The ongoing is Verizon getting the iPhone thread (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Here is Engadget's Report also suggesting that

people avoid buying into a Verizon iPhone contract

when the next model is due a few short months away.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Note that the Engadget report mentions the likelihood of iPhone 5 w/ LTE (due to one of the "discovered" parts that were briefly leaked on YouTube).


Of course, my increasingly outdated BB Tour has a SIM slot too, but it sure ain't LTE-capable though.


Maybe it just means the Verizon iPhone 4 (and/or 5) will be a "world phone" (or will have that option) that can do both CDMA and GSM?


_Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Now that I have my iPad with me nearly 24/7 having the 3g and voice isnt that big a deal any more, but without an iPad it would be a dealbreaker.


I'm going to carefully evaluate whatever comes out tomorrow. I've seen hints that Verizon might even be willing to eat peoples AT&T ETFs to get iPhone owners to switch over but I don't believe it. If there is no LTE tomorrow I'll likely stick with AT&T until contract is up for the phone but jump on the Verizon based iPad 2 the day it comes out. But we are making guesses based on ghosts of rumors, can't wait until we see what's what for reals. I expect to be disappointed.


Really, I'm very happy with my current iPad and could survive with iPhone 4 on AT&T until contract is up if I need to. The Apple item I really want and my money is being saved for a 15" air-inspired macbook pro tho... Hopefully soon, but could be as far out as WWDC for that, hope not!

 

[DaveF]

Verizon twittering from an iPhone. http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/10/verizon-iphone/

 

[Sam Posten]

Giz has sour grapes or good advice?


http://gizmodo.com/5729273/dont-buy-the-verizon-iphone-4


I'm going with "They don't know the whole story yet, wait till tomorrow to decide anything"

 

[Ronald Epstein]

They don't know the whole story yet?


I would say they are giving sound advice.


Jump on the Verizon iPhone launch and when

the new iPhone is announced 4 months later you

are going to be regretting that early purchase.

 

[DaveF]

You're right, Ron, it's good advice for me and you and those gadget fans that want the newest soonest. But then we already know this. But for normal people, like my sister who just bought the $49 3GS to replace her broken 3G, they don't care. Getting an iPhone 4 on Verizon today, if they're in an AT&T deadzone, or have no smartphone at all, would give them 6 great months of iPhone usage before the iPhone 5 exists. For many people it's pretty reasonable to get iPhone 4 six months into the cycle.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

In the past I wouldn't worry about whether a new iPhone was coming out in five months because I could just sell my existing model. Because the AT&T iPhones use GSM and are easily jailbroken, they are highly sought on the secondary market. Even now I could sell my iPhone 4 and easily make enough to pay off the ETF. But CDMA's lack of portability (no use of SIM cards) makes it a much tougher sell on the secondary market. It remains to be seen whether there will be a market for Verizon iPhones when users try to sell them.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Another interesting story concerning potential risks
for gadgeteers who want to switch to Verizon.

 

[Sam Posten]

If the phone announced tomorrow is identical to existing iPhone 4 then it's an easy bet to make that the summer '11 iPhone refresh won't be more than cosmetic and storage bump. As Gruber says he's not convinced the first TWO verizon iPhones would have LTE, so that pushes a major refresh out till 2012 let's the spring 11 refreshed ipad2 shine for a bit

 

[Dennis*G]

I think it's insane for Apple to sell the phone now. By all means, announce it now, but wait until the normal refresh time frame to sell it it, so June. Next it's insane for Apple to have two versions of the phone, I do not see that as a good thing at all. They should only support both carriers when just one phone can do both. For resell anyway, this is going to make things confusing. You almost have to brand the phones somewhere on the outside so people know what carrier phone they are getting.


Verizon voice and data. Last I read that will not come until LTE phones are available to use it.


And Verizons unlimited data plan, I foresee that going away within 14 months of the iPhone launch and into a tiered plan like AT&T.

 

[Sam Posten]

Dennis, you may want to read the wikipedia article on The Osbourne Effect. You bring up a very valid point tho, which is why I remain convinced we don't have the whole story yet!!!

