AT&T wants the iPhone until 2011
Why wouldn't they? I know about a dozen people who have switched to AT&T precisely because they are the only US iPhone game in town (mostly). The exclusivity ends 2010, but SAI asks, will Apple renew its contract with AT&T? The biggest problem plaguing iPhones appears to be the network -- AT&T is notorious for dropped calls and spotty 3G coverage, whereas now-number 1 service provider Verizon has a great reuptation for coverage (both voice and data).The issue for Apple is compounded by the fact that AT&T uses the globally-accepted network standard of GSM, where Verizon uses the other, less-used standard CDMA. So now you've got two radios to deal with (as provided in the Blackberry 8830 World Edition), something I think Cupertino isn't eager to implement.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
philpoccia said 1:40PM on 4-15-2009
The only thing I truly hate about my iPhone is being stuck with AT&T. Their network is very spotty and constantly drops me. I do not live in a rural area either.
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Alex said 1:48PM on 4-15-2009
I live in NYC and AT&T service is absolutely atrocious. I used to have Verizon but switched because they didn't have any good phones.
If Verizon gets the iPhone (and it will be GSM and not CDMA, because I like taking my phone overseas), then I'll switch back to Verizon in a heartbeat.
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mark said 1:49PM on 4-15-2009
If Apple wants a bigger slice of the pie in the U.S., two radios is the answer then. Great, something else to hack....
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Matt said 1:50PM on 4-15-2009
I love the AT&T network around here. For me its the opposite. Verizon's coverage gave me constant dropped calls around peak hours. AT&T's reception is a constant, crystal clear reception.
I Guess YMMV....
Either way, I can see Apple Renewing this contract.
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The Waffle said 1:52PM on 4-15-2009
The other issue with the iPhone on Verizon is that Verizon's 3G network doesn't support simultaneous voice/data which is somewhat mission critical now to the iPhone 3G functions. In 2010 the Verizon network will work off LTE which DOES have simultaneous Voice/Data
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David Chow said 1:58PM on 4-15-2009
Verizon rocks. Have apple do both CDMA and GSM and go with Verizion - best of both worlds. iphones will rule the world.
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Brian said 2:09PM on 4-15-2009
I don't see this happening unless Apple is developing a CDMA iPhone for use elsewhere in the world (China, maybe?). I think Apple would just wait for LTE and the ability to use it with multiple carriers and support simultaneous voice & data.
David Chow said 2:20PM on 4-15-2009
In this day and age anything can happen if they want it enough. Dozens of IP's are exchanged everyday between these big companies as a prelude to merges and acquisitions. If apple wants CDMA, it can and will happen.
PSM said 2:12PM on 4-15-2009
I prefer the way GSM works, but I wish AT&T would improve their coverage and reliability. If they want the iPhone exclusive in 2011, maybe Apple should require that they beef up their network so that users wouldn't have a reason to want to go to another carrier.
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Tom said 2:15PM on 4-15-2009
T-Mobile is king around here, and a lot of my friends who jailbroke their iPhones are on it. I would absolutely LOVE to see AT&T get kicked to the curb on this one; they have no interest whatsoever in selling or supporting the iPhone -- they're just after the cash. I say give them the finger and tell them to go to hell.
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David Robison said 3:05PM on 4-15-2009
I was pretty happy with my T-Mo service locally (Seattle) and traveling. I switched to AT&T only for the iPhone. I did find, however, that even with two iPhones, our monthly bill is slightly cheaper now than with T-Mo. Definitely more dropped calls though.
gib said 5:46PM on 4-15-2009
First off, I'll admit it... I would have switched to AT&T in a second if I wasn't under contract. Despite the rate hike and dropped calls, etc. I just wanted an iPhone. Luckily I waited and survived for a few months. Now I've got an unlocked iPhone on T-Mo, and things are okay. The main annoyance I get is horrible data, vs my older blackberry... The email push is also spastic, sometimes pushing sometimes not. But for the most part, I use WIFI, so it is a little annoyance.
