Verizon iPhone to Launch February 3rd?

[Penguissimo]

and the monthly price includes a phone subsidy. this is why sprint and t-mo usually carry the crappy tier B and C phones. they cost less. people want the top tier iphone and andriod phones and are willing to pay for it

Huh? T-Mobile has the G2, the Samsung Vibrant, and the MyTouch 4G, not to mention both the Nexus One and the Nexus S. Sprint has the Epic and the EVO (which was hands-down the best Android phone you could buy until the Droid X, and even now it's a toss-up).

Sure, you hear more about the Droid ______ lineup, but that's due to marketing as much as anything else. Any of the phones I listed can hold their own (and in some cases beat) anything Verizon has to offer.

You can get top-tier phones on any network. The reason Sprint and T-Mobile are cheaper is that their networks (and in the case of Sprint, their support) suck.

The leaked photos make me believe that this imminent new handset is actually for T-Mobile USA.

The antenna configuration has been slightly tweaked, and yet there is still a slot for a SIM card (which would not have any use on a CDMA handset for Verizon or Sprint).

Not saying you're necessarily wrong, but the presence of a SIM slot could also mean this is a "world" phone, with both GSM and CDMA radios. You've been able to get these on Verizon for awhile, and they just released two new Android world phones (Droid 2 Global and Droid Pro). This would actually be a clever way for Apple to avoid fragmenting their hardware production, although I'm sure both VZW and AT&T would want to find some way to lock down phones to their network.

Fact is, the argument against a Verizon iPhone because it may not support simultaneous voice and data is the weakest argument one can make.

Exactly. This is a neat feature, but it's hard to imagine that it's vital for more than a small percentage of customers, and it's even harder to imagine that it would be a topic of widespread awareness were it not for its use in marketing.

 

[jeejeebu]

Exactly. This is a neat feature, but it's hard to imagine that it's vital for more than a small percentage of customers, and it's even harder to imagine that it would be a topic of widespread awareness were it not for its use in marketing.

Personally, I love this feature, but if it comes down to Verizon being cheaper (which I don't think will be the case) or I end up moving somewhere with very poor AT&T coverage, it won't be a deal breaker.

I really do not understand why people would seemingly be upset that there will be a Verizon iPhone. If you don't want it, don't get it. If you think AT&T is superior, don't you think you are being mean by rubbing that in the faces of people who live in areas where AT&T sucks?

 

[BlkEagle]

I am loving every bit of drooollllinnnnnggggg!

I understand that this rumors won't die... I dare every people who are keeping their hopes up to get a life and move on!

 

[Sweetfeld28]

If that plan will actually be available for Verizon iPhone, that would be a bit more than I pay right now after taxes (currently $71 a month, since I have a 27% discount through work, not sure if I will be able to get a discount for Verizon).

Well, i had the discounts prior to signing up for the plan, and the lady i talked to said that my discounts would still be there, on top of the discounted rate they would be giving me.

I even asked, what would happen if later down the road i upgraded to a new phone, would this still continue on my monthly bill, and she said yes. She told me that it would only change if I walked into a store and told them i wanted a different plan.

In other words, I'm locked in, no matter what phone I upgrade to later.

 

[rkw0211]

The CEO of Verizon stated at CES yesterday that their CDMA is around 1mb. AT&T says that they are now at 7mb (HSPA+). Those are my sources. Of course, proximity to cell towers is the key.

Your comparing AT&T's "4G" to Verizon's 3G.

Anyway, AT&T's theoretical speeds are about twice as fast as Verizon. EVDO Rev A has peak downloads of 3.1 Mbps while HSPDA has peaks of 7.2. Some have been consistently getting mid 20's on Verizon's LTE, however I'm not sure what revision of HSPA+ AT&T is rolling out. 14 or 21.

 

[Maven1975]

If I were Steve Jobs, I'd definitely spend a few moments of my day reading Mac Rumors forum and having a good laugh!

Mark

Now thats a funny vision! I bet he has.. LOL!

 

[eastercat]

I can't wait for those posts in the iphone hacks forum where the verizon user goes, "I want to unlock my phone so I can use it in Ireland."
Guess what? You're stuck with international roaming.
I refuse to use CDMA. It's limited to very few countries. I keep my phone jb and unlocked so I can pop in a foreign SIM when I travel.

 

[BriChi]

announcement

you guys think it will still be "announced" Tuesday?

 

[TurnerMan]

you guys think it will still be "announced" Tuesday?

If it isn't, I won't cry. Life will go on. If it is, I'll get one.

 

[ajohnson253]

Of course none of that matters if you can't connect or keep having dropped calls.

Hmm I've never had a dropped call. I love my AT&T service, for others I guess it depends on location.

 

[BriChi]

If it isn't, I won't cry. Life will go on. If it is, I'll get one.

same here, although the new post of the verizon event is intreresting

 

[Oilbrnr]

to buy an outdated iPhone 4 (3G) on Verizon which is now offering LTE and LTE-capable phones (4G)? This would be like buying EDGE phone on AT&T.

