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Jun 01, 09 - 12:58 pm Comment from: breeze

There may be a lot more to the ATT relationship than the iPhone

Jun 01, 09 - 12:58 pm Comment from: Olmecmystic

Won't happen until 4G LTE technology comes along in 2011, so what the fuss?

Peace.
Olmecmystic

Jun 01, 09 - 01:02 pm Comment from: Cubert

Please, please, please, can I get gouged by Verizon some more!?!

Switching from Verizon will be a big bonus for me when I finally get an iPhone.

Verizon had their chance to have the iPhone and they blew it.

I hope Steve tells 'em to go pound sand.

Agreed with Olmecmystic.

Unless Verizon comes groveling with lots of cash, Apple won't go through the hassle to create a different model iPhone. In two years, CDMA will be extinct, so why bother jumping on another train, when the train is already at its last station?

And iPhone growth hasn't exactly stalled, either. I get the feeling that the iPhone factories are pumping these puppies out as fast as they can.

@MaximumOverdrive:

Apple doesn't make money on the monthly service fees for new iPhone users. It may still get some fees for those who bought the original iPhone, but not for 3G iPhones.

Monthly data costs have no effect on Apple's bottom line, except that some people may not buy one due to the monthly service costs. If that's the case, those people won't buy anyway because you're not going to get a data, voice and text plan for $30/mo.

A "low end" iPhone won't cost much less than a "high end" iPhone because you still have virtually the same hardware costs. And an iPhone isn't an iPhone without the touch screen.

Having a swappable battery adds bulk to the iPhone. Apple won't do it. My 1G iPhone works great for a day. I haven't noticed any significant reduction in battery life. If it's an issue, keep the charging cable with you or keep one in your car. Or stop playing games all day.

"Unless Verizon comes groveling with lots of cash, Apple won't go through the hassle to create a different model iPhone. In two years, CDMA will be extinct, so why bother jumping on another train, when the train is already at its last station?"

Well, one place where CDMA is pretty strong (and getting stronger) is China. So Apple might make it for China and allow Verizon to sell it. So it might be "worth it" for Apple to do a CDMA in order to effectively compete in China.

So I could see Apple doing one for China and then offering that to Verizon. But you're right--I don't see Apple doing one just for Verizon.

Jun 01, 09 - 01:45 pm Comment from: breeze

Apple has said that they're very happy with the status quo.

Jun 01, 09 - 01:54 pm Comment from: Predrag

It is just remarkable how fans of Verizon live in their own RDF. We really, really need to get them to realise this -- Verizon ISN'T twice as large as AT&T. These two carriers are almost identical in size and coverage.

Let me repeat this once more: The number of people that would buy the iPhone if it were available on Verizon, that don't want to buy it now (while only on AT&T) would be practically negligible. In other words, the difference in the total addressable market today, opposed to the total addressable market if the iPhone were available on Verizon as well, is minuscule.

Perhaps Apple actually WILL develop a CDMA iPhone; that would probably only be for China (and perhaps some othe CDMA carriers elsewhere in the world). In the US, Apple has an incredibly lucrative deal with AT&T and vice versa. It would be foolish, from a business perspective, to jeopardise this deal with another carrier, even if it is Verizon.

Jun 01, 09 - 02:04 pm Comment from: Darkness

@Predrag...

I would say *especially* if it is Verizon. They're policy of crippling their handsets and charging an arm and a leg for individual services is antithetical to the way Apple operates.

When Apple needs to integrate a third party technology into their products, they seem to prefer to only have one partner. I have a feeling Steve Jobs would push Apple in the direction of keeping exclusive to AT&T;just to simplify they technology back-end that they have to deal with. Adding Verizon's network into the mix would make programming, testing, and debugging the iPhone more complex.

(This is probably the same reason they don't sell Macs with AMD chips and don't support any 3rd party protocol other than AIM in iChat.)

Jun 01, 09 - 02:07 pm Comment from: Darkness

Ack! That should be "there" up there. Not "They're".

Don't forget that Steve Jobs actually approached Verizon first when shopping around the iPhone concept, and Verizon's CEO told him to get lost. Steve is in many ways a petty man, and doesn't "forgive and forget" easily.

T-Mobile would get the iPhone before Verizon would, due to the fact that T-Mobile already uses compatible technology and Verizon doesn't, plus T-Mobile doesn't have any backstory with Steve Jobs and Apple.

Jun 01, 09 - 02:10 pm Comment from: quietly, please

No, Predrag. In areas of the country where AT\&T;coverage is poor, there's a LOT of people who won't quit Verizon, even though they'd really like an iPhone. I live in one of those places, and while AT\&T;coverage has gotten better, it's still not on par with VZW.

That said, I'd bet that Verizon couldn't handle the iPhone if it were offered to them. I just don't think that it's in Verizon's DNA to NOT cripple a device. I mean, if it can't make people rent the ability to play a lame version of Brick-out for something like $5 a month, then it's just not a device Verizon wants to trouble itself with. A device with the capability of an iPhone is just beyond their comprehension. It subverts all of their efforts to nickel and dime the customer to death.

I would rather Verizon go out of business.

