Sprint briefs employees on Apple's iPhone 4 ahead of Oct. launch

Yeah. Right. A WiMAX iPad. That's rich.

Not a credible rumor.

The last people to get specifics about the iPhone launch would be sales associates at a mobile operator's retail operation. Apple knows that retail line employees have the worst discipline in keeping confidential matters to themselves. Apple doesn't tell its own retail line employees until the last minute, they certainly the heck aren't giving their channel partners the opportunity to spill the beans weeks in advance.

Sprint retail sales associates will be given the details hours before their store opens.

I do believe they were briefed. But why just about the 4? Simple, because there is no official 4s or 5 yet. This just looks as though Apple will finally be discontinuing the 3GS and substituting the 4 at the low end. After Apple announces the new model, Sprint and other companies will be able to tell their employees what to expect.

This is called gorilla dust. The shysters in WS are trying to maximize their profits before the impending release. No one lnows when, but it is expected fairly soon.

They need to bring the stock down and give their call writers some leeway. I hope they get caught with their pants down. But then again apple has no kill instinct. they probably will not rain on MSFT parade this week. No matter how much the apple is insulted and spat on.

I agree with this reasoning - this is a low-level guy who doesn't know squat, and they reason they were briefed on the iP4 is that's all that's out yet.

I will say that if Sprint *doesn't* get the iP5 next month, it's likely I'll be one of many jumping ship. I've waiting a long time for Sprint to get the iPhone, but with my contract up and my frustration with my BB running high, I just don't have any interest or incentive to wait another 4 or 5 months for the iP5 to maybe finally eventually come to Sprint.

3GS isn't going away, since iOS5 will continue to support it.

3GS needs to go away. It's holding back software development.

There is a long history of Apple products that were no longer for sale that still received OS updates.

Anytime there is a new article about the possibility of Sprint getting the iPhone, I have noticed a lot of angry people talking about how Sprint sucks, bad customer service, poor coverage, overbilling, etc.. The funny thing is that the comments seem to be copied and pasted almost verbatim on numerous forums. Either there are some really angry former customers out there who really have a vendetta against Sprint and carry a grudge for years or some Verizon and AT&T employees have too much time on their hands. Not talking about this thread (yet) but it inevitably happens.


I switched from Cingular to Sprint about 6 months prior to the launch of the original iPhone. I don't regret the switch one bit. I could not even make a phone call inside my house on Cingular (now AT&T) without dropping a call. I had to go out in the yard and sit in the swing. So as much as I looked with envy at the iPhone, I knew that the iPhone on AT&T would still suffer from AT&T's terrible coverage at my house.

My experience these past 5 years has been excellent. Very very few dropped calls. The few times I have needed to speak to customer service or tech support I spoke with a native English speaker with very little wait time and my issues were quickly resolved. Best of all I pay $40 for a plan that would cost about $110 or more on the current iPhone carriers.

I guess the main point I am trying to make is that cell phone carriers are similar to politics in that it is very local. Local in terms of the coverage at your house and places you tend to frequent or travel. Also local in terms of your experiences with the carrier and the stories you hear from you circle of friends or family. My experience with AT&T was terrible so I switched. I am very happy with Sprint and will be even happier now that my wait for an iPhone on my favorite carrier is almost up.

If you are not happy with your carrier, don't be afraid to try out a new one. Whether it is one of the big 4 or even the smaller rivals. Too much misinformation out there that may not apply to you. Sprint may not have as good as coverage as Verizon but at least we can roam on Verizon for free out in the boonies. Sprint has a much larger 3G map than AT&T though.

I had been considering moving to Sprint for unlimited data if they get the iPhone 5 (I currently pay $15/mo. for 200MB with ATT). I had not considered a late release for just Sprint, and that would be very disappointing.

Right, that's what I meant to say - it probably won't be for sale anymore, but it will STILL be supported by Apple for the unforeseeable future.

I've lost count of the people who have assured me they already have 4G since they have an iPhone 4! The public are so confused by all these claims of 4G services and what 4G is thanks to so many misleading ads.

Considering no one has 4G except Japan I find that funny too.

Since my speeds over WiFi at home at least are faster than any type of 4G including LTE from Verizon I guess I should call my speeds 5G.

But seriously, whether it is 3G, 3.5G, or 4G it really doesn't matter as long as you get a good data experience for the apps you are running. My main data app tends to be Pandora and it streams flawlessly over 3G in my car with my phone connected to my car stereo. Even Netflix also play fine over 3G the times I have watched it. For me, 3G fits the bill nicely and 4G is a bonus to use in the future once they sort out the battery draining issues and build it out a lot more.

