Half of iPhone users believe they have 5G connectivity now
In a survey taken before the "iPhone 12" launch, roughly 49% of U.S. consumers believe their current iPhone is 5G-compliant.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion surrounding the move to 5G. As it turns out, nearly half of U.S. consumers across all major carriers believe their iPhone can access 5G. This, of course, is not the case, as no iPhone -- up through the iPhone 11 line -- currently supports 5G.
The "iPhone 12" is suspected of being Apple's first 5G capable smartphone. Leaked carrier emails have also suggested as much.
The study, performed by Global Wireless Solutions, asked 5,000 U.S. smartphone users if they believed their iPhone could access 5G. While 49% answered yes, 29% of all smartphone users were unsure whether their phones could access 5G.
Some of the confusion could be attributed to the carriers. For instance, AT&T had falsely displayed a 5G E connectivity logo on consumers' phones connected to 4G networks as early as February of 2019. This was months before the first 5G phone from any manufacturer would even be available for purchase, and a year before the carrier started rolling out its 5G network.
GWS points out that when only looking at users that purchased a phone in 2020, nearly a quarter were unsure about their phone's 5G capabilities.
Much of the uncertainty comes from rural and suburban folks. About 45% of rural consumers and 47% of suburban consumers are unsure whether their carrier provides 5G. Nearly 73% of urban users believe their carrier offers 5G.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
Consumers between the ages of 35 and 44 were the most confident in what they believe that their phone is capable of. In that age group, 62% believe that they owned 5G capable phones. Consumers above the age of 65 were the least certain, with only 18% believing their phones were 5G capable.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
The study also shows that while consumers are interested in 5G, 74% don't believe that they'll see meaningful benefits this year. Additionally, 38% of consumers have stated that they would not pay more for 5G, maintaining that they shouldn't be charged more for improved network and device performance.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
Of those excited about the switch to 5G, 54% said they were most excited about the increased data speeds, while 16% were most excited for improved video calling and conferencing.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion surrounding the move to 5G. As it turns out, nearly half of U.S. consumers across all major carriers believe their iPhone can access 5G. This, of course, is not the case, as no iPhone -- up through the iPhone 11 line -- currently supports 5G.
The "iPhone 12" is suspected of being Apple's first 5G capable smartphone. Leaked carrier emails have also suggested as much.
The study, performed by Global Wireless Solutions, asked 5,000 U.S. smartphone users if they believed their iPhone could access 5G. While 49% answered yes, 29% of all smartphone users were unsure whether their phones could access 5G.
Some of the confusion could be attributed to the carriers. For instance, AT&T had falsely displayed a 5G E connectivity logo on consumers' phones connected to 4G networks as early as February of 2019. This was months before the first 5G phone from any manufacturer would even be available for purchase, and a year before the carrier started rolling out its 5G network.
GWS points out that when only looking at users that purchased a phone in 2020, nearly a quarter were unsure about their phone's 5G capabilities.
Much of the uncertainty comes from rural and suburban folks. About 45% of rural consumers and 47% of suburban consumers are unsure whether their carrier provides 5G. Nearly 73% of urban users believe their carrier offers 5G.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
Consumers between the ages of 35 and 44 were the most confident in what they believe that their phone is capable of. In that age group, 62% believe that they owned 5G capable phones. Consumers above the age of 65 were the least certain, with only 18% believing their phones were 5G capable.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
The study also shows that while consumers are interested in 5G, 74% don't believe that they'll see meaningful benefits this year. Additionally, 38% of consumers have stated that they would not pay more for 5G, maintaining that they shouldn't be charged more for improved network and device performance.
Image Credit: Global Wireless Solutions
Of those excited about the switch to 5G, 54% said they were most excited about the increased data speeds, while 16% were most excited for improved video calling and conferencing.
Comments
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That said, there’s nothing malicious or intentionally ill mannered going on. It’s simply that a lot of people involved in product development and marketing are highly focused on the technical details and associated benefits of what they are creating and bringing to market. They live and breathe in a bubble of their own creation and don’t always know how to convey their understanding and language beyond the bubble. In many cases what they’ve created has no precedent to “outsiders” so the internal language leaks into the public realm, often in gobbledegook fashion, because they simply can’t come up with an answer to a word that rhymes with “orange” kind of challenge. Without a relatable way to get the word out, they resort to trying to “educate” their customers, which can be a very scary adventure when you have marketeers and sales people stepping up to the lectern.
There is no easy answer, but clearly the challenge and responsibility for bringing consumers up to speed is on the creators of the technology, not the consumers who just want to know what it is that the creators of technology are really selling, and why it matters to them. Consumers aren’t stupid, but you have to communicate with them in a language they understand, and you have to put yourself in their shoes (empathy) while trying to educate them on the benefits of your product.
The 35-44 are the most ignorant. It seems to me from this data that the 65-74 group are the most savvy, more people in all the other groups believed their phones were 5G capable when none of them are!
It seems to me that Americans didn't used to tolerate deceptions like that. Sure, they expected and accepted minor fibs and exaggerations, but not intentional flagrant lies. I think our standards have been lowered.
It seems to me that Americans didn't used to tolerate deceptions like that. Sure, they expected and accepted minor fibs and exaggerations, but not intentional flagrant lies. I think our standards have been lowered.
And those are iPhone users! iKnockoff users are the worst of the worst. Some think they have an iPhone and studies have shown these morons are less educated and score lower on tests! Some iKnockoff morons believe Samsung invented the iPhone!
Vaccines are for EXTREME cases. Then there's the other side who need a shot for everything like the common flu.
But being less social also has a negative impact. Steve Jobs made employees socialize which created the genius of Pixar and Apple inventions.
And, exactly why should it matter whether the public understands the nuances between 4G and 5G anyway? This is a matter for tech titans, government regulatory entities, and telco and local government infrastructure investment, who are all tasked with eventually figuring out how to get services to the public that the public will (hopefully) benefit from. All the general public needs to know is that technology is continuing to get better and that the tech and regulatory worlds have to work together to make sure that continues to be the case.
It would be more interesting if the US general public could be made more aware of the many ways that US tech infrastructure is falling behind much of the world precisely because our tech-regulatory-local-government relationships are so dysfunctional in getting actual tech infrastructure out to all of us, and just how much of that is caused by entrenched tech telco businesses buying off politicians and regulators. Sure, Americans know that corporate America basically owns US governance at all levels, but it isn't clear how many Americans know how much more advanced many other countries are simply because they don't have the US's level and forms of corporate-government corruption.