Apple seen extending exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 76
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DocNo42 View Post


    I don't know that it's bad, but the ball was firmly in Verizon's court and they rejected the iPhone first. Sucks to be them now.



    Does it actually suck to be them?



    Android is proving to be a strong competitor to the iPhone and is predicted to overtake it in a few years. Verizon might like to have the iPhone but phones like the Droid are getting lots of good PR. Verizon does not need the iPhone.



    The iPhone is the best smartphone IMO; however, the latest Android phones are good enough and people who buy them are generally happy with them.
  • Reply 42 of 76
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,630member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kirkgray View Post


    Currently Apple builds one iPhone. It works around the world with multiple carriers. This matches Apple's ease of use model. If they were to build a Verizon version of the iPhone, it would be for one segment of one market. When a Verizon iPhone user went on holiday overseas and their iPhone wouldn't work, Apple would catch the the flack. "My friend's iPhone worked in Europe. Why won't mine!!!"



    The simple fact is, until the other US carriers move to world standard protocols (as will happen with 4G), there is little to no chance Apple will support them.





    Bingo. I think that is the reason. Apple doesn't really give a rat's ass about AT&T. It's the GSM standard they target. The iPhone is a world-phone.



    But will the 4G system truly mean one phone can be used with all carriers all over the world? Or will it have to be "adopted" by each carrier?
  • Reply 43 of 76
    srangersranger Posts: 473member
    I guess this rules out an iPhone in my future. My company is going to end our phone contract in April and give us an allowance to get our own phones. I though about the iPhone, but can't stand the at&t network problems. I simply see it only getting worse as AT&T is scheduled to releases 5 new Android phones this year, the iPad, a couple of Android tablest.



    Their network cannot handle the current load very well. I fail to see how it will get better by adding more and more data hungry users...



    I just hope the Major bugs in the Android phones are fixed before April. I'll probably go with Verizion, Sprint, etc... I am sure their networks will be getting more and more overloaded, but at least they are not currently at the breaking point like AT&T....
  • Reply 44 of 76
    Apologies in advance for the rant, but someone needs to say this...



    I'm getting really sick of the AT&T Verizon debate. Half the people on here are convinced AT&T is terrible and Verizon offers all the solutions, the other half wouldn't criticize AT&T if their life depended on it. But it 100% depends on where you live, where you travel and what you do. I lived in California about a year ago and AT&T was amazing, 3G everywhere, blazing fast, reliable, etc. People I knew with Verizon would constantly complain about slow internet. However, most my life I lived in Nebraska and I now live in Iowa. In both these locations AT&T does not even compare to Verizon. I drop calls daily on my iPhone, the internet moves at the speed of molasses and I frequently encounter places with zero bars of service. Moreover, I only get 3G if I travel to Des Moines, Cedar Rapids or Omaha (which I rarely do); plus AT&T has NO plans to expand 3G in my area any time soon. Many of my friends have Verizon (with 3G) and their internet speeds are easily 10 to 20 times faster than mine (e.g. today it took me about 4 min to load NYT's while it took my friend on Verizon about 20 seconds).



    My iPhone contract is up in June and if the iPhone does not come to Verizon, I have no choice but to switch. After all why the hell would I pay $30/month for a internet network I can't even use...its stupid. And if this is the case, I'm planning on getting the Nexus One. What does this mean for Apple, well even IF they move to Verizon in the future (2011) they may potentially loose me as a (phone) customer forever (assuming I like the Nexus One). I love my iPhone and If I were to move back to a place with solid AT&T coverage I would renew my contract in a heart beat, but thats simply not the case. And I can guarantee there are hundreds of thousands of people in the same boat as me.



    THIS IS THE POINT: The point of offering the iPhone on multiple networks is to allow anyone to use it and take advantage of all its potential features. And the sooner Apple opens up to Verizon the larger their future customer base will expand. Lets be honest, when the iPhone was unveiled it trumped everything on the market by at least a factor of 2-3 years, thus, it could easily afford to be tied to one network. But now there are 4 or 5 suitable opponents many of which are superior hardware wise. Therefore, the longer Apple waits to compete in all phone markets (those where Verizon's service dominates AT&T's) the greater the chance people become loyal customers of the opposition. And, as this site is a testament to, people easily become fanboys of the products they own.



    So please...for the love of God STOP ARGUING ABOUT THE BETTER NETWORK, you are probably right with regards to your respective environment. But there are thousands of places where Verizon is better than AT&T and thousands where it is not. To put it bluntly, your either an idiot or too misinformed, if your making the claim that one network is superior to the other; it is all a matter of perspective.
  • Reply 45 of 76
    capnbobcapnbob Posts: 388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Get real. There are no 150 million other users in the US.



    This 2011 is a clear shot at both AT&T and Verizon to get their 4G services ready and then the options will still only be open to both, IF APPLE CONTROLS ITS PRODUCTS on their network.



    Verizon either changes it's entire business philosophy or continues to see losses.



