There seem to be several variants of CDMA in use in China, for a total of several hundred million subscribers. As far as I can tell from Wikipedia's "3G" page, China Mobile uses TD-SCDMA, China Unicom uses WCDMA, and China Telecom uses CDMA2000. I haven't the slightest clue how different these variants are from what Verizon uses, but if they're just software protocol differences, a CDMA iPhone assembly line or two could sell tons of "interim" CDMA iPhones.
Whatever. The huge CDMA subscriber base in China combined with Verizon users in the US are a pretty powerful incentive for Apple to ship an interim iPhone. Even though it will be obsolete in two years or so. That's still many millions of iPhone customers and billions of $$$ in revenue. It's worth it.
Another advantage of an interim CDMA iPhone, from Apple's perspective, is that AT&T subscribers with iPhones couldn't switch their GSM iPhone to Verizon. They would need to buy an entirely new CDMA iPhone. So Apple could make money from customers who already have an iPhone and hate AT&T enough to switch to Verizon. And AT&T would make money on those ultra-high "early termination" fees. Everybody makes money on the deal, and AT&T gets some of those GSM iPhones back on their network when US users snap them up on eBay and start new plans with AT&T.
If Apple waits until 2012, when the true all-IP all-packet-switched "4G" will finally be rolled out, there will be no difference between the AT&T and Verizon and T-Mobile and Sprint iPhones. (And I strongly doubt Apple, er, Steve, will let Verizon or anyone else stamp their dog butt-ugly logos on any iPhone.) They'll all be using the next-gen 4G standard, whichever of the candidates is finally chosen as the spec.
Looks like LTE Advanced will eventually beat 802.16m to become the 4G spec, but I don't think that has been officially decided yet. And no, Sprint's LTE is not true 4G. It's another interim pre-4G "3.9G" technology according, yet again, to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
I honestly thought I wanted an iPhone when my company forced us to buy individual plans and gave us a monthly allowance for our phones. I have a Macbook Pro and two mac Minis. However, I have to use Verizon because three counties that I cover in North/central Georgia have NO 3G coverage with AT&T. It is that simple.... I also need to occasionally tether my phone to my Laptop as part of my work. As near as I can tell you can't do that with an iPhone without jail breaking it. You can do it with a market app on the Droid without having to root ( or jail break ) the phone.
I have a Motorola Droid and I would consider an iPhone on Verizon. However, other than the front facing camera and talking/data at the same time, I can't see anything that the iPhone 4 can do that my Droid cannot do, but there are a few things my Droid can do that the iPhone cannot do like tethering. The screen on the old Droid is not quite as nice as the one on the iPhone 4, but it is damn close....
I know that many of your guys are Apple fan boys, but the droids are good phones and can compete evenly with the iPhone. Apple would be wise to release an iPhone on the Verizon ( and other networks ) as many of us have to use a carrier other that AT&T for lack of 3G coverage.... Like it or not that is just a fact that AT&T has very limited 3G coverage when you get outside of a major city. I had AT&T for a while and the Edge service in the out lying counties was pathetic...
Again I wold consider an iPhone, but I need a 3G coverage area much wider than what AT&T can provide.
P.S. On an Ironic note. I have excellent AT&T 3G coverage in my house, but Verizon's 3G at my house sux. I can go 100 yards in any direction and have a full 5 bar 3G with Verizon, just not in my house.... Of course I use Wifi, so it is not really a problem.=. It is just ironic....
There seem to be several variants of CDMA in use in China, for a total of several hundred million subscribers. As far as I can tell from Wikipedia's "3G" page, China Mobile uses TD-SCDMA, China Unicom uses WCDMA, and China Telecom uses CDMA2000. I haven't the slightest clue how different these variants are from what Verizon uses, but if they're just software protocol differences, a CDMA iPhone assembly line or two could sell tons of "interim" CDMA iPhones.
