iPhone Comes to Verizon, Finally

[Paul Daniel Ash]

Verizon chief operating officer Lowell McAdam announced today that a version of the iPhone 4 compatible with its network would be available for pre-order to existing customers beginning February 3, with general availability February 10. The culmination of more than two years of rumors came as almost an anticlimax, as virtually every media outlet was reporting the Verizon iPhone as fact before it was announced. "If the press writes about something long enough and hard enough, eventually it comes true," McAdam said, acknowledging the long wait for a second carrier in the United States. Apple COO Tim Cook, who joined McAdam on stage at New York's Lincoln Center, hailed the step, saying Apple was "incredibly pleased to give Verizon's customers the choice we've been waiting for."

Perhaps most strikingly, Verizon will let customers tether up to 5 devices to their iPhones using their 3G Mobile Hotspot app which will be pre-installed. Verizon says they will charge $199 for a 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB, with a 2-year contract. They did, however, decline to answer questions about the cost of the data plans, saying that "pricing will be announced at a later date." This comes after days of speculation that Verizon would offer the same unlimited data plan they give to other smartphone customers. And the question of whether the iPhone 4 on Verizon would support simultaneous voice and data was answered by Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, who said it was "the same as other CDMA devices." In other words, it won't.

Also unanswered is whether the new phone also comes with an updated antenna assembly. This is a new model of iPhone 4, as changes to the device's internals were necessitated by the switch to a different network protocol. However, take a closer look at the photo above: see that black line on the upper-left-hand corner? Yeah. It's surprising that they would not brag about a Death Grip-free iPhone if they had one, though, so it may just be a design change forced by the CDMA radio. Verizon did repeatedly emphasize how prepared their network is for what is expected to be an onslaught of data-hungry iPhones. Dan Mead said that the carrier had been drive-testing with thousands of iPhones and "could not be more pleased" with the performance.

McAdam was also mum about a CDMA version of the iPad, which was a longshot possibility for today's announcement. Also missing in action was any timeline for an LTE version of the iPhone, even though Verizon will complete rolling out its nationwide 4G network this year, with AT&T to follow next year. This does follow the generally conservative pattern Apple has historically shown: AT&T's 3G network was largely in place when the original iPhone was announced, but it only supported the slower EDGE standard until the iPhone 3G was released in 2008.

Industry analysts generally predict sales of between nine million and 12 million Verizon iPhones in 2011, with Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster counting on Verizon to boost total iPhone sales by 5 percent or more, which would bring Apple an additional $5.9 billion in earnings this year.

[ty22]

Bring on the Sprint unlock!!! If Sprint will let you activate it, that is....

[jmcgee_jr]

I wonder how they are going to offer wifi hot spot, will it be part of ios 4.3 or will it be a seperate app? If it's a seperate app hopefully it can be ported over for us ATT users.

[saunupe1911]

No voice + data = fail.

That's a must have feature. GPS apps probably won't even work while you are on the phone. That sucks.

[gotjpeg]

I wonder how they are going to offer wifi hot spot, will it be part of ios 4.3 or will it be a seperate app? If it's a seperate app hopefully it can be ported over for us ATT users.

it probably connects to verizons network so if theirs a way to tweak the "apn" settings on the app then yeah wifi tethering is a go

[Happy Noodle Boy]

I wonder how they are going to offer wifi hot spot, will it be part of ios 4.3 or will it be a seperate app? If it's a seperate app hopefully it can be ported over for us ATT users.

It's part of the firmware and you turn it on in Settings (Verizon iPhone is running 4.2.5)

[Poseidon79]

I think spreading the wealth will benefit AT&T customers the most by freeing up bandwidth. I think Verizon's network will see an initial bog down period with a year of catch up.

[sziklassy]

Bring on the Sprint unlock!!! If Sprint will let you activate it, that is....

They won't. They only let you activate their own devices. If the ESN isn't in Sprint's database it is a no go.

[saunupe1911]

It's part of the firmware and you turn it on in Settings (Verizon iPhone is running 4.2.5)

How do you know this?

[ninthchamber99]

But be sure that Verizon will charge monthly for the WIFI Hotspot (which is limited by 5 devices), therefore making MyFi that much better!! Wonder how long it will take to jailbreak the new VeriPhone!! Cause when that happens, and unlock follows, Sprint customers will want in on the action. Or Apple will just sign a deal with Sprint by year's end.

[Happy Noodle Boy]

How do you know this?

Verizon iPhone first hands-on! -- Engadget

[asmacumber]

No voice + data = fail.

That's a must have feature. GPS apps probably won't even work while you are on the phone. That sucks.

My thoughts exactly. I also don't know how many times I've been on a call and had to look something up for the person I was talking to. That functionality is a must-have for me.

[dq13]

The title for this shoul have been "I TOLD YOU SO" and written by Messany LOL.

[DRFP]

How do you know this?

Yes? How? Do you have a Verizon CDMA Iphone 4 already? Cool

[ninthchamber99]

I think spreading the wealth will benefit AT&T customers the most by freeing up bandwidth. I think Verizon's network will see an initial bog down period with a year of catch up.

I think that this will be one of the main reasons why I stick with AT&T, at least for the remainder of this year or until they announce a LTE iPhone 5 (maybe this summer???).

[GrandMstrBud]

Well now it will be interesting to see if people can get this to work on Sprint.

[DRFP]

But be sure that Verizon will charge monthly for the WIFI Hotspot (which is limited by 5 devices), therefore making MyFi that much better!! Wonder how long it will take to jailbreak the new VeriPhone!! Cause when that happens, and unlock follows, Sprint customers will want in on the action. Or Apple will just sign a deal with Sprint by year's end.

I think Sprint will sign since the deal is "Nonexclusive"

Apple will not "jail" themselves again

[ninthchamber99]

My thoughts exactly. I also don't know how many times I've been on a call and had to look something up for the person I was talking to. That functionality is a must-have for me.

+1

[Poseidon79]

I think Sprint will sign since the deal is "Nonexclusive"

Apple will not "jail" themselves again

Answers.com - Are sprint phones compatible with verizon
Doing a carrier unlock for a GSM phone is completely different than making one CDMA phone compatible on a different CDMA network. Completely different types of technology.

[Happy Noodle Boy]

But be sure that Verizon will charge monthly for the WIFI Hotspot (which is limited by 5 devices), therefore making MyFi that much better!! Wonder how long it will take to jailbreak the new VeriPhone!! Cause when that happens, and unlock follows, Sprint customers will want in on the action. Or Apple will just sign a deal with Sprint by year's end.

Verizon currently charges $20 a month (over the data plan cost, which is $30 for unlimited) for hotspot tethering so unless they whip out iPhone only plans, it'll cost you an arm and a leg.