    There are easy 150M other users in the US - roughly Verizon 83M, Sprint 45M, TMob 35M



    125M are CDMA. That said, it is a disappearing standard but could net several million more sales before 4G becomes the dominant standard. Remember, VZ won't sell one until 4G coverage is 98% of the people without a CDMA fallback radio. If Apple won't make that, VZ won't sell it. AT&T won't stop investing in 3G until it can make a decent return on the huge investment in what is theoretically a much faster 3G network than VZ's will ever be (7.2-14.4-2x.x. There won't be a rush to 4G fast enough to drive handset convergence any time soon.



    However, if it is 10-15M more iPhones sold with CDMA combo chips, that should be at a very similar margin to the standard iPhone. If not, they could charge $20-50 (or whatever) more per phone to the carrier for the non-GSM or GSM/CDMA combo phone. Other manufacturers make combo phones (e.g. RIM) which are typically at a premium.



    Overall, it feels to me to be more a point of principle from Steve not to do it - could be wrong but the economics seem like they add up just fine...
  • Reply 46 of 76
    If AT&T's troubles were as drastic as they are represented online then we wouldn't be seeing the exceptional sales of the iPhone. Unless of course we are a nation of masochists. I'm not saying AT&T has is trouble free but I have a very tough time believing their troubles are as frequent as some people claim. Would Americans really continue to buy a $200 product that was unusable?



    Personally, I started out with AT&T with the original iPhone and had a few dropped calls which was annoying because I never experienced that in the four years I was with T-Mobile. Then I got the 3GS and my number of dropped calls went through the roof. Calls that wouldn't ring through, I couldn't always get voicemails and didn't always have service where I used to. It was a pain. Then 4-5 months later, things improved dramatically. Now It's rare for me to get a dropped call and the other problems have faded away completely. Obviously AT&T has had trouble. But I think it's also obvious that they've made progress.
  • Reply 47 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Oldandintheway View Post


    when my two years are up in October I'll have to get an HTC or Palm or something if the iPhone's not on Verizon. What good would an AT&T iPhone be without reception.



    So, you're using an iPhone without reception for 2 years?
  • Reply 48 of 76
    Attention ignorant iphone users!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I own and like my iphone, BUT... Most of the perceived problems with ATT are really an issue with the design of the iphone!! I am a long time ATT user and the iphone has the worst reception of any device I have owned. I've followed these type of forums for a while now and almost without exception, people who complain about ATT have never used another device on ATT other than the iphone. I travel around the US extensively and ATT has excellent coverage. For those people who say "never had a problem with my XX brand phone on VZ, but ATT sucks because my iphone doesn't work good" should really take a course in logical thinking!! I think the reason that Apple supports ATT is that they know they (Apple) is still learning how to make a good phone that can actually switch between towers and between Edge and 3G. I mean really, to have a device that can't do this basic function well is really bad. Apple is probably ashamed, but doesn't have the talent to correct it.
  • Reply 49 of 76
    I don't understand why Apple would limit the iphone to AT&T. Why not open the phone to all carriers to improve stock holder returns. As much as I like Apple products I will not purchase the iPhone until it is offered to carriers other than AT&T.
  • Reply 50 of 76
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Appleuser1 View Post


    I don't understand why Apple would limit the iphone to AT&T. Why not open the phone to all carriers to improve stock holder returns. As much as I like Apple products I will not purchase the iPhone until it is offered to carriers other than AT&T.



    Plenty of potential reasons come to mind. Hardware, logistics, politics are are general reasons.



    For example, Apple was in short supply of components last Summer to make the iPhone thus creating an unfilled demand for at least a couple months in some places. It's safe to assume that demand will be higher this year, but will the components they use be in enough supply to every buyer if they offered it to the other 150M subs current not using AT&T? It's not software, there are a finite amount of devices that can be produced in a time frame. (again, that is just an example)
  • Reply 51 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by reasonable View Post


    Attention ignorant iphone users!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I own and like my iphone, BUT... Most of the perceived problems with ATT are really an issue with the design of the iphone!! I am a long time ATT user and the iphone has the worst reception of any device I have owned. I've followed these type of forums for a while now and almost without exception, people who complain about ATT have never used another device on ATT other than the iphone. I travel around the US extensively and ATT has excellent coverage. For those people who say "never had a problem with my XX brand phone on VZ, but ATT sucks because my iphone doesn't work good" should really take a course in logical thinking!! I think the reason that Apple supports ATT is that they know they (Apple) is still learning how to make a good phone that can actually switch between towers and between Edge and 3G. I mean really, to have a device that can't do this basic function well is really bad. Apple is probably ashamed, but doesn't have the talent to correct it.



    Gawd you're full of crap. Having worked inside AT&T Wireless as a consultant at the turn of the 2000 AT&T was woefully screwed up back then in it's addressing scalability issues.



    They're spending billions on it because the bandwidth iPhone users are demanding is exposing their scalability issues.



    The same exists for Verizon and Sprint. They don't currently have a horde of users tasking their network infrastructure.
  • Reply 52 of 76
    Quote:

    Gawd you're full of crap. Having worked inside AT&T Wireless as a consultant at the turn of the 2000 AT&T was woefully screwed up back then in it's addressing scalability issues.



    They're spending billions on it because the bandwidth iPhone users are demanding is exposing their scalability issues.



