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Verizon Finally Unveils Apple iPhone
Velcroman1 writes "The most asked question in all of technology finally has an answer. When will Verizon get the iPhone? The answer: early next month. Verizon COO Lowell McAdam unveiled a new iPhone Tuesday during a presentation in New York that was short on surprises as most of the tech press already knew what was coming. 'If the press writes about something long enough and hard enough, eventually it comes true,' McAdam joked. Nevertheless, the move clears a major hurdle for Apple as they face increasing competition in smartphones, particularly from devices based on Google Inc.'s Android software which has exploded in popularity. Verizon's Lowell McAdam described the unveiling as a 'great day for wireless customers across the US.'"
Good: Free tethering. Bad: No simultaneous voice/data.
So how is Verizon going to spin this to backpeddle against their previous bashings of the iPhone? Weren't they just a year or so ago telling how puny and weak the iPhone was in comparison to their Droid?
They didn't just say they would support tethering, they said you could use it as a hotspot - about time.
BUT what I don't think was stated, was how much (if anything), this will cost... it might be free but I don't think the price of anything was made clear. They also didn't talk about unlimited data plans even though that was a rumor, and the Verizon data plan page says there is a 2GB cap on smartphone plans.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
What actually happens when a call comes in? Obviously any data streams stop, but if I have a laptop tethered will TCP connections get reset or is it like all of a sudden having dropped packets?
Unlimited data is cool, but in the 6 months or so I've had my iPhone, I've never even come close to using the 2GB data limit. WiFi is so ubiquitous, even where I live out in the sticks.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Anyway, there were exactly 3 things of interest at the press conference:
That's it. I would think if they're going to bother holding a press conference like this that they would be willing to talk a bit more about the device first, but no, it's was only the most minimal sip of information they could get away with divulging.
I read the internet for the articles.
This took way too long. I already caved and got myself a Android phone, which I'm very happy with.
The most common(and probably most effective) backpedaling strategy is "Don't".
Just stop saying what you were saying before, scrub it from visible locations where possible, then begin emitting the new party line. Most people have sufficiently short memories, or high enough tolerance for absurd contradictions, that they won't bat an eye. The people who don't fit in this category will never be satisfied, so why bother worrying about them?
If it works for public policy on promoting wars, it'll work for a silly phone.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Sure it does, I can look at google maps when on the phone, on an iPhone, on AT&T.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
They're still selling the droid, I don't really see any conflict of interest. If they start releasing commercials stating how much better the iphone is than droid, you might have an axe to grind. Just because it's BETTER doesn't mean they can't still give consumers choice. I sell customers products that I think are inferior all day long for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it's still the best fit even though overall it's an inferior product. Sometimes it's a better price. Sometimes, the customer just really wants something that isn't best for them. If they take my recommendation into consideration and still choose the path they want, I'm not going to walk away from a sale just because they made a bad choice... that would be pretty bad business practice.
All I heard over and over was "customers keep telling us they want it". What I didn't hear was "this is the best phone we have". No contradiction. Giving customers what they are asking for is hardly rocket science. Not like they are replacing other products with the iPhone.
You may confidently assume that I'm counting the months on my AT&T contract, and will hop to Verizon when it's over.
I really do value the iPhone in a number of ways, but dealing with AT&T has been a nightmare. I had tons of trouble with them in the past, but the most recent one is still fairly typical:
My last payment to them apparently didn't make it. Now, I can show that the other three checks I mailed out the same night all got cashed, but whatever. Could be the post office, could be their mailroom, no one is ever likely to find out.
1. The letter to me was hostile and sort of rude. I've never missed a payment before. Heck, I don't think I've had ANY payments late, for anyone, in the last four or five years. I don't think the first letter you send to a customer with a flawless payment record should make the assumption that it's their fault that you didn't get paid. I deposited the payment in the US Mail in a timely manner, assholes.
2. So I called in. Navigated through a voicemail system. Which hung up on me.
3. So I called in again. Navigated through a voicemail system. Got someone who made meaningless noises a lot but implied that things were all good.
