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66 Comments
- blqysmg, on 10/26/2009, -3/+38If Apple opens the iPhone up to other cell vendors, AT&T will see a mass revolt as people flee to a more reliable network.
- Elsewhere42, on 10/26/2009, -2/+19The only think keeping people with AT&T is the iPhone.
Kill the exclusivity, kill AT&T. - spazzcat, on 10/26/2009, -5/+18Until they realize they are all the same...
- Lightstab, on 10/26/2009, -6/+18I've been with AT&T two years and I've never had a problem with my service. "AT&T is terrible" is one of those memes that get repeated so much on the internet, they people no longer question it. Service always depends on where you live. When I was with Sprint, my service was great in San Francisco. I moved to Oakland and Sprint was *****, but AT&T has great service there.
- kahlessreborn, on 10/26/2009, -0/+11I hope the Droid is good enough but I would honestly like the Droid or the iphone
- PeanutCheeseBar, on 10/26/2009, -1/+11The irony is that if the iPhone goes to another network and the people follow it, then that network will become less reliable from the influx of new subscribers.
- apersaud, on 10/26/2009, -0/+9We should remember that Verizon was approached by Apple first, but could not agree to Apple's terms on the iPhone.
One of the reasons being the term of not being able to control the experience (Verizon dictates the UI's on their phones). Note that if the iPhone would have come to Verizon, under Verizon's terms, they probably would have killed Wifi capability (see the BB Storm version 1), have charged you a monthly service fee just to use basic Google Maps (as a premium service) and capped your internet usage to lower maximum than AT&T. If the iPhone was on Verizon (exclusively), we would be complaining about something else and clamoring that Apple open up to AT&T as well.
I'm not defending either company - I'm just trying to provide a different perspective. Every company will have its 'problems'. - jdames1980, on 10/26/2009, -1/+7Hey blqysmg, I was just stating my own personal experience, which is the only person that I can speak for. I'm sorry that in typical Digg fashion, I didn't speak for every other AT&T customer.
- jdames1980, on 10/26/2009, -2/+7Yeah, AT&T has been pretty great for me, I never have dropped calls and have always had decent data speeds.
- SouthsideIrish, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4So, how do they open up to other vendors when all of the other ones are on a different standard? They would have to create two more phones, one for CDMA and/or one for TMobile. What would be the point of that, and will that really happen now?
- cleric04, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4Are you trying to tell me the grass isn't always greener on the other side?
- blqysmg, on 10/26/2009, -3/+7While I appreciate the fact that you are having a good experience with AT&T, the fact remains that many of the iPhone customers were Verizon or T-Mobile, etc. customers before they bought the iPhone. Do you not remember the hew and cry when it was announced that the iPhone was going to be exclusive to AT&T?
I have seen many independant polls showing that a large percentage of iPhone users (not the majority, but not an insignificant number) will defect once the exclusive agreement is over.
To counter your personal experience, my mother, sister, and brother-in-law all hate AT&T's coverage in their areas, and would switch immediately, if an alternative were available. I would switch if the new network offered free tethering (as is available with most other phones.)
I have had AT&T as my vendor of choice for many years (perhaps a dozen) through their acquistions. I was with BellSouth Mobility, which became Cingular, which became AT&T. I'm not unhappy in general, except that I note that my cell phone bill is 3 times that of other users, and I have somewhat less functionality through the actual network. My phone itself does more, but the network does less. - Charlotte_Web, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4Apple negotiated a very aggressive deal with AT&T, so I wonder how much AT&T is really left with to upgrade their network with the influx of all of these iPhone customers.
Verizon originally passed on Apple's terms, but AT&T, being the underdog, jumped at the chance. - cport1, on 10/26/2009, -5/+9is there a map for that?
- vicsvenge, on 10/26/2009, -2/+5I used to have verizon, and I can tell you it's really not all its cracked up to be. I get great AT&T signal, and good 3g signal where I live, and areas I frequent. I really can't complain to be honest. Go AT&T maybe more subscribers will mean a faster hspa rollout or whatever the new data standard is.
- Raptor007, on 10/26/2009, -0/+3You're absolutely right. Verizon does awful things to the software on their phones to try to make them all act the same, and in doing so they cripple most of the unique features that each handset provides. My Verizon Razr was missing half the features of the standard Motorola GUI, but at least I got excellent service on the Verizon network.
I'm not surprised that Apple wouldn't let them ruin the iPhone OS. Maybe once the exclusivity expires, Verizon will get their heads out of their asses and realize that people don't want crippled phones. A fully-featured iPhone on the Verizon network would be a wonderful pairing. - spazzcat, on 10/26/2009, -0/+2Sprint has the worse customer service on the planet. Trust me I know as I had screamed at them when I used them. While VZW had better customer service in my area they have no better coverage then ATT. I used Sprint over over 2 years, I used VZW for 3-4 years and currently use ATT, and have had no issues with ATT.
- losangelesdj, on 10/26/2009, -1/+3If Satellites can find Saddam Hussein in a hole. Why cant any network find my phone anywhere in the United States. Blah!