WCDMA is another name for the UMTS system used all over the world, including with AT&T's 3G network. TD-SCDMA is a system created by the Chinese government that no one except Chinese-government-owned China Mobile uses. CDMA2000 is the same 3G system that Verizon and Sprint use. Each system requires completely different hardware, so the CDMA iPhone could only work with China Telecom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SockRolid
If Apple waits until 2012, when the true all-IP all-packet-switched "4G" will finally be rolled out, there will be no difference between the AT&T and Verizon and T-Mobile and Sprint iPhones.
Verizon's LTE iPhone will likely be different than an AT&T LTE iPhone, as the Verizon phone will have CDMA2000 backup. The AT&T version probably won't have that, since it would be cheaper for Apple that way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sranger
I also need to occasionally tether my phone to my Laptop as part of my work. As near as I can tell you can't do that with an iPhone without jail breaking it. You can do it with a market app on the Droid without having to root ( or jail break ) the phone.
AT&T now offers tethering for something like $20/month with their new, non-unlimited data plans.
Android is no competition to Apple. It is all fragmented and only geeks buy it.
My fiance just bought a Droid 2 and trust me, she is not a "geek" (her best friend has a Droid x and is also not a "geeK"). Android has slowly been expanding beyond the geek crowd this year (at least in the U.S.), especially since Verizon started whoring it out.
Verizon's LTE iPhone will likely be different than an AT&T LTE iPhone, as the Verizon phone will have CDMA2000 backup. The AT&T version probably won't have that, since it would be cheaper for Apple that way.
Also the frequency bands are likely going to be different and the first few years won't be seeing pentaband phones so the devices will be fairly operator specific. Especially if the U.S. keeps dividing the frequencies between operators from completely different bands as they have done so far with WCDMA.
If that happens, competition is not going to be as fierce as you won't be able to use your terminal with competitors networks by just replacing your SIM card.
Looks like LTE Advanced will eventually beat 802.16m to become the 4G spec, but I don't think that has been officially decided yet. And no, Sprint's LTE is not true 4G. It's another interim pre-4G "3.9G" technology according, yet again, to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
That would be correct. None of the LTE network being built will be true 4G as it's defined in the specifications bodies (even though they'll be compatible with each other as long as the frequency bands match).
BUT thanks to marketing droids, who insist in stretching the truth, we'll likely be seing the 3.9G networks advertised as 4G and real 4G networks (that will be able to do up to 1Gbps in nomadic mode) will be advertised as 4G Advanced or something.
Comments
Whatever. The huge CDMA subscriber base in China combined with Verizon users in the US are a pretty powerful incentive for Apple to ship an interim iPhone. Even though it will be obsolete in two years or so. That's still many millions of iPhone customers and billions of $$$ in revenue. It's worth it.
Another advantage of an interim CDMA iPhone, from Apple's perspective, is that AT&T subscribers with iPhones couldn't switch their GSM iPhone to Verizon. They would need to buy an entirely new CDMA iPhone. So Apple could make money from customers who already have an iPhone and hate AT&T enough to switch to Verizon. And AT&T would make money on those ultra-high "early termination" fees. Everybody makes money on the deal, and AT&T gets some of those GSM iPhones back on their network when US users snap them up on eBay and start new plans with AT&T.
If Apple waits until 2012, when the true all-IP all-packet-switched "4G" will finally be rolled out, there will be no difference between the AT&T and Verizon and T-Mobile and Sprint iPhones. (And I strongly doubt Apple, er, Steve, will let Verizon or anyone else stamp their dog butt-ugly logos on any iPhone.) They'll all be using the next-gen 4G standard, whichever of the candidates is finally chosen as the spec.
Looks like LTE Advanced will eventually beat 802.16m to become the 4G spec, but I don't think that has been officially decided yet. And no, Sprint's LTE is not true 4G. It's another interim pre-4G "3.9G" technology according, yet again, to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
I have a Motorola Droid and I would consider an iPhone on Verizon. However, other than the front facing camera and talking/data at the same time, I can't see anything that the iPhone 4 can do that my Droid cannot do, but there are a few things my Droid can do that the iPhone cannot do like tethering. The screen on the old Droid is not quite as nice as the one on the iPhone 4, but it is damn close....