 

[DaveF]

Why? Six months sales is better than no sales for six months. Problems managing two different iPhones? They already have three GSM iPhones, six iPads, about 12 iPods, and a while bevy of computers and software suites. I'm pretty sure they can manage a CDMA iPhone too. Retail confusion? If you go to a Verizon store I think you'll get a Verizon iPhone. Apple online will surely ask what carrier you want and then walk you through it as it does now for AT&T. Go to an ape store and that process will certainly be similar. Again, they're capable of selling a hundred different products already, a CDMA phone isnt going to flummox Apple.

 

[Sam Posten]

Also, if I was Apple, you know what I would do? Tomorrow is the perfect day to launch low key product refreshes, in every interviewmabout the iPhone you could add free press for those. Apple doesn't work that way usually tho!

 

[mattCR]

Ted


While the EVO was the first to 4G, there are quite a few 4G options shipping right now that are not the EVO.


Verizon has several 4G phones that are Android: http://www.droid-life.com/2011/01/10/chart-verizon-4g-lte-android-phone-lineup/ with 3 more announced for the summer, Samsung is already shipping their 4G on Sprint, and you've got some Windows7 Phones that have been scheduled (purportedly) that will also be 4G this year.

I can get that Apple takes a pass.. but if they do it, they might want to refresh this time in 2012, because leaving 2011, where you've got every other vendor committed to 4G offerings stings.

 

[DaveF]

The thing about 4G is it costs $50/mo. In contrast, I pay $15/mo on AT&T for 3G. No thank to 4G for me, and I'm generally willing to pay for spendy techy stuff. Try selling my sisters on $50/mo data plans. (not going to happen)


Given Apple's modest product line, I'd guess they won't go 4G until low-power, dual-mode 3G/4G radios are available, giving users the option of choosing either option. Making iPhone 5 this summer require a $50/mo data plan will push a lot of people out of iPhones. Or cause of lot of people to refrain from updating for a year or three.


So again, needing some combination of cellphone hardware and carrier plans and carrier networks makes it look like an LTE iPhone is 18 months away.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

$50/month for LTE data plan? Where did you see that? You're probably talking about their "mobile broadband" plans, which are different from their normal smartphone data plans.


If you check V's site, you'll see that the actual rates they charge for "mobile broadband" LTE plans are basically the same as the ones for their 3G plans, except they decided to drop the bottom 2 tiers from their offerings -- certainly, it makes little sense to bother offering the lowest tier for that kind of usage w/ an LTE USB modem, which can presumably be used w/ multiple devices. Actually, the drop the lowest tier for some other 3G devices too, eg dedicated MiFi hotspot devices, netbooks/laptops (w/ both lower tiers dropped).


I'd guess that they may well decide to drop the lowest tier for smartphone LTE data plans too although there's only 2 tiers at the moment, ie. $15/mo for (each) 150MB, $30/mo for unlimited.


I can't see them forcing $50/mo on LTE smartphones w/ no option for something more reasonable -- and that would be assuming they're essentially hiking prices by $20/mo for unlimited data (while not doing the same for their "mobile broadband" plans).


Also, I'd think the LTE smartphones can still do 3G, if need be. And maybe Verizon will see about locking such phones to 3G-and-lower access for customers who don't want to go LTE, if V does indeed decide to charge more for LTE.



Anyway, won't be long now before we get some official announcement(s)...


_Man_

 

[DaveF]

T-mo is $10 or $20 more per month for their 4G. Googling Verizon give the $50/mo min for LTE service. I didn't see anything about LTE phone plans being same price as 3G. Maybe I missed it.

 

[Sam Posten]

Ron has asked me to start a new thread for discussion on the official announcements. See that thread here:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/307762/official-iphone-on-verizon-press-conference-announcement-and-discussion-thread#post_3769915



Sam

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Originally Posted by DaveF At least here in the NYC area, V did their December LTE launch w/ just a couple LTE USB modems -- and that's probably what you're seeing for the $50/month plan.


[url=http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans]http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans



_Man_