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meechy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 24, 2010
284
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Im from the UK so have no clue about the networks in the US, but can someone break it down to me as to why this is such big news as its seems to be everywhere on the internet lately.
 
Because AT&T is the only carrier authorized by Apple to have the iPhone and many people don't like AT&T and/or think their network is too slow and drops calls all the time. And that is true in some of the more populated areas of the US. So it looks like Verizon will finally be opened up to the iPhone here.
 
In the US the iPhone is tied to one carrier (AT&T) not like in the UK where you can pick basically any carrier. This is because of two reasons.

1. The iPhone is a GSM phone (like all carriers in the UK) and is only compatible with AT&T. While Verizon uses CDMA technology.

2. AT&T has an exclusivity for the iphone.

People hate at&t and want the iphone. Apparently verizon is indestructible so having an iphone on verizon makes people happy. Hence the announcement of a CDMA based iphone makes people on the internet excited.
 
Besides some of the comments on this thread... the biggest reason?

Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

If Apple wants to make a big impact on the number of iPhone 4 sold in 2011, this is the fastest and easiest way to do it.

w00master
 
My personal story is as follows.

I was a long time Sprint customer and owned an Evo. I picked up the iPhone 4 on launch day, absolutely loved the phone. Best build quality, best camera, and an os that just worked. What didn't work was the network, AT&T. I dropped calls all the time. I am not just talking about out in the country, I am talking in the city also. I am not a death gripper either. I own a business and regularly travel the southeast and 3G is almost non existent unless you are in a metro area.

Well owning a business and dropping calls just don't go together. So I switched back to Sprint and am currently carrying the Evo. I am a bit of geek and jailbreak iPhones and root android, but nothing compares to the simplicity of the iPhone.

So now that Verizon is getting it. I will pay my ETF at Sprint, I will pay Verizon's higher phone bill. All to have the best phone on a carrier that works, in my area.
 
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My personal story is as follows.

I was a long time Sprint customer and owned an Evo. I picked up the iPhone 4 on launch day, absolutely loved the phone. Best build quality, best camera, and an os that just worked. What didn't work was the network, AT&T. I dropped calls all the time. I am not just talking about out in the country, I am talking in the city also. I am not a death gripper either. I own a business and regularly travel the southeast and 3G is almost non existent unless you are in a metro area.

Well owning a business and dropping calls just don't go together. So I switched back to Sprint and am currently carrying the Evo. I am a bit of geek and jailbreak iPhones and root android, but nothing compares to the simplicity of the iPhone.

So now that Verizon is getting it. I will pay my ETF at Sprint, I will pay Verizon's higher phone bill. All to have the best phone on a carrier that works.

The iPhone has been on the AT&T network all the time. Many do not like the network because they do not have the capacity for the data and voice - since GSM networks don't prioritize voice over data, so when things get busy dropped calls occur. Verizon has that PERCEPTION that they have the best network. Time will tell with this.

Overall, finally getting choice.
 
Verizon is meaningless to the rest of the world.

Most of us are used to having multiple GSM carriers that cover our entire respective nations. We are not limited to proprietary CDMA, nor are we restricted to just one GSM provider, with AWS T-Mo being a secondary option.
 
Verizon is meaningless to the rest of the world.

Most of us are used to having multiple GSM carriers that cover our entire respective nations. We are not limited to proprietary CDMA, nor are we restricted to just one GSM provider, with AWS T-Mo being a secondary option.

Yes but most Americans are not world travelers and don't need GSM.
 
The Big deal is ... there are tons of current Verizon customers who will now be buying iPhones :cool:
 
But they don't know they can't do voice and data on Verizon 3G CDMA network.

I have had an iPhone and I have had android. GSM and CDMA. I can count on one hand the number of times I have used voice and data at the same time. Keep in mind I am a business owner that relies heavily on the net.
 
Some people will stick with AT&T because you can swap out SIM cards around the world since it is on GSM which is used all over Europe.

Some people say Verizon is useless because it can only be used in the States once it's activated, however.....you are referring to a country where 15% (give or take) of the population has a passport. pathetic. so really, it doesn't affect many, MANY people.

i bet a lot of people are just sick and tired of all the dropped calls / inability to make a call (i've been having this problem lately, I have to cancel the current call in progress about 2-3 times)
 
I have had an iPhone and I have had android. GSM and CDMA. I can count on one hand the number of times I have used voice and data at the same time. Keep in mind I am a business owner that relies heavily on the net.

It's a very rewarding feature...there is no valid argument anyone can create against simultaneous voice and data...too many advantages
 
Wrong. Being able to use voice/data at same time only means you don't travel much. Att's 3g is ok near big cities, but if you travel much their 2g(Edge) still sucks. I drive a truck, and will tell you that is where I drop most of my calls. The "follow me feature" (tower switching) really sux.

And, I would be willing to bet, the Iphone on Verizon will be a hybrid type. CDMA/G4 chip. Just a feeling.
 
I'm really hoping the Verizon iPhone will be both CDMA and GSM. I've only traveled outside of the US/Canada once, so GSM isn't necessary for me, but the iPhone being global would be a massive selling point for many business folks.
 