If T-Mo can score a legit version, perhaps they will fix the data issues... Here's hoping Apple doesn't extend the exclusivity!
frank d said 5:19PM on 4-15-2009
I really could care less who our provider is - they are all the same, big businesses, nickel & dime-ing their customers - as long as I can call when I need to and receive calls anywhere I go.
Any call going to my cell is important to critical and due to AT&T / GSM's abysmal rural coverage, we were forced to move away. We now enjoy coverage with Verizon where we had absolutely none with AT&T. I see people all the time with fancy phones and guess what: no signal other than CDMA.
Anyway, unless GSM coverage is as widespread as CDMA, Apple will have to include CDMA or there will be no iPhones in my family for years to come.
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Jason Hung said 2:17PM on 4-15-2009
If you really want to use it with T-Mobile, just go to Hong Kong and you can buy an unlocked iPhone 3G. Let me just warn you, though, the only other network is T-Mobile, and you'll only be able to use Edge. The US and Korea are the few places where pre-3G CDMA is really adopted.
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gib said 5:50PM on 4-15-2009
"If you really want to use it with T-Mobile, just go to Hong Kong and you can buy an unlocked iPhone 3G."
... or, of you can't afford to go to Hong Kong, you could try going to eBay. There is about a billion iPhones for sell. They might be a couple hundred bucks over MSRP, but it will save you a trip.
Codey H. said 2:22PM on 4-15-2009
I say just wait until LTE, then the provider issue isn't a big deal.
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David Emery said 2:35PM on 4-15-2009
One reason I have not touched (i.e. renewed) my Verizon contract is so I'm free to switch to AT&T & the iPhone. If Verizon supported this phone, I'd sign up the next day (even though it has a camera and security regulations prohibit my taking a camera phone inside my office...) I almost bought my wife an iPhone and moved her off the Verizon plan for Christmas, but she decided she didn't want to spend the extra money in these fiscal times. (And so doing might have triggered a Verizon contract renewal to keep my phone on Verizon but move her phone number to AT&T.)
But as a general rule, all cell carriers and their policies, etc, in the US, "inhale vigorously!"
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FoO said 2:48PM on 4-15-2009
The problem with Verizon, from what I understand, is that they require their hardware to be used /only/ on verizons network - no removable SIM card etc. It's one thing to be locked into a contract, and a totally different thing to be network locked because of the hardware.
Toledo Guy said 3:12PM on 4-15-2009
It's all about perception. Verizon is perceived to have a more reliable network. Most people don't get to use two phones side by side. Most of what we read here is either a fanboy of one particular company, or repetition of what their friends have to say about the product. I used AT&T (company phone) and Verizon (personal phone) side by side. In my area (another important point), my AT&T service was much more reliable. Fewer dropped calls, better call quality, and I found myself coveting ATT phones more than Verizon. So we switched. Not a problem, tho' I do wish the 3G network was stronger in rural areas. But just as the switch from TDMA to GSM didn't happen overnight, nor can a 3G network be built.
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Chicago Gal said 5:22PM on 4-15-2009
@Toledo guy -
That's not entirely true - some is perception, but you aren't realizing that everyone has different experiences because of their location. I'm not a fangirl of Verizon, but in my experience in Chicago, Verizon's service is worlds away from AT&T. I work in a company with lots of iphone users and I'm probably one of the least irritated by AT&T - there are tons of issues of dropped calls, bad signals, etc. I can only stand in the foyer of our apartment in order to get a signal, have a healthy amount of dropped calls, and it takes AGES for my phone to "find" a signal when I come from a no-signal situation (ie in a basement or something) and go outside. My husband, on the other hand, is on Verizon and generally speaking he has pretty good to great reception most places in our area, rarely has a dropped call, and can practically complete an entire conversation before I can even get service after coming out of no-signal.
I'm not completely anti-AT&T and my love for the phone diminshes my annoyance with the service, but if the iPhone was available at Verizon tomorrow, I would happily pay my termination fee with AT&T and skip on over to Verizon.