- valeriob, on 10/26/2009, -1/+3I live and work in midtown manhattan. i drop 75% of my calls. data sessions are static, internet 'browsing' is impossible.
the only thing that keeps me sane is my in home wifi... which I pay for separately with another company.
Do you think it's fair for me to pay that much money for this kind of service? - damnitkage, on 10/26/2009, -3/+5what a boring ass argument. oh..i hate at&t...oh I hate verizon...whatever they all suck.
- Kardde, on 10/26/2009, -1/+3I would switch back to Verizon in a heartbeat if the iPhone was available for it. With AT&T, I frequently get dropped calls, poor service, no service, etc. A month or so ago the entire AT&T network in Boston was down for a good three or four hours in the late afternoon. I never had that problem when I was with Verizon. Although, Verizon customer service, whenever I dealt with them, was pretty terrible.
- Freps, on 10/26/2009, -2/+4In other news, more customers on AT&T means a degraded network, not more money being spent on improving the network.
- ModernTenshi, on 10/26/2009, -0/+2Were the iPhone to go with Verizon, I might consider switching. Personally I haven't had too many issues with AT&T since I've been using them dating back to 2004, but lately my parents and I have been having issues that we're not entirely thrilled with.
I scoped out some stuff about Verizon this past weekend, and I really wouldn't save any money going with them over AT&T as far as service costs go for everything I'd want. Additionally, AT&T has rollover minutes, which while it's not a huge deal breaker for me (I use maybe 100 to 150 of my 450 minutes each month), it's nice to have them in the event of emergencies or lengthy phone interviews like I had most of this year while trying to secure employment.
I'm considering switching in favor of the new Android phones Verizon is supposed to be getting. While I use a Mac at home, I'm not going to re-up my MobileMe subscription now that Gmail has push to all phones, so this puts me back into using Google for just about all of my e-mail communications needs (calendaring and contact management included).
Overall, it's going to come down to the features and functionality of their new Android based phones to convince me to switch. Generally Verizon has never had the phones I've wanted, and they cripple and brand the ***** out of their phones. Should they decide to do that with their new Android phones, I may just stick with my iPhone on AT&T. - masterkenobi, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2Verizon is already prepping their LTE 4g network, which is rolling out next year. Trial locations showed 50-60Mbps speeds!
- masterkenobi, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2Actually CFI Group did a study on smartphone satisfaction earlier this month. 50% of iPhone users would leave AT&T if they could. You can download the 24 page report from their site, but you'll have to register a free account to download:
http://www.cfigroup.com/resources/whitepapers_regi ... - gwolf, on 10/27/2009, -0/+1The grass is always greener where there's competition.
- inactive, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2at&t's network has been slow as molasses since the iphone "revolution". Hopefully, they will allow the iPhone to be sold by any tom,dick & harry, and enough apple drones will leave at&t and their network will get back to some sort of normal.
Personally, I wish the carriers would get out of the hardware side of the business, and let anyone with a compatible phone work on their network (like a landline phone), but, their business model is built on locking someone to a contract, so a SIM or SN locked phone pretty much keeps you "loyal" to the carrier until the contract expires or you pay the wavier. - quixand, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2Agreed with the customer service part...but who's customer service is any good these days?
I don't pick a company to do business with based on how warm and fuzzy I get when speaking to their stupid CSR's. I pick the company with the best product. If I have a cell provider, I don't want to drop calls, have poor audio quality, or be unable to use the service. For the 14 yrs I've been with Verizon Wireless ( companies that would end up being VZW back in the day ) I've NEVER had interrupted service. Not once, not even on 9/11/01. My calls always went through, without fail. When people were unable to call out on T-mobile, AT&T etc...I was able to stay in touch with my loved ones. - Jabrams2, on 10/26/2009, -2/+3Just wait until the iPhone is no longer exclusively provided by AT&T. You will see record-breaking subscriber losses. I personally hope AT&T ceases to exist as a wireless carrier after they lose the exclusive rights. It's embarrassing how awful their service is in many high-volume areas, ie: New York City. With Verizon I don't remember a single dropped call I ever had. With AT&T, I've had about 1-2 PER DAY, which is pathetic.
If AT&T was smart, they would invest as much as humanly possible into upgrading their service before the iPhone becomes available elsewhere. Prove to your customers that you are committed to your actual service as compared to being the lucky one to provide the iPhone, and you should be fine. Otherwise, say bye-bye. - joaob, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2Actually I have a few Blackberry Bold's with AT&T....and the only thing keeping me with AT&T is the $200 ETF that would be applied to all 4 of my lines.
Kill the ETF and kill sucky wireless service in general
I would buy a non-subsidized phone in a heartbeat if it meant no contract. - spazzcat, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1@Disex I have used Sprint, I have used VZW and I have used ATT. They are all the same...
- Chirp08, on 10/27/2009, -0/+1If some other vendor would get the hint and stop making a phone with 200x more features then an iPhone and focus on making a phone with a incredibly simple and clean UI, in a slim elegant design, just like the iPhone they'd have something to compete. It's just like Macs in general, it's not about the hardware specs, its about the user experience and interface.