I'm really hoping the Verizon iPhone will be both CDMA and GSM. I've only traveled outside of the US/Canada once, so GSM isn't necessary for me, but the iPhone being global would be a massive selling point for many business folks.
Count me in if that was the case. Only reason why I am hanging onto AT&T is because of GSM and I travel internationally alot. From my personal experience, I think Verizon is the superior network than AT&T. Yes, even Sprint had superior call quality and less drop calls than AT&T. Even before iPhone when they were still called Cingular and AT&T separately, there were still drop calls after drop calls. Nothing has changed after that buy-out.

My stepdad was a long time Verizon customer and tried AT&T for 8 months with an iPhone and iPhone 3G. Made the switch back to Verizon. He didn't realize how bad AT&T really was even after I warned him. Also, AT&T U-verse is horrible. Everytime I visit my parents' home, I lose connection with the WiFi over there. And the digital TV is never consistent. I have Verizon Fios in my house, and I rarely get any real problems with internet or TV like I do with U-verse.
 
Im from the UK so have no clue about the networks in the US, but can someone break it down to me as to why this is such big news as its seems to be everywhere on the internet lately.

Number 1 reason it's big news: because it would mean that Apple is worried enough about Android to build a special model for Verizon.

Number 2 reason: it opens up a wealthy market of 90 million that's easily the sales equal of one or two billion GSM customers in poorer places.

Number 3 reason: (edited in) there have been entire States where people could not own an iPhone all this time, because ATT lacked home towers there.

--

Re: simultaneous voice+data. If it has LTE, it could do both. If it doesn't, it's no different than what Verizon customers have been used to all along.

Re: world capability. If it's a dual mode CDMA+GSM (a possibility), then it has it. Moreover, Verizon has always unlocked their GSM side, something which ATT refuses to do... which is why the ATT iphone is a terrible choice for world travel and negates most of the value of having a SIM.
 
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Im from the UK so have no clue about the networks in the US, but can someone break it down to me as to why this is such big news as its seems to be everywhere on the internet lately.

The big deal is Verizon has been promoted for years as "The Holy Grail" of all US wireless carriers.
The reality is it will now be put thru its toughest test and we will see how it keeps up.
Its CDMA 3G is not as fast as AT&T's network and with the congestion it will eventually receive it will drag IMO unless the iphone will be LTE compatible but even then they will need to roll it out fast to support the data hungry iphone and its users.
 
The big deal is Verizon has been promoted for years as "The Holy Grail" of all US wireless carriers.
The reality is it will now be put thru its toughest test and we will see how it keeps up.

I'm not confident that Verizon will struggle to handle the increase iPhone bandwidth. Surely, the company has been planning this for a long time now. If I were an American, I would be ecstatic about the Verizon iPhone, but since I ain't, I is juz trollin' these threadz. :D
 
Number 1 reason it's big news: because it would mean that Apple is worried enough about Android to build a special model for Verizon.

Number 2 reason: it opens up a wealthy market of 90 million that's easily the sales equal of one or two billion GSM customers in poorer places.

Number 3 reason: (edited in) there have been entire States where people could not own an iPhone all this time, because ATT lacked home towers there.

--

Re: simultaneous voice+data. If it has LTE, it could do both. If it doesn't, it's no different than what Verizon customers have been used to all along.

Re: world capability. If it's a dual mode CDMA+GSM (a possibility), then it has it. Moreover, Verizon has always unlocked their GSM side, something which ATT refuses to do... which is why the ATT iphone is a terrible choice for world travel and negates most of the value of having a SIM.

1. Probably so.

2. No... just no.

3. Yes

Re 1: Not going to have LTE, Apple doesn't jump on the new technology bandwagon like this.

Re 2: Again no. Apple had to reduce the size of the SIM card to fit in the components for the current iPhone. What makes you think there is space left for the extra CDMA radio chip? Also, most (if not all) AT&T phones can be unlocked by someone other than AT&T. So this is a moot point.
 
I'm not confident that Verizon will struggle to handle the increase iPhone bandwidth. Surely, the company has been planning this for a long time now. If I were an American, I would be ecstatic about the Verizon iPhone, but since I ain't, I is juz trollin' these threadz. :D

I hear you, they probably learned from history and with what happened with AT&T and its enormous iphone data usage growth.
Im in the US but not ecstatic either. Just curious to see how it plays and looking forward to all the crying and complaining about Verizon for a change:D
 
I'm not confident that Verizon will struggle to handle the increase iPhone bandwidth.

Even ATT has stated that iPhones did not cause the biggest increase in data on their overloaded network.

Putting the iPhone on Verizon would crumble quite a few common fanboy myths, from the fantasy that Jobs would never deal with Verizon again, to the idea that somehow iPhones use more data than tons of business laptops.

2. No... just no.

Oh yes. And this myth as well. It has already been proven that billions of GSM users do not directly equate to expensive iPhone and data plan sales. Example: 1 billion potential GSM users in India = 1/4 of the GSM world = only 50,000 iPhone sales. One single Verizon city could do that many.
 
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Number 3 reason: (edited in) there have been entire States where people could not own an iPhone all this time, because ATT lacked home towers there.

[

There is no AT&T 3G in Wyoming and Montana. There also isn't any EDGE really. My iPhone dropped down to the "o" (whatever that is btw) and speeds were totally gongshow. Main reason why everybody has Verizon in those states. I live in Colorado so I have 3G coverage where I am, but anywhere in the mountains, it's all EDGE, but my friend gets 3G coverage where he live in the mountains with Verizon.
 
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