 

[DevinTDodson]

I find your lack of faith disturbing. lol...nice

 

[unknown0]

I think Apple will definitely have a new Iphone out this summer for both Verizon and AT&T. However, if it is a major revision it will make them look bad. I mean how can they release an Iphone 4 on Feb. and 4 months later a brand new phone that makes the Iphone 4 look bad. If anything the form factor will be the same, probably a processor speed bump, better camera, more RAM, and 3G. But a bigger screen? No way!

 

[mtbdudex]

My wife got her Verizon 32GB iPhone4 on 2/7....I was waiting for the iPhone5 this summer, yet I find myself wanting one also NOW instead of later.
Hers works fine right now, no problem with network3.

I'm not an international traveler, and we get 20% discount thru work for Verizon so I'm not jumping plans either.
So, besides network4, what else is the big reason to wait for the iPhone5?

-longer battery life?
-updated frt/rear camera tech?
-faster processor to do real time and accurate voice>text translation?
-other?

sorry if repeat another thread, point me to the iPhone5 speculation thread (if exists) and I'll read/post there.

I've gotten by with this "antique" for 5 years now, still works with original battery, hard syncs vis USB cable (no data plan, no text plan).
Yes, the antenna goes up/down....

 

[vincenz]

If you've waited this long already, what's another 4 months? Don't hold your breath for 4G though. Not going to happen till 2012. Thats when the the phone companies will start charging an extra 10-15 bucks for the faster service.