Apple Will Wait Until at Least 2020 To Release a 5G iPhone: Report (bloomberg.com)

Apple plans to hold off until at least 2020 before offering an iPhone that can connect to the next generation of high-speed phone services coming next year, Bloomberg reported Monday. From the report: The delay may make it easier for rivals like Samsung Electronics to win over consumers to phones that connect to 5G networks, which will provide a leap forward in mobile data speeds when they are introduced in 2019. As with 3G and 4G, the two previous generations of mobile technology, Apple will wait as long as a year after the initial deployment of the new networks before its main product gets the capability to access them, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the company's plans.

Apple's previous calculations -- proven correct -- were that the new networks and the first versions of rival smartphones would come with problems such as spotty coverage, making consumers less compelled to immediately make the jump. This time, 5G boosters argue the switch is a much bigger speed upgrade, making Apple's decision to wait riskier. The networks will open the floodgates to new types of mobile computing, 5G advocates say.

Comments

Am I the only one...

[Kokuyo]

...who needs better reception far more than better throughput? I can live comfortably with 4G if it actually performs as it should.

Re:Am I the only one...

[friedmud]

I find it hard to care at all... and I'm a heavy data user.

For me, mobile data speeds are MORE than good enough. I can stream high-quality TV, I can stream music I can browse the web as fast as I can on my wifi at home. What more is there to want on a phone?

Now - 5G is interesting for _other_ mobile data uses (like laptop connections). But I seriously couldn't care less less about 5G on my phone.

Even at home I'm struggling to find the need for more bandwidth from my internet service provider. I have 200Mbps... but they offer 1Gbps. Even with two 4k TVs constantly streaming (although not always constantly streaming 4k) I fail to find any fault in 200Mbps. Also, my fiance and I both work at home and I do a lot of data movement for my job - but 200Mbps is STILL tons.

Last month at my house we pulled down around 1.3TB of data (40GB a day)... but I still don't see a need for more than 200Mbps.

So if that's good enough at my house... what in the hell do I need 5G for on my phone?

Re: Am I the only one...

[rnmartinez]

+47 to this. I could care less about ridiculous speeds on the go when I can't even answer a call inside of Costco

Re:Am I the only one...

[stealth_finger]

...who needs better reception far more than better throughput? I can live comfortably with 4G if it actually performs as it should.

Well, no. Without reception your speed is practically zero.

At least 2020

[OneHundredAndTen]

This sounds as though one were talking about some remote future. Dude, we have less than 30 days left of 2018.

Re:At least 2020

[jellomizer]

Well this is Slashdot, we need a reason to rage against Apple for something.

4G has gotten worse

[goombah99]

I find it weird that 4G throughput has gotten worse with time too. 3 bars used to be great now it's sluggish. I suppose that's because there are so many other phones now.

I suspect the benefit of 5G might be higher channel capacity not higher peak speed will restore the throughput we once had.

Re:4G has gotten worse

[jellomizer]

I think it is just we have a bigger data requirement.
The early G4 Phones mostly had screens that were smaller, and with bigger pixels, and slower processors. Sites at the time who mode data for these phones, factored in such limitations. So they downloaded smaller pictures, and downloaded smaller data sets because their processors would take too long to render. Now the phones are expected to be hooked by Wi-Fi and will download a lot more data.

Re:4G has gotten worse

[XXongo]

I think it is just we have a bigger data requirement.

^^^
this.

It's Parkinson's law: data requirements expand to fill the bandwidth available.
Whether or not there's any reason you need more data.

5G rollout will take years

[sjbe]

The delay may make it easier for rivals like Samsung Electronics to win over consumers to phones that connect to 5G networks, which will provide a leap forward in mobile data speeds when they are introduced in 2019.

5G networks may be introduced in 2019 but they are hardly going to be ubiquitous. It's going to take years for them to roll out to cover the amount of area current 4G and LTE networks cover now. Samsung might be able to poach some customers from Apple but it's not going to be a mass exodus even in the worst case. The only thing that will get people to shift away from Apple in large numbers is if Apple produces a weapons grade stinker of an iPhone.

Re:5G rollout will take years

[DCFusor]

It will be NEVER for some value of never where I live. You'd need a tower per homestead. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

Re:5G rollout will take years

[Dog-Cow]

I'm pretty sure you are alone, else you wouldn't need your own tower!

Maybe they should fix 4G first.

[SvnLyrBrto]

I've had plenty of "4G" devices... iPhones, my Apple Watch, a couple of WiFi hotspots and Android test phones for work, and even a Blackberry that I won in a drawing at a conference. Between them, I've seen the performance of all four mobile carriers' networks in the US. And not a one of them has actually met the promised data rates of, as per Wikipedia and ITU Report M.2134-0:

100 megabits per second (Mbit/s)(=12.5 megabytes per second) for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users).

Since they all lied about providing "4G" in the first place, but still used it in their marketing to jack up their pricing; I'm not particularly confident that the carriers will bother to actually roll out the 20GB capacity that's mandated for 5G. But I'm pretty sure they'll lie again, and use the 5G name to raise prices... again.

Yeah, I know it's laughable with this administration. But I, for one, think that the carriers should be forced... through severe sanctions and crippling fines topped off with a revocation of their licenses if they still fail to comply with the spec... to fix their 4G networks to deliver those promised rates, before they're allowed to jump into the "5G" game. (And needless to say, they should be severely sanctioned again if they fail to meet the 5G spec once they start selling the service and devices.)

Again... I know... pipe dreams, and all that. But one can still *HOPE* for the telecoms corps to be held accountable for their malfeasance.

Planned obsolescence, again

[GuB-42]

Apple is right, coverage will be spotty at first, deployment will take time.

However, it won't take long before it becomes an essential feature. And only then, Apple will release a 5G iPhone, and those who bought last year model will buy the new one for that reason.
Smartphone are starting to face the same problem as PCs, people don't need to upgrade because the old one is good enough for just about everything, and things are slowing down even more. 5G will be a real upgrade, and apple will make sure to time it well in order to maximize their sales.