Verizon CEO claims to have sold Steve Jobs on an LTE iPhone
Speaking at the NAB conference on Wednesday, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam claims he was the one who suggested adding 4G LTE capabilities to the iPhone some time after the iPhone 4 was released.
The iPhone 5 was the first Apple handset to feature LTE capabilities.
As reported by Fierce Wireless (via The Next Web), the Verizon chief said he pitched the protocol to Jobs, who apparently liked the idea of high-speed access for the iPhone.
"I was really trying to sell him and he sat there without any reaction. Finally, he said, ?Enough. You had me at 10 Mbps. I know you can stream video at 10 Mbps.? And Apple?s next phone was LTE," McAdams said.
The timeline is somewhat suspect in the executive's recounting of the tale, as Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, one day after the iPhone 4S was unveiled. McAdams is likely referring to the iPhone 5, however, as the 4S offered only HSPA+ connectivity.
At the time, U.S. wireless technology was moving toward 4G, with Verizon banking on long-term evolution, or LTE, as the telecom built out its advanced network. Subsequently, all major carriers now leverage the wireless standard to provide fast data transmissions to Apple's latest products like the iPhone 5 and current iPad lineup.
It was just reported today that AT&T would be extending its LTE coverage to 79 new markets, with the rollout scheduled to complete this summer. T-Mobile, the last of the "Big Four" U.S. telecoms to become an Apple partner carrier, has also jumped on board, activating its own 4G LTE network in March ahead of the company's iPhone launch this Friday.
The iPhone 5 was the first Apple handset to feature LTE capabilities.
As reported by Fierce Wireless (via The Next Web), the Verizon chief said he pitched the protocol to Jobs, who apparently liked the idea of high-speed access for the iPhone.
"I was really trying to sell him and he sat there without any reaction. Finally, he said, ?Enough. You had me at 10 Mbps. I know you can stream video at 10 Mbps.? And Apple?s next phone was LTE," McAdams said.
The timeline is somewhat suspect in the executive's recounting of the tale, as Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, one day after the iPhone 4S was unveiled. McAdams is likely referring to the iPhone 5, however, as the 4S offered only HSPA+ connectivity.
At the time, U.S. wireless technology was moving toward 4G, with Verizon banking on long-term evolution, or LTE, as the telecom built out its advanced network. Subsequently, all major carriers now leverage the wireless standard to provide fast data transmissions to Apple's latest products like the iPhone 5 and current iPad lineup.
It was just reported today that AT&T would be extending its LTE coverage to 79 new markets, with the rollout scheduled to complete this summer. T-Mobile, the last of the "Big Four" U.S. telecoms to become an Apple partner carrier, has also jumped on board, activating its own 4G LTE network in March ahead of the company's iPhone launch this Friday.
Comments
I emailed Tim cook to put 802.11ac in the iPhone. When it eventually gets added, remember it was my idea¡
He also convinced Cisco to go with gigabit ethernet, back in the day.
Well, thank God for Verizon's CEO then. Clearly would never have gotten LTE into an iPhone if it wasn't for him, and we'd be stuck on HSPA+ forever. Only Verizon's CEO could have come up with the brilliant idea of adding LTE to a phone, a capability that would have really required some out of the box thinking, and thank our lucky stars he was around to tell Jobs' whats up.
The fact that this douche actually believes, or trying to get believe to believe, that he had any influence on iPhone development blows my mind.
If the guy had convinced Jobs to add LTE to a device PRIOR to any LTE service being available AND convinced him to make it exclusive to Verizon AND had been poised to flood the market with LTE service and capitalize on that exclusivity then perhaps it would be notable.
and for the record I am the one who convinced the rain to fall during the storm this afternoon, yes indeed, using the oldest of rain making techniques often referred to as "a trip to the carwash"
Maybe some 360p YouTube. I $#!T you not though, the first week I had my Verizon IPhone 5, Netflix was loading in 720p with zero lag. Scrubbing the timeline gave instant thumbnails as fast as my finger could move/ My record so far is 45 Mbps. Could hardly be happier with the speed/service.
Aside from everyone else's comments about how ridiculous it is to think that Jobs wasn't already thinking about LTE, I have to wonder what kind of idiots attend the NAB conference. If the attendees had any brains at all, McAdam would have been laughed off stage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GadgetCanada
I emailed Tim cook to put 802.11ac in the iPhone. When it eventually gets added, remember it was my idea¡
Great! And thanks a million! BTW, I was the one who convinced Steve-o to get on the Intel bandwagon. I told him Intel was a win-win and he just sat there and looked me for bit and then said, "You had me at gigabit clock speed."
It's even better seeing it live, in person.
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
…he just sat there and looked me for bit and then said, "You had me at gigabit clock speed."
"I just have one question. What's a gigabit?"
Originally Posted by ChristophB
This wouldn't have happened if Steve was alive.
Never thought I'd see a valid use for that statement. This guy would have crapped his pants at the thought of saying something like this while Jobs was still alive.
The irony is immeasurable, no?