WSJ article on Verizon's Iphone?!?

[cort]

Originally Posted by Blueface

I have never understood the loyalty to Verizon in certain markets.
I am sure there are places that AT&T just won't work but I happen to have AT&T for my iPhone and for my business cell phone (Motorola).
I have traveled many corners of this country of ours.
Both work the same.
Both are effective.
Neither has left me longing for coverage.

My wife has Verizon.
Reason is that she talks more to my daughter and grandson then me.
As such, I figured I would save my daughter money by having both on the same network.

The very same way my wife uses her Verizon phone, I get coverage with my iPhone and business cell.

Maybe it's me but I just don't get it.
If one wants an iPhone, who cares who the carrier is (for the most part, understanding some markets may not have good reception)?

In my neck of the woods AT&T's coverage sucks. I use Verizon because I get a signal everywhere I go. I guess it just depends on your location?

[tedrodgerscpa]

In many areas of the country where populations aren't dense (read: NYC, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Houston, LA), AT&T's coverage is abysmal. Horrible. I mean really really really bad.

I longingly look at other people's iPhones, but I have loaned out my cell phone when they need to call someone.

[MikeyC]

Originally Posted by tedrodgerscpa

In many areas of the country where populations aren't dense (read: NYC, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Houston, LA), AT&T's coverage is abysmal. Horrible. I mean really really really bad.

I longingly look at other people's iPhones, but I have loaned out my cell phone when they need to call someone.

I live just outside of Boston and there are HUGE AT&T dead zones around where I live. I wish I never bought an iPhone. When my contract is up in about a year I'm going back to Verizon.

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by MikeyC

I live just outside of Boston and there are HUGE AT&T dead zones around where I live. I wish I never bought an iPhone. When my contract is up in about a year I'm going back to Verizon.

There are huge AT&T deadzones everywhere. It is hard to free yourself from the AT&T/Apple brainwashing, congratulations and consider yourself lucky!

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by Cort

In my neck of the woods AT&T's coverage sucks. I use Verizon because I get a signal everywhere I go. I guess it just depends on your location?

I trust you and clearly have no reason to doubt what you say BUT:
I have been to the following places with overall excellent AT&T coverage:
Sacramento
Diamond Bar
Orange County, CA
Chicago
Milwaukee
Phoenix
Ft. Worth
South Florida
NJ
NYC
Long Island
Charlotte
Savannah
Atlanta
Pensacola
Tampa
Orlando
Mobile
Indianapolis
Seattle
Las Vegas
Portland
Austin
Houston
New Orleans
Nashville
Pittsburgh
Maine
New Hampshire
Boston
Even in Traverse City, MI of all places, practically in Canada.

I probably have left half of the actual list off as I am too freaking old to remember.

Again,
I am sure some folks have bad pockets as you do (I have never been to Southern Cal) but I have yet to find myself anywhere that I have been regretful about my cell service.

[tedrodgerscpa]

http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684693668965658

I'm glad to hear your positive experiences. I live a good distance (20 miles) outside of Columbia, SC, which ain't the world's busiest metropolis.

I'm not a Verizon fanboy, and I really hate the size of my bill.

[jmsremax]

Originally Posted by Cort

In my neck of the woods AT&T's coverage sucks. I use Verizon because I get a signal everywhere I go. I guess it just depends on your location?

Plus with a family share plan I only spend $35 a month. I had AT&T and kept dropping calls and wouldn't receive texts. I will never go back to AT&T no matter how bad I want an iPhone. Traveling internationally I hear AT&T works well and Verizon not so much.

[jkim05]

Originally Posted by jmsremax

Plus with a family share plan I only spend $35 a month. I had AT&T and kept dropping calls and wouldn't receive texts. I will never go back to AT&T no matter how bad I want an iPhone. Traveling internationally I hear AT&T works well and Verizon not so much.

Internationally it's not Verizon or ATT that doesn't work properly, but rather the cellular technology. Almost all of the world operates on the GSM network like ATT and not on CDMA like Verizon.

I can say for myself, I have ATT and no complaints and I like my iPhone so I don't see myself switching anytime soon. ATT has significantly increased their coverage over the past year as well.

[kgoings]

Droid

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by jkim05

Internationally it's not Verizon or ATT that doesn't work properly, but rather the cellular technology. Almost all of the world operates on the GSM network like ATT and not on CDMA like Verizon.

HSPA and HSPA+, the 3G specs that both the iPhone 3G and 3Gs, use is also a world standard. GSM and CDMA are 2G technologies, however you're right in that North America picked and backed the wrong cellular standard (CDMA) which is why our phones didn't work anywhere else. HSPA and later 4G standards will change that though as there seems to be a concensus that moving forward everyone needs to implement the same standard technology. I'm really not sure how we ended up on CDMA instead of GSM anyways. As a general rule North America is typically 1 - 2yrs behind Europe, and 2 - 3 behind Oceania and Japan, in terms of cellular tech and adoption. How we ended up implementing a different initial standard is beyond me.

That said, I'm surprised Verizon doesn't have the iPhone right now. Both Bell (and their subsiduary Virgin Mobile) and Telus offer the iPhone on their CDMA and HSPA+ networks. One would imagine the same version would work for Verizon. Especially since I can't imagine Apple letting Verizon modify the device or OS at all since that's not the Apple Way (tm).

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

HSPA and HSPA+, the 3G specs that both the iPhone 3G and 3Gs, use is also a world standard. GSM and CDMA are 2G technologies, however you're right in that North America picked and backed the wrong cellular standard (CDMA) which is why our phones didn't work anywhere else. HSPA and later 4G standards will change that though as there seems to be a concensus that moving forward everyone needs to implement the same standard technology. I'm really not sure how we ended up on CDMA instead of GSM anyways. As a general rule North America is typically 1 - 2yrs behind Europe, and 2 - 3 behind Oceania and Japan, in terms of cellular tech and adoption. How we ended up implementing a different initial standard is beyond me.

That said, I'm surprised Verizon doesn't have the iPhone right now. Both Bell (and their subsiduary Virgin Mobile) and Telus offer the iPhone on their CDMA and HSPA+ networks. One would imagine the same version would work for Verizon. Especially since I can't imagine Apple letting Verizon modify the device or OS at all since that's not the Apple Way (tm).

There's lots of reasons in your post why I don't think Verizon will see the iphone. I'd definately bet against it, but some of the rumors are pretty well founded.
95 million users on iphones should bring Verizon's network to it's knees. Obviously they aren't going to put 95 million iphones in the user's hands the first year, but I'd be surprised if they didn't moved 15 to 20 million people into iphones the first year.