Jun 01, 09 - 02:33 pm Comment from: DanielM

@ MaximumOverdrive

Re: And for gods sake, let the battery be changed.

What is wrong with the battery?

Basically, it would be a waste of money to buy a swappable battery. Of course, I have a car charger and if I am stuck at a clients or at the university all day, I can charge my iPhone via my Macbook Pro if need be.

Jun 01, 09 - 02:44 pm Comment from: macslut

This could have an easy solution. Offer it to Verizon as long as Verizon agrees to subsidize it at $450 or greater. If it's worth it to AT&T;, it would be worth it to Verizon. If Verizon agrees, then AT&T;wouldn't want the iPhone to be more expensive on their network.

Apple could end up with a subsidy war with the iPhone getting even higher subsidies.

My business partner has Verizon. He was showing me his turn by turn GPS service. Pretty cool but then he tells me it costs him 15 smackers a month. Whoa. Then he shows me his MyCast weather. Pretty impressive I say and show him my iPhone MyCast. How much a month he asks. Uh no, just $3 for the download. No monthly. Verizon gets him for $4 every month for it. I don't know what else he pays extra for. I ask him how well did WiFi work on his phone. And he goes "what?"

Jun 01, 09 - 03:02 pm Comment from: Dude

I love how these myopic "analysts" just don't get it.

Verizon is irrelevant to Apple at this time Apparently it needs to be broken down into small phrases so they can get it.

GSM ~85% of the world Cell Phone Market
CDMA- ~15% of the world Cell Phone Market

So if you are Apple who do you go for? Try and target 70 million customers in the US or continue expanding it around the world.

On top of all of this not every Verizon customer is a smart phone customer, they are Dell of the Mobile World for crying out loud.

Verizon had their chance but blew it, there is no way Apple is going to Verizon, Verizon has to come begging to Apple and that is if Apple lets them in the front door.

If Apple does alllow it... it does happen before 2011 and LTE.

Jun 01, 09 - 03:08 pm Comment from: Not Bill

I just donn't think there all that many areas of the US where Verizon has clearly better coverage than ATT. So, I do not see Verizon taking on the phone making a huge difference in sales. Maybe some additioinal sales but not a huge amount.

Jun 01, 09 - 03:26 pm Comment from: Bitjockey

I seem to recall another technical hurdle besides the CDMA/GSM issue. Didn't ATT have to modify their network to support the 'visual voicemail' feature?

Jun 01, 09 - 03:33 pm Comment from: Predrag

That 'visual voicemail' network modification was insignificant. The GSM equipment already has this built-in. In most of the world, the feature has been available (in much cruder and less elegantly executed form) forever. Not as "visual voicemail" but as a system where you can randomly access your voicemail from a list of messages identified by callers who left them. Not really such a big deal.

Jun 01, 09 - 03:55 pm Comment from: MacTony

It always amazes me how everyone in this industry is in love with quantity sold. Why would Apple want to produce more iPhones at a smaller margin just to be in Verizon's house. I know, to gain market share. I see what happens to these companies that choose razor thin margins to gain/maintain market share...... They don't make any money. I would love to see the iPhone go to Verizon, but as an investor, I would hope that doesn't come at a large reduction in margin.

Jun 01, 09 - 04:12 pm Comment from: LordRobin

Would Verizon really be okay with allowing its customers to surf the web via Wi-Fi, without paying them? Would Verizon really be okay with allowing its customers to buy music, videos, and apps on their computers and sync to their iPhones, without Verizon getting a cut?

The iPhone allows for a wide range of free usage. "Free" is not a word Verizon swallows easily. I can't see them selling the iPhone, unless they had no choice. Even then, they wouldn't be happy about it.

------RM

Jun 01, 09 - 05:14 pm Comment from: twilightmoon

They contend that adding Verizon could allow Apple to boost sales by at least 100% in units

There's absolutely no chance this is remotely true. Verizon does have better coverage than ATT in some areas but outside of those areas, the coverage is the same with ATT or better. There's no way the people who are in areas that have better VZ coverage who would buy an iPhone if available on VZ and won't buy one on ATT is 2x the size of those who will buy from ATT. Certainly there would be more, but nothing close to that dramatic, that's fantasy.

MaximumOverdrive And for gods sake, let the battery be changed.

For gods sake, learn about the massive benefits of an integrated battery. Better battery life, more compact design, stronger, more durable design with less parts to break off.

You want a: 1. weaker battery. 2. with far less battery life. 3. heavier, bulkier design. 4. more fragile. So you can replace the battery without help?

Given you want to ruin the iPhone's hardware design and make it into a fat heavy ugly brick, why would you not consider getting an external juice pack? You can use that when you want to get extra power and can't be near a charger, and it will charge the battery while you're using it, and after the internal battery is recharged you can go back to the sleek integrated iPhone minus the juice pack.

In your version you're always stuck with a nastier, heavier, uglier, bulkier brick.

Please tell me why this is a good idea?

I'm still using my nearly 2 year old iPhone which has seen nearly daily use and still has very good battery life. It will still be useful even when I upgrade to the new version I assume will be out very soon.

I hope Verizon is listening. The service on my iPhone is crappy - central New Jersey. I would gladly switch back to Verizon.