Oh, you mean like the original iPhone that didn't support 3G even though it was available on AT&T?

An LTE iPhone is at least a year out, and IMHO will be the next major revision regardless of the carrier.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

No. Millions who don't care - because they are already happily using smart phones on Verizon that can't do data and voice simultaneously.



Verizon leads in smart phone customer satisfaction:



Survey shows pent up demand for Verizon iPhone:







And you have a source that backs that up? These people for which it's an issue can just stay with AT&T, simple as that. It's not like the iPhone would move to Verizon and everyone has to switch.

Fact is, the argument against a Verizon iPhone because it may not support simultaneous voice and data is the weakest argument one can make.

"based on surveys of more than 1,000 US smartphone users"

Where do you get millions from?
1,000 is nothing...

And support of simultaneous voice and data is a key point for the iPhone.

 

[ripper998]

just announce the damn iPhone for verizon, then the people that AT&T suck will leave. I travel through out south texas from san antonio to the border as well as east and west (almost to houston). My work blackberry is Verizon, my iphone is AT&T. My verizon phone SUCKS as it drops calls and loses reception when out in the country, my iphone has no problems at all.

Just get it over with please and let these people have what they want so they can bitch about verizon's network.

 

[macsrcool1234]

"based on surveys of more than 1,000 US smartphone users"

Where do you get millions from?
1,000 is nothing...

And support of simultaneous voice and data is a key point for the iPhone.

You can't seem to understand/comprehend the very simple fact that there are many, many people for whom it is not a deciding factor.

It's not like there isn't a choice here. People who are fine with the above "issue" are free to go to Verizon, otherwise it's AT&T. Either way, Apple benefits. I'm not sure why you are getting your panties in such a bunch over something so trivial.

 

[Eso]

"based on surveys of more than 1,000 US smartphone users"

Where do you get millions from?
1,000 is nothing...

Really? You're gonna play that dumb? Alright...

You see, in statistics, there is this a concept called "percentages"... it represents a fraction of a whole. So when they say "25% of iPhone users on AT&T are waiting to upgrade until the iPhone is offered on other carriers", they are saying that 25% of all iPhone users on AT&T are doing so. No, honestly! - they weren't trying to make the point that just 300 AT&T users in their survey are waiting.

I also get "millions" from the fact that there are "millions" of Verizon smart phone customers. Right now. Using smart phones. Without voice and data. At the same time. Who are doing just fine. Is this hard? I don't understand.

You see, these surveys were conducted by a market research firm. Their entire business is about determining things like this as accurately as possible. Obviously they feel their sample size of over 1,000 smart phone users is enough to predict the population.

The most telling figure I cited is that for 86% of smart phone users, Verizon is the "ideal" carrier. Clearly that demonstrates that having simultaneous voice and data is not important for the vast majority of smart phone users (in case you forgot our lesson about percentages, thats over 8 people for every 10).

 

[kingtj]

Not quite ....

Reporter asks a second "man on the street" and gets the following reply:

"I can't wait for this to finally see the light of day, because a CDMA compatible iPhone means the ability to use it on a number of U.S. based carriers who couldn't physically support the 3G model, even if they wanted to! Now, I can potentially use a new iPhone with a pay-as-you-go discount provider like MetroPCS or Cricket Wireless, as well as possibly putting one on Sprint's network or U.S. Cellular's network!"

Sure, it'll kick off as a Verizon exclusive, but it won't take long for people to unlock them from Verizon's network and re-activate them elsewhere!

Feb 3rd, a reporter approaches a customer in line at Verizon and asks, “Why are you here? Excited about the new Verizon iPhone?”

The potential customer responds, “I can’t wait to get my new Verizon iPhone and all of the new features such as….

-Slower speed (1mb versus 7mb)
-Inability to surf and talk at the same time (no concurrent voice and data)
-Loss of all my free Wifi Hotspots
-Loss of global coverage….I need to buy a second mobile phone for my next trip
-Higher bills and those famous Verizon nickel and dime charges
-Egotistical customer service

…I can’t wait!”

Verizon is laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[URFloorMatt]

-Inability to surf and talk at the same time (no concurrent voice and data)

I've seen them advertise this. I've never been in a situation to actually use it and can't imagine when one would arise or how it would be crippling. "Oh, let me look it up and I'll text you back" seems how I would generally operate.

-Loss of all my free Wifi Hotspots

Are these nationwide? Where are they? How do you access them? If this is supposed to be a feature of AT&T, they've done an excellent job keeping it secret.

-Loss of global coverage….I need to buy a second mobile phone for my next trip

Ironically, whenever I travel for work, I have to swap out my GSM Blackberry to get a universal Blackberry Tour. Seems like you've overstated this advantage. Particularly since I will rarely use my phone abroad, whereas I need to use it every day here in the U.S. and AT&T's call quality/service is less than ideal.