What good is 4G LTE if you have a 2GB data cap? It is pretty easy to blow through 2GB with a really fast connection since you are far more likely to stream a lot more video. I use more than 2GB now primarily on 3G. Will those AT&T and Verizon customers grandfathered in with unlimited data also get unlimited LTE or was that only for 3G? I am very happy that for the moment at least I have a plan that offers unlimited 3G and 4G even if I don't use the 4G very often. I think Sprint will keep the unlimited around a lot longer than people think. They have a ton of spectrum and once all those old Nextel towers and frequency are converted to Sprint use they will have even more. Bet you didn't know that Sprint/Nextel has more actual towers than Verizon or AT&T. They will start decommissioning many of those old Nextel towers that overlap and convert ones that don't overlap to Sprint. This will increase the coverage and save billions in the process.


Define 4G. I think most people would agree that WiMax and LTE, both available in the U.S. on Verizon and Sprint would qualify. Japan was actually very late to the LTE party. They only just started their service and only on tablets a few months ago. I don't know if they finally have LTE phones or not yet, but they were hardly the first to 4G. The U.S. beat Japan to 4G by a wide stretch. Prior to the iPhone in Japan, most people used very simplistic dumb flip phones. Granted, they included very nice cameras and a few other nice specs, but essentially feature phones.

Agree 100%. There is no way Sprint would accept a plan that has them delivering the iPhone 4 at the same time that the rivals will be introducing the iPhone 5. That would amount to an admission of 2nd class citizenship on Sprint's part.

This is one of the least credible rumors I've seen yet, and probably didn't merit repeating.

...and that is how/why I switched FROM Sprint. You can dismiss all the negative talk about Sprint, but my choice to switch was based entirely on my personal experience with their lackluster customer service and their "just buy a new phone" attitude. They used to be great, and they used to be a scappy alternative to the cellular hegemony of what became Cingular and Verizon. It's great to hear that you have had good experiences with them, but don't dismiss my personal experience as "copy and pasting from different forums." They aren't the alternative they used to be, back when their logo was red and their name included "PCS". Sprint became the very thing they were once a fresh alternative to.

Legally, 1Gbps.


Shame that T-Mobile and AT&T don't care about that.

I am sure they will get both. I have a Sprint business rep (who happens to often have good information about what is coming to the Sprint), and she has stated to me that they will have both the 4 and 5. I assume that the reason that there is a briefing on the 4 only is because they are precluded from giving out information to their staff about the 5 (which would inevitably be leaked to everyone and their mother).

I received an email from Sprint (which was subsequently retracted) which stated that there would be a iPhone 5 dual mode and a CDMA iPhone 4.

If it didn't work out for you then you were absolutely correct to change. I had very similar issues with Cingular/AT&T and did the same. AT&T coverage still sucks at my house by the way. Sprint has come a very long way from a few years ago. You might be surprised. Their customer support actually ties Verizon now and far exceeds AT&T. I am very happy with Sprint and I hope you are happy with your carrier. If Verizon offered me a similar plan and price I would definitely jump ship.

…who doesn't know anything about it…


Post the e-mail or don't talk crap.

Going away as a current product. I have a 4, but I still retain my old 3G. its still useful for some purposes. it has 4.2.1. Slower in some aspects, but perfectly usable. The 3GS will go the same way.

Jeeze! It's old! almost 27 months old. it will be about 28 months old when they discontinue it. Amazing that its still the second most popular phone by sales; after the 4.

So we should see sales rise all around. According to all surveys, the pent up demand for the new phone is tremendous, and the 4 should sell very well at the discounted price, esp. since its so much newer, and will look so much like the new phone, which cant be said for the 3GS.

Of course, if it looks TOO much like the new model, some people may just buy it instead.

This is because he's misinterpreting the rumor. I gave a reasonable explanation as to why it is believable. There's very little that we don't know about this. That Sprint will have the phone is pretty much agreed as being a done deal. But they can't speak about a product Apple hasn't announced yet, so they mention the one we all know about.

it's pretty obvious that the vacation blackout Sprint has for a couple of weeks is for the introduction of the phone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G

UQ Communications deployed Wi-Max in Tokyo in February 2009.
Clearwire deployed it's network starting Portland in January 2009.

LTE and WiMax, as implemented currently, are 3.5G or pre 4G tech. The use of 4G to describe upgraded wireless data networks is deceptive marketing that fools an uneducated public.

Prior to the iPhone in Japan...
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/02/why-the-iphone/ - Why the Japanese Hate the iPhone
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireles...6/japan_phones - In Japan, Cellphones Have Become Too Complex to Use

That my friend, is the whole point. They want you to blow by that cap, so they can charge you the ridiculous rates for going over your data plan.

If Sprint is offering unlimited with 4G LTE, then I might switch to them.


Side Note: There is a major game changer in iOS5. It is iMessage. If all of your friends have iOS devices, you can send them messages and what not. This would make SMS/MMS almost completely irrelevant. The next thing that would have to happen (to make sure that happens) is to allow competing platforms to use the iMessage framework.

Bye Bye Text Messages.