4. So I went to the web site to online-bill-pay it, and kept getting dropped on a page saying "the function you've selected isn't available". Turns out you have to have JavaScript on or the login page doesn't work. Noticed a late payment charge, which the previous rep had not mentioned.
5. So I called in again, navigated through the same voicemail system, and got someone to ACTUALLY reverse the late payment fee.
That was an awful lot of hassle given that the most likely explanation is that their mailroom lost something. No one I dealt with during the process seemed friendly.
I call T-mobile sometimes, and they're always pleasant to talk to.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
claustrophobia-inducing
You are not supposed to try to live in the box it came in.
They promised to give up the one thing that Verizon has held out on all this time, Verizon branding all over the phone.
It will be verizon free, free of all the extra apps and crap they want installed on the system. It will remain an Apple device, exactly what Apple has always wanted and only AT&T would agree to.
It hasn't been an exclusive agreement or Apple's will that kept the phone on AT&T, it's Verizon's vanity and need for control over a device that is yours to use.
With LTE coming up, they didn't want to miss out on an iDevice for another generation of wireless data.
From a current iPhone user... I dont think it really matters....
I have an iPhone for work, as well as a Verizon MiWi. I constantly get 1 bar in various buildings with my iPhone, but love the MiWi service. If getting the iPhone thru Verizon can solve the problems I have now with the AT&T setup, I will definitely give them a try.
My only grip is Verizon not even offering the full price option. I hate the idea of the 2 year contract, and would rather just pay the full cost to not have to deal with it. Hopefully Apple can do some arm twisting like they did with the iPad...
After the announcement, I called ATT and asked for incentives to keep me on their network. I told them about the Verizon announcement, and offered to renew my contract if they would upgrade me to the iPhone 4 at no cost, and knock $15 off my month rate. They accepted the deal. ATT know the threat Verizon poses, and are eager to stop the bloodletting. I would encourage everyone who is willing to stick around to haggle.
Which phone did you buy? My Galaxy S trumps my iPhone 3gs in every aspect (I never bothered to get an iPhone 4). I keep reading how sluggish Android is (note, not reality there... Android is an OS, iPhone is hardware) and have yet to see it on the Galaxy S, Incredible, and Blackflip.
Honestly, I think people are either making it up or buying really low end hardware and allowing every app they've installed to run in the background.
Saying Android is a family of phones is akin to saying Linux is a family of PCs.
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Exactly. There is no conflict of interest. It isn't like you can either be in the iPhone camp or the Android camp and never the twain shall meet.
Verizon customers asked for an iPhone, they delivered it. End of story. Do you think for one second they'll stop selling the Motorola Droid phones? Of course they won't. Verizon never met a dollar they didn't like.
My blog
http://support.vzw.com/faqs/iphone/iphone_faq.html#item12
5. Do I need to sign up for a 2 year agreement? When purchasing iPhone at the 2 year promotional price a new agreement is required. However, you will also have the option to purchase iPhone at full retail price, which will not require you to sign a long-term agreement.
Verizon is a phone company that doesn't know how to answer a phone, transfer a call, make a three-way call, or anything else involving phones.
Their billing department plays games, randomly changing your bill by a few extra cents each month, even if you're on a set-amount negotiated by contract. Their CSAs (when and if you get through to one) will *say* they are doing everything to resolve your issues, but nothing happens.
And then of course, my favorite: Sales guy swears up and down on a stack of bibles that your bill is going to be $89.99, plus a few taxes and fees. He'll tell you "About $114" when all is said and done. And you ask him again. So that's *everything* right? I won't get a huge bill with set-up fees and crap? He says "No. I guarantee your bill won't be over $114". Three weeks later the first bill arrives and it's $250. You then get to spend the next 6 months fighting with them over that bill. You will threaten to take them to court. You will write the Attourney State General, your Senators, your Congressmen. You will speak to every Vice-President Verizon has, wasting over $1000 of your time and theirs. Finally, they will agree to credit your bill. Except that no credit ever appears and you get to start all over again, or give up.
That's the Verizon I know. I hope you faire better. All I know is that I wouldn't trust them to clean toilets, much less run critical infrastructure.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.