    The same exists for Verizon and Sprint. They don't currently have a horde of users tasking their network infrastructure.



    100% true...I used and enjoyed very much an iPhone in France for a period of about 9 months when I lived there with no reception problems at all. 3G and good signal are ubiquitous in Europe, tethering and MMS came online on THE DAY it was meant to come on, while the pathetic AT&T took an extra 6 months to implement something as simple as MMS, and STILL won't allow tethering! It is absolutely not the phone--these signal complains are only heard in the US because the single exclusive carrier sucks so f'ing bad. It's not about the phone.
  • Reply 53 of 76
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Talk about grasping at straws. These analysts are about as simple-minded as they come. I'm not saying the exclusivity won't continue. But reaching that conclusion because the iPad is ATT-only is about as naive as you can get.



    Think about it. Let's say for the sake of argument that Apple is planning a Verizon iPhone this summer when it releases updated hardware. Releasing a Verizon iPad now would let the cat out of the bag and broadcast to the entire world that a Verizon iPhone would be right around the corner.



    Not only that, but Apple uses the same GSM hardware in both the iPhone and iPad. So if they are still putting the finishing touches on their CDMA implementation for an upcoming Verizon iPhone, which is still months away, it would stand to reason that it's also not yet ready for the iPad, either.



    Again, not saying that it will or won't happen. Only that an ATT-only iPad is in no way an indicator either way. These analysts are simply trying to justify their salaries by generating "advice."
  • Reply 54 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Bingo. I think that is the reason. Apple doesn't really give a rat's ass about AT&T. It's the GSM standard they target. The iPhone is a world-phone.



    But will the 4G system truly mean one phone can be used with all carriers all over the world? Or will it have to be "adopted" by each carrier?



    Nah, the 4G system just means that "everyone" (ahem) will be using the same general standard. Backwards compatibility would still require support for multiple systems (GSM, CDMA, etc.). The current iPhone 3GS is backwards compatible with EDGE.



    While there are reality-challenged people who claim that CDMA is dead, CDMA will be around for quite a while based on legacy device use.
  • Reply 55 of 76
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kirkgray View Post


    Currently Apple builds one iPhone.



    Except that's not true. Apple make three versions of the iPhone. The newest 3GS, the previous generation 3G, and a China-only version.



    The argument that Apple won't build a CDMA phone because of economies of scale, stock issues, or any other such factor is nonsense. The fact that there are both wifi-only and 3G iPads demonstrates that Apple has no issues with making different versions of their products. And the iPad will sell in far lower quantities than a CDMA iPhone would.



    It may never happen, but it won't be because Apple only wants to build one iPhone.
  • Reply 56 of 76
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    Except that's not true. Apple make three versions of the iPhone. The newest 3GS, the previous generation 3G, and a China-only version.



    The argument that Apple won't build a CDMA phone because of economies of scale, stock issues, or any other such factor is nonsense. The fact that there are both wifi-only and 3G iPads demonstrates that Apple has no issues with making different versions of their products. And the iPad will sell in far lower quantities than a CDMA iPhone would.



    It may never happen, but it won't be because Apple only wants to build one iPhone.



    Sure. The big sticking point is Vz Wireless and Apple are both control freaks. The difference is that Apple is a control freak to make the UX great (and make a buck) where Vz Wireless is a control freak just to make a buck. I like FiOS...or more accurately I dislike Comcast more. On the other hand Vz Wireless annoyed the hell out of me.
  • Reply 57 of 76
    bsenkabsenka Posts: 799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    The entire world uses GSM (except some US and Japanese carriers) ... why bother with a CDMA phone??



    Because CDMA actually works.
  • Reply 58 of 76
    Not a chance of extending into 2011 - the AT&T network is so overloaded now they will probably welcome Verizon to take part of market. Look for an introduction in June/July when the new iphone is released.
  • Reply 59 of 76
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    I say BS to this. T-Mobile will get iPhone some time this year, along with all the other GSM carriers. Continuing with exclusivity means reducing the consumer base, and for apple that would be pretty stupid. At this point the exclusivity is not because the ATT wants to keep the iPhone, but cause Apple has nowhere to go.



    I want to say that there will never ever ever and I mean not this summer or any summer until 4G or LTE is rolled out be a Verizon iPhone or iPad it is safe to say that if T-Mo does not get the device, the exclusivity can last for 3-5 more years till LTE is fully rolled out to support the device.
  • Reply 60 of 76
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DocNo42 View Post


    That's a load of crap. No one carrier has 100% (or even 90%) coverage. It's impossible. It may stink where you are - if so, sucks to be you - but enough of the V hyperbole, please. It may work for TV commercials but not here in the real world.



    Agreed I had ATT before I went to T-Mobile here in the Chi, and I had coverage everywhere. On any floor of any building downtown, on the train and in the burbs. Verizon is good when you are in the village in the middle of nowhere (camping in wisconsin or something), but as long as you have civilization nearby you should be good with ATT. 3G is another issue, ATT has the fastest, but also busiest network, so of course there are problems. This will happen to Verizon as well when it gets a massively popular phone of its own.
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