Sprint: Same problem as VZ with voice/data. I think their choice to go with WIMAX for 4G is going to severely limit choice in handsets going forward. Probably no chance in hell of seeing a CDMA/WiMAX iPhone. Not a big fan of their policy to force owners of 4G phones to pay $10 extra even though 98% of them can't use the service. That's just lame. I certainly would be willing to pay extra for 4G but only if I can actually use it in I dunno 50% of the country? I don't think that's expecting too much for $10/month.
The $10 isn't for 4G. They have said this over and over, no matter how confusing it is. And it's coincidentally the exact amount AT&T's 3G plans are over their old 2G plans. So, in essence, you're paying it right now...
Going to all the trouble to make a special GSM handset for t-mobile would be idiotic. If it were so easy and appealing to Apple, they'd have done it already.
Verizon, on the other hand, would give Apple millions upon millions of buyers and segway into LTE/4G within a year. Not to mention Sprint and a bunch of Canadian, Mexican and South American carriers run identical CDMA networks to Verizon's.
My vote is that the iPhone for CDMA comes out this year, or next summer when Verizon rolls out LTE-capable handsets. How perfect would that be for the iPhone to debut on Verizon as they launch their soon-to-be-best-4G-ever on 700mhz (coincidentally the same frequency that AT&T will use).
Why do you think it would have to be a "special GSM handset for t-mobile"? It's the exact same GSM frequencies as AT&T. The only difference is use of Operating Band IV for UMTS "3G". This is a single, tiny chip from Triquint.
Why haven't they used it, then? Perhaps they are under contract with AT&T which is why no other carrier in the US sells the iPhone.
The Infineon X-GOLD 616 Baseband IC can support up to 5 operating bands. The iPhone 4 supports the maximum. The new operating band is VI, which appears to only be used by Japan's NTT docomo.
While NTT docomo is currently not selling the iPhone the smartphone penetration in Japan is quite high and the current iPhone retailer, SoftBank Mobile, has only about 25M subscribers and is the 3rd largest in Japan. Adding NTT docomo, the largest cellular company with about 60M subs would make more sense over T-Mobile's 35M subs, IMO.
Why do you think it would have to be a "special GSM handset for t-mobile"? It's the exact same GSM frequencies as AT&T. The only difference is use of Operating Band IV for UMTS "3G". This is a single, tiny chip from Triquint.
Why haven't they used it, then? Perhaps they are under contract with AT&T which is why no other carrier in the US sells the iPhone.
The Infineon X-GOLD 616 Baseband IC can support up to 5 operating bands. The iPhone 4 supports the maximum. The new operating band is VI, which appears to only be used by Japan's NTT docomo.
While NTT docomo is currently not selling the iPhone the smartphone penetration in Japan is quite high and the current iPhone retailer, SoftBank Mobile, has only about 25M subscribers and is the 3rd largest in Japan. Adding NTT docomo, the largest cellular company with about 60M subs would make more sense over T-Mobile's 35M subs, IMO.
In summary, the 1700mhz that T-Mobile uses for part of their 3G is used by no one else in the world. What about their 4G frequency? Oh wait, they don't have any 4G frequency available... That's why they are turbo-charging their 3G bands right now to HSPA.... that's all they can do.
Verizon's 3G, and 4G frequencies are used by many other carriers, CDMA and GSM.
Verizon has at least a gazillion more customers than T-Mobile USA.
Verizon is known for quality. T-Mobile, to a lesser extent, has similar issues to AT&T: dropped calls and data connections.
Also, I would get an iPhone if it were on Verizon or Sprint. Probably not if it were on T-Mobile.
I suppose, in summary, that the 1700mhz that T-Mobile uses for part of their 3G is used by no one else in the world.
Verizon's 3G, and 4G for that matter, are used by many other carriers, CDMA and GSM.
Verizon has at least a gazillion more customers than T-Mobile USA.
Verizon is known for quality. T-Mobile, to a lesser extent, has similar issues to AT&T: dropped calls and data connections.
Also, I would get an iPhone if it were on Verizon or Sprint. Probably not if it were on T-Mobile.
You're missing the point that one requires all new cellular tech, a new phone to be made marketed and inventoried, along with a change in features over the current iPhone, and the other merely requires the addition of a 10¢ chip.
Although I don't see the point in the 4th Gen iPhone being released with Verizon with the impending change to 4G (LTE) I just wanted to share that I was driving in midtown Manhattan today when I noticed someone in the back seat of a car next to me who had 4 iPhone 4s in holders stuck to the side window with the goose necks bent down so that nobody on that side of the car could see them from outside. I let down my window and spoke to the driver of the car and said "4 iPhone 4s, that's a lot." The driver looked rather shocked and said "We're testing them" To which I said "Who for?" He didn't appear to know what to say and looked over his shoulder at the person in the back who was glaring at him. He didn't say anything else and hurridly made a right to get out of traffic. As the car turned right I saw a glimpse of the screen of the laptop that the person in the back who was looking at the iPhone 4s had on his lap. I saw what appeared to be a Verizon logo, and noted that the car had Pennsylvania plates as it sped back towards the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel from 9th Avenue. I just got home and did a google search and I think I saw that the Verizon Wireless headquarters are outside Pittsburgh, PA.