-Higher bills and those famous Verizon nickel and dime charges

Haven't seen any support for this yet, but I haven't looked at the coverage and data plans on Verizon. But I can say, as a Verizon FiOS customer, switching to Verizon would save me about $10 a month on my TV and Internet service (going from a double to a triple play), so in the worst case I suspect it's a wash.

-Egotistical customer service

I don't know what "egotistical" is in reference to, but I can testify that Verizon FiOS customer service is attrocious. Fortunately, I can think of no scenarios when I'd actually have to use it (and have only used it for billing purposes with FiOS). I have never used AT&T customer service in the nearly two years that I've been with them.

 

[rollinginthemud]

So wouldn't it be possible to just buy an unlocked iPhone from Verizon (if it does happen to come to the Big Red) and use it on another CDMA carrier like Sprint?

 

[NKT]

I haven't followed the iPhone CPU that closely, but could this be the chipset Apple has chosen for the Verizon iPhone?

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...am-smartphone-tier-of-chipsets-69841897.html#

The MSM7x30 family of chipsets, which includes the MSM7230(TM) solution for HSPA+ networks and MSM7630(TM) solution with multi-mode HSPA+/EV-DO Rev. B and SV-DO support, is designed around optimal data throughput and powerful multimedia functionality. The 7x30 has the same market-leading Scorpion CPU as previously commercialized in the Snapdragon QSD8x50 chipset. The 7x30 uses an 800 MHz to 1 GHz custom superscalar CPU based on the ARM v7 instruction set, delivering exceptionally high-end processing at low power to support features that include:

• 720p high-definition video encode/decode at 30 frames per second
• Integrated 2D and 3D graphics GPUs with support for OpenGL ES 2.0, and OpenVG 1.1 industry standard APIs
• Dedicated low-power audio subsystem supporting 5.1 surround
• 12-megapixel camera support
• Integrated GPS for location-based services
• Support for leading mobile operating systems, including Android, Windows Mobile, Brew Mobile Platform and Symbian
• Support for package-on-package memory for reduced board space, optimized power consumption and more responsive performance

I understand VZW is not Rev. B, but I'm sure this chip is Rev A compatible. The SVDO support would solve the data/voice issue.

Thoughts?

 

[drewzkie]

So wouldn't it be possible to just buy an unlocked iPhone from Verizon (if it does happen to come to the Big Red) and use it on another CDMA carrier like Sprint?

Seems logical, since you can do that to a GSM-based iPhone. Though there's no telling how a CDMA-based iPhone would be programmed.

***

I for one am hoping this pans out as rumored. I've been waiting patiently for over three years now to get my paws on an iPhone. I've been with VZW since they were Airtouch Cellular though so I wasn't willing to switch. *Crossing fingers*

 

[Geckotek]

Oh, you mean like the original iPhone that didn't support 3G even though it was available on AT&T?

An LTE iPhone is at least a year out, and IMHO will be the next major revision regardless of the carrier.

I was leaning this direction, but don't count it out completely as Ivan Seidenberg said they would get the iPhone when they "earned it" and that LTE was how they were going to earn it.

So wouldn't it be possible to just buy an unlocked iPhone from Verizon (if it does happen to come to the Big Red) and use it on another CDMA carrier like Sprint?

Historically Sprint has refused to add the ESN of Verizon phones into their system. However, seems foolish to do this with the world's most popular smarthphone. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sprint softening up on this.

Feb 3rd, a reporter approaches a customer in line at Verizon and asks, “Why are you here? Excited about the new Verizon iPhone?”

The potential customer responds, “I can’t wait to get my new Verizon iPhone and all of the new features such as….

-Slower speed (1mb versus 7mb) REALLY?? I've NEVER gotten 7mb on my iPhone and the other day I wasn't even getting 500Kbps. This is in the uptown area of Dallas. Can you show me results where you got this fabled 7MB?
-Inability to surf and talk at the same time (no concurrent voice and data) Unfortunately true...but not a big deal for everyone
-Loss of all my free Wifi Hotspots The ONLY time I ever encounter these is when I go to $bux 3-4x a month. Not exactly a major value
-Loss of global coverage….I need to buy a second mobile phone for my next trip Wow, really? You should just do like everyone else does and rent a phone. Much cheaper.
-Higher bills and those famous Verizon nickel and dime charges My bills w/ Verizon and AT&T have been almost identical
-Egotistical customer service ALL the carriers have crap CS and based on reviews AT&T is currently the worst of them.

…I can’t wait!”

Verizon is laughing all the way to the bank.

And yes, Verizon will be laughing all the way to the bank. AT&T will be scrambling to get those Android sales going and counting up the subscriber loss.

There is no Verizon iPhone.

I spoke to one of my sources, and she denies any Verizon iPhone in the works

Simple as that, oh, and btw, you all seem to forget when Apple announces/releases a new iPhone...

You were saying??