- lilbitmoreslyk, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1No dude its not fair, you should drop the iPhone (AT&T) and use an iPod Touch since it seems you only use your Wifi connection at home.
- NotaFanboy87, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1@cleric04 no, just that there is no grass, we've been told it was grass but it's really just more and more *****. And yes, the ***** is greener on the other side.
- markcc01, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2I don't know, maybe because the US has the world's largest economy? Or because Apple has made more iPhone sales here than anywhere else in the world and their customers mostly hate AT&T and would like options as far as carriers for the iPhone? That's like saying "pfft, RIM would never make a CDMA BlackBerry because it would only work in the US". It's not technically challenging to do it, they just develop a new baseband for the phone and release a carrier-specific version, or they make one that is quad-band if there's room to do it. Happens all the time here in the US...
- Raptor007, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1The thing I hated about Verizon was the fact that they're placed perfectly-good phone UIs with their own proprietary crap. They try to make all their phone interfaces look and feel the same, but in doing so they cut out some of the features that each unique handset offers.
I'm sure Apple would never let them do that to the iPhone though, which is why I'd love to get an iPhone on Verizon. - macslut, on 10/26/2009, -1/+2The iPhone sucks, AT&T sucks, right, whatever...
But the point of the article is that last quarter Verizon had 1.2 million new subscribers compared to AT&T's 2 million new subscribers. Of the new AT&T subscribers, 1.28 million were iPhone users, which is more than Verizon's total number of new users.
These numbers come from the earnings calls. Hate on Apple, hate on AT&T, hate on AppleInsider, but there's no bias in that data.
On the other hand, suggesting that Android phones are going to cripple AT&T's subscriber gains next month is pure biased speculation. - NotaFanboy87, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1Once again, Verizon might be a better network, but they'd make it so that you'd have to pay forr all of the apps the iPhone comes with. The bluetooth, GPS and possibly the vibrate switch would all become premium options. That's how they 'roll.'
- TronB24, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1I agree. The new wave of Android phones do look cool and have a ton to offer, but they are at least a year away from anyone noticing their impact in the smartphone market. iPhones are great gadgets, but AT&T is the deal breaker for me personally. There plans aren't just a tad too expensive and I'm not willing to spend the extra coin for the iPhone. However I'd be all over this phone on just about any of the other carriers networks.
- MScrip, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1All cell phone manufactures make phones on both CDMA and GSM. Haven't you ever seen a Blackberry Curve on AT&T *and* Verizon?
It's not technically difficult to do it... it's just the politics of business that usually get in the way... I hate this new trend of "exclusivity" that everyone seems to be doing now. Not just with the iPhone... but will all these new phones. - quixand, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1That's complete bull *****.
- kreatre2007, on 10/27/2009, -0/+1It's spelled 'iPhone' dumbass! You must not have ever used one, or else you wouldn't be calling it over rated. The iPhone is awesome. It's AT&T that sucks. So, if a report comes from a pro-Apple website we're supposed to immediately doubt what it says? Facts are facts no matter who is reporting the data. Despite the hype and potential, Android is nowhere near actually being a success just yet. Apple spent years developing the iPhone's OS in secret before announcing the product. The iPhone is based off of an OS that has already proven itself to be a great platform. Android needs a lot of work.
- kreatre2007, on 10/27/2009, -0/+1AT&T needs to remember that it's not their crappy network that iPhone users love. It's the iPhone. A lot of us would gladly jump over to another service provider if we had an alternative.
- Pbryan27, on 10/26/2009, -0/+1Its the same for me, last year, i jumped ship to ATT, because at the time all verizon had were crappy phones, and it was a trade off between decent phones, and a slightly better network. better phone won out, and i can say i am very happy with my blackberry bold, and i know the rest of my famile is much happier with their "dumb phones" which work better than the previous verizon phones we had. who knows, with the release of droid, and decent android phones, i may jump back to verizon, but only if they dont demand the ridiculous $30 a month data with the phones. not all of us need data with our phones.
- inactive, on 10/26/2009, -3/+3AT&T knows they are dead when Apple jumps ship. It's just a matter of time.
- s10stealth, on 10/26/2009, -0/+0Nice to see an intelligent argument for a change around here.
- changsunhasite, on 10/27/2009, -0/+0Thank you.
http://iphone-apple-info.blogspot.com/ - gwolf, on 10/27/2009, -1/+1I don't have a problem with AT&T's network, I have a problem with their business practices. They have no problem with exploiting their exclusive arrangement with Apple to the detrement of their customers. Apple has lowered prices and their sales have gone up recently. AT&T provably doesn't want more customers than their network can handle, but I wonder what Apple would like.
- SouthsideIrish, on 10/26/2009, -2/+2Sure kill it! Then it will still be on only one carrier ATT, cause the iPhone only works on one carrier. Why would Apple come up with a phone that is only good in the US?
- Elsewhere42, on 10/26/2009, -1/+1Damnit!
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