I'm not sure if there is anything to these details, and nobody has to believe me. Maybe he was testing for AT&T. I was just a little shocked to see 4 iPhone 4s in the wild already.
Comments
Sprint: Same problem as VZ with voice/data. I think their choice to go with WIMAX for 4G is going to severely limit choice in handsets going forward. Probably no chance in hell of seeing a CDMA/WiMAX iPhone. Not a big fan of their policy to force owners of 4G phones to pay $10 extra even though 98% of them can't use the service. That's just lame. I certainly would be willing to pay extra for 4G but only if I can actually use it in I dunno 50% of the country? I don't think that's expecting too much for $10/month.
The $10 isn't for 4G. They have said this over and over, no matter how confusing it is. And it's coincidentally the exact amount AT&T's 3G plans are over their old 2G plans. So, in essence, you're paying it right now...
Going to all the trouble to make a special GSM handset for t-mobile would be idiotic. If it were so easy and appealing to Apple, they'd have done it already.
Verizon, on the other hand, would give Apple millions upon millions of buyers and segway into LTE/4G within a year. Not to mention Sprint and a bunch of Canadian, Mexican and South American carriers run identical CDMA networks to Verizon's.
My vote is that the iPhone for CDMA comes out this year, or next summer when Verizon rolls out LTE-capable handsets. How perfect would that be for the iPhone to debut on Verizon as they launch their soon-to-be-best-4G-ever on 700mhz (coincidentally the same frequency that AT&T will use).
Why do you think it would have to be a "special GSM handset for t-mobile"? It's the exact same GSM frequencies as AT&T. The only difference is use of Operating Band IV for UMTS "3G". This is a single, tiny chip from Triquint.
Why haven't they used it, then? Perhaps they are under contract with AT&T which is why no other carrier in the US sells the iPhone.
The Infineon X-GOLD 616 Baseband IC can support up to 5 operating bands. The iPhone 4 supports the maximum. The new operating band is VI, which appears to only be used by Japan's NTT docomo.
While NTT docomo is currently not selling the iPhone the smartphone penetration in Japan is quite high and the current iPhone retailer, SoftBank Mobile, has only about 25M subscribers and is the 3rd largest in Japan. Adding NTT docomo, the largest cellular company with about 60M subs would make more sense over T-Mobile's 35M subs, IMO.
Why do you think it would have to be a "special GSM handset for t-mobile"? It's the exact same GSM frequencies as AT&T. The only difference is use of Operating Band IV for UMTS "3G". This is a single, tiny chip from Triquint.
Why haven't they used it, then? Perhaps they are under contract with AT&T which is why no other carrier in the US sells the iPhone.
The Infineon X-GOLD 616 Baseband IC can support up to 5 operating bands. The iPhone 4 supports the maximum. The new operating band is VI, which appears to only be used by Japan's NTT docomo.
While NTT docomo is currently not selling the iPhone the smartphone penetration in Japan is quite high and the current iPhone retailer, SoftBank Mobile, has only about 25M subscribers and is the 3rd largest in Japan. Adding NTT docomo, the largest cellular company with about 60M subs would make more sense over T-Mobile's 35M subs, IMO.
In summary, the 1700mhz that T-Mobile uses for part of their 3G is used by no one else in the world. What about their 4G frequency? Oh wait, they don't have any 4G frequency available... That's why they are turbo-charging their 3G bands right now to HSPA.... that's all they can do.
Verizon's 3G, and 4G frequencies are used by many other carriers, CDMA and GSM.
Verizon has at least a gazillion more customers than T-Mobile USA.
Verizon is known for quality. T-Mobile, to a lesser extent, has similar issues to AT&T: dropped calls and data connections.
Also, I would get an iPhone if it were on Verizon or Sprint. Probably not if it were on T-Mobile.
I suppose, in summary, that the 1700mhz that T-Mobile uses for part of their 3G is used by no one else in the world.
Verizon's 3G, and 4G for that matter, are used by many other carriers, CDMA and GSM.
Verizon has at least a gazillion more customers than T-Mobile USA.
Verizon is known for quality. T-Mobile, to a lesser extent, has similar issues to AT&T: dropped calls and data connections.
Also, I would get an iPhone if it were on Verizon or Sprint. Probably not if it were on T-Mobile.
You're missing the point that one requires all new cellular tech, a new phone to be made marketed and inventoried, along with a change in features over the current iPhone, and the other merely requires the addition of a 10¢ chip.
I'm not sure if there is anything to these details, and nobody has to believe me. Maybe he was testing for AT&T. I was just a little shocked to see 4 iPhone 4s in the wild already.
Just my 2¢