I know that many of your guys are Apple fan boys, but the droids are good phones and can compete evenly with the iPhone. Apple would be wise to release an iPhone on the Verizon ( and other networks ) as many of us have to use a carrier other that AT&T for lack of 3G coverage.... Like it or not that is just a fact that AT&T has very limited 3G coverage when you get outside of a major city. I had AT&T for a while and the Edge service in the out lying counties was pathetic...
Again I wold consider an iPhone, but I need a 3G coverage area much wider than what AT&T can provide.
P.S. On an Ironic note. I have excellent AT&T 3G coverage in my house, but Verizon's 3G at my house sux. I can go 100 yards in any direction and have a full 5 bar 3G with Verizon, just not in my house.... Of course I use Wifi, so it is not really a problem.=. It is just ironic....
There seem to be several variants of CDMA in use in China, for a total of several hundred million subscribers. As far as I can tell from Wikipedia's "3G" page, China Mobile uses TD-SCDMA, China Unicom uses WCDMA, and China Telecom uses CDMA2000. I haven't the slightest clue how different these variants are from what Verizon uses, but if they're just software protocol differences, a CDMA iPhone assembly line or two could sell tons of "interim" CDMA iPhones.
WCDMA is another name for the UMTS system used all over the world, including with AT&T's 3G network. TD-SCDMA is a system created by the Chinese government that no one except Chinese-government-owned China Mobile uses. CDMA2000 is the same 3G system that Verizon and Sprint use. Each system requires completely different hardware, so the CDMA iPhone could only work with China Telecom.
If Apple waits until 2012, when the true all-IP all-packet-switched "4G" will finally be rolled out, there will be no difference between the AT&T and Verizon and T-Mobile and Sprint iPhones.
Verizon's LTE iPhone will likely be different than an AT&T LTE iPhone, as the Verizon phone will have CDMA2000 backup. The AT&T version probably won't have that, since it would be cheaper for Apple that way.
I also need to occasionally tether my phone to my Laptop as part of my work. As near as I can tell you can't do that with an iPhone without jail breaking it. You can do it with a market app on the Droid without having to root ( or jail break ) the phone.
AT&T now offers tethering for something like $20/month with their new, non-unlimited data plans.
Android is no competition to Apple. It is all fragmented and only geeks buy it.
My fiance just bought a Droid 2 and trust me, she is not a "geek" (her best friend has a Droid x and is also not a "geeK"). Android has slowly been expanding beyond the geek crowd this year (at least in the U.S.), especially since Verizon started whoring it out.
Verizon's LTE iPhone will likely be different than an AT&T LTE iPhone, as the Verizon phone will have CDMA2000 backup. The AT&T version probably won't have that, since it would be cheaper for Apple that way.
Also the frequency bands are likely going to be different and the first few years won't be seeing pentaband phones so the devices will be fairly operator specific. Especially if the U.S. keeps dividing the frequencies between operators from completely different bands as they have done so far with WCDMA.
If that happens, competition is not going to be as fierce as you won't be able to use your terminal with competitors networks by just replacing your SIM card.
Regs, Jarkko
Looks like LTE Advanced will eventually beat 802.16m to become the 4G spec, but I don't think that has been officially decided yet. And no, Sprint's LTE is not true 4G. It's another interim pre-4G "3.9G" technology according, yet again, to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G
That would be correct. None of the LTE network being built will be true 4G as it's defined in the specifications bodies (even though they'll be compatible with each other as long as the frequency bands match).
BUT thanks to marketing droids, who insist in stretching the truth, we'll likely be seing the 3.9G networks advertised as 4G and real 4G networks (that will be able to do up to 1Gbps in nomadic mode) will be advertised as 4G Advanced or something.
Regs, Jarkko