I think Sprint will get the current iPhone 4 that is on Verizon as well as the iPhone 5 or 4S or whatever it is going to be called. I saw some other stories today talking about Sprint only getting the iPhone 4 and not the 5 until Spring of 2012. That wouldn't make any sense. I think Apple is ready to fight Android head on and allowing the iPhone 4 in addition to the 5 would allow them to compete at the $99 price point as well as the higher end $199 and $299.

You are the uneducated one if you think Japan has a working LTE or WiMAx network and any phones that can utilize it. It was data cards only earlier this year and I think they just released a Samsung Galaxy Tablet with LTE. To my knowledge there are no 4G PHONES in japan at all. The U.S. is far ahead of Japan in this respect. Considering just how much larger the U.S. is in terms of geography, that is pretty impressive. By the way, I lived in Japan for 13 years and still follow the news there pretty closely. I have friends there using DoCoMo, Softbank, and KDDI.

But Sprint doesn't have 4G LTE, they have the non standard WiMax.

What needs to be done before buying a so called 4G phone at Sprint is to find out if it also works on other HSPA+ networks such as what AT&T and Verizon are using. if not, when you need to roam, assuming you are willing to pay the cost, you won't be able to use the "4G" at all. And with Sprint, there's a greater chance of roaming than "even" AT&T. And then, if you decide to move to Verizon, you may not get 4G at all.

Of course, T-Mobile is the worst.

I'm not arguing phones I'm saying you don't know your ass from a hole in the wall when it comes to 4G. As far the capability they had it. Apparently the carriers chose not to make the deals necessary to take advantage of it but they had it.

I don't see imessage or numerous other apps that do the same thing replacing text messaging. For one, most people have unlimited text plans. What would be the advantage? It would also be too difficult to try and figure out who has an iOS device or not.

At least with Google Voice you can text to a standard mobile number and receive replies either through your standard text messaging or via Google Voice or even your computer. So that works well in addition to standard texting but not as a replacement. Text messaging is not going anywhere anytime soon. It is just too easy to click on a contact and send a text. iMessanging has too many drawbacks since most people have a friends with Android, Blackberry, and even flip phones on numerous carriers. Standard texts does the job perfectly fine for most people.

Actually the 3GS is pretty fast. The game I'm developing pretty much always has higher frame rates on a 3GS than an iPhone 4. Why? Because although it's true that the iPhone 4 has a bit over twice the horsepower it has to display four times as many pixels. So if the iPhone 4 should stick around I see no reason the 3GS can't too.

I'm on the same boat. If Sprint only gets a halfassed iPhone launch, I'll be pissed. I've waited years for this.

So please explain how the 4G network in Japan is superior when they don't sell any phones that can use it? I am confused.

I never claimed to be a 4G expert, but I don't have to be. DoComo just got their LTE network running this year which is far behind the U.S. In fact, they won't have any phones that can use their 4G network for many more months to come.

It is highly unlikely that the next iPhone will include LTE or WiMax. It certainly may offer HSPA+ for AT&T and possibly T-Mobile though. The reason is that both LTE and WiMax are battery hogs and Apple is unwilling to compromise. I also think Apple is waiting for LTE to more fully deploy. It is like the whole iPhone 1 with only 2.5G all over again.

I disagree with Sprint roaming more often than AT&T though. My experience is quite the opposite. I only have to roam when I am way out in the boonies, basically with no town or major highway around. We can also roam for free on Verizon. AT&T iPhones can't roam on Verizon can they? Also not sure why you said Verizon offers HSPA+, I thought the GSM functionality on the iPhone was turned off and even on the next iPhone, it will only work for GSM networks in other countries not in the U.S.

The Verizon iPhone 4's GSM/UTMS/HSPA circuitry is a dead appendage. There's no SIM card slot in the handset.

That is what I thought. This may change with the next iPhone, but I understood that the GSM part of the Verizon and Sprint version would only work for overseas GSM networks and would not work on AT&T or T-Mobile in the U.S.

It would essentially work like the other "world" phones similar to the Motorola Photon on Sprint for example.

Well, first I didn't say the next one would have 4G. I just said when. I should have specified I meant true LTE 4G, not that WiMax junk they are peddling. That is being nit-picky though, so I won't say any more about that.

As far as iMessage goes though, most people don't have unlimited plans. I'll say it again though, Apple needs to open that up so other devices can use it (just like I wish they would open up the FaceTime protocol). That way it becomes a competitor to SMS/MMS.

Doesn't matter. People won't use it. iChat used open protocols when it was introduced in aught four.

Everyone completely ignored that and did their own thing.

Now we have Skype which isn't compatible at all, among others. iMessage and FaceTime being the standards for the world isn't happening.

Well, that's certainly true, but iMessage will be the standard for iOS users since it is replacing/merging with the SMS/MMS app.

Which is basically meaningless. iChat's the standard for Mac users, but people use Skype and even Microsoft Messenger For Mac. iMessage is pointless unless other people support it.