Are those of us who just recently purchased the new iphone 4 and still have over 16months left on the contract just basically screwed and stuck with old 3G technology for the next 2 years while others are getting 4G speeds?
First off, it's already been well established that there currently
is no 4G on the table. Neither WiMax nor LTE meet
the industry definition of 4G. It's all marketing at this point. At best, the
ITU-R considers these technologies to be "Pre-4G."
Second, even when LTE does roll out, it's going to be a
long time before it becomes ubiquitous enough for it to be a concern for most iPhone users. In fact, it could well be 2 years or more before you start seeing significant coverage beyond just the major metro areas.
I mean, look at 3G now: AT&T
still doesn't have blanket network coverage of UMTS (and technically, even Verizon lacks complete homogenous EVDO 3G coverage, but they don't like to admit that, and that's a whole other discussion).
I heard from the att rep when i purchased the phone last week that the current iphone 4 is 4G network compatible
In the sense there is no technology slated that meets the official industry definition of 4G? He's wrong.
But, even in the marketing "4G" sense? iPhone 4 lacks LTE. So he's wrong there, too.
What the iPhone
is capable of is max download speeds of 7Mbps and max upload of 5Mbps on HSPA. Which isn't that bad, actually. And then there's WiFi where it go can way faster, and WiFi isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
and will be able to get receive the new speed without having to buy a completely new "iphone 4GS" or whatever they call the next release. he tells me all u will need is software update and u can run on 4G speeds.
anyone have thoughts on this? or know if the current iphone4 really is compatible with 4G network?
The rep is wrong, but that shouldn't concern you at this point.
It's a lot like wanting to buy an all-electric car
right now because it's the new up and coming thing. Are those who buy new gasoline cars stuck with the "old technology?" Well, of course. But think of it this way: there's a LONG way to go before the nation's infrastructure is fully adapted to support all-electric cars. Until then, to make full use of your new electric car, you have to plan your trips so that you're never 30-50 miles away from a charging station that's compatible with your car and that you're allowed to use.... not mention being able to wait around a few hours while your car's batteries top off. On the other hand, those people using those "old" gasoline engine cars don't have to worry all the much about filling stations being nearby, and gas will continue to be available for at least a few more decades... well past the expected useful life of a car you buy today.
Same is true on current cellular networks. You can buy a 3G/EDGE phone (or even an EDGE-only phone) today and use the whole network... or buy an LTE phone and use it in the few cities that LTE is available. Fortunately, it's
expected that new LTE phones will have radios for the 3G and EDGE networks, so it's
expected that you'll still have network access outside of these areas. But, in a 3G or EDGE-only area, that LTE phone isn't going to be any faster than an "old" 3G phone.
So, buy your iPhone 4 and relax. By the time your contract is up, LTE might
just barely be rolling out in enough places that it's worth upgrading, and chances are Apple might
just barely be releasing a "4G" iPhone at that point.
