The Weekly Moan: Rumor of Verizon’s better iPhone
A few nights ago, my wife and I began our three-hour car journey to see my in-laws. The sky was clear, the stars were out, and the motorways were quiet. Life was bliss during that drive, and we arrived at our destination safely. Then I hooked into their Wi-Fi and checked on our site.
My contentement turned. I was immediately upset by the rumor that AT&T’s US rival, Verizon, could be getting a better iPhone. Feature-wise, the iPhone 4 is brilliant, though many smartphone lovers are annoyed at the relative smallness of the display; the A4 is fast, on comparable to other high-end 1GHz smartphones, at least the ones that are out right now. But could Verizon really be adding an Apple device with more screen real estate and faster, 1.2 GHz processor?
“Cam, I don’t understand. Why are you upset about Verizon’s rumored Apple device? You’re from the UK!” True, but the UK, and most of Europe for that matter, uses GSM networks. So for me, if there’s any truth to this rumor, then I don’t even have the option of getting the best iPhone because Jobs decided to give Big Red the awesomest device ever. So even if I got a CDMA iPhone with a 3.7” display and quicker speeds, it wouldn’t work over here.
As for American consumers, I can’t even imagine how irritating this is. Millions of people purchased the iPhone 4 just a couple of months back, convinced it is the best phone around (until next June at least). Now there’s word they could be getting the shaft? Some of you wanted Verizon to begin with, but are locked into a contract with AT&T. That CDMA network is stronger and more reliable in the U.S., and it also bears up under tremendous data loads from the likes of phones such as the Droid group (including the latest Droid 2). Makes me wonder how the decision to go with AT&T was made in the first place:
Darth Vadar: So, you want to join the dark side?
Steve Jobs: Yes, your Darth-ness.
Darth Vadar: What makes you think you’ve got what it takes?
Steve Jobs: Well, we signed an exclusivity deal with a carrier that we knew sucked at reception in some major metropolitan areas. Go ahead and try to make a phone call in the Big Apple, I dare you.
Darth: Yes, the West Side Highway is pretty dicey. Got stranded there with a storm trooper once. Go on.
Jobs: Well, that’s not all either. I sacked our head guy in charge of the iPhone 4. He stupidly made it with a crippling flaw. In one particular spot, if it was given the “Death Grip,” reception would drop. But we refused to issue a recall. Meanwhile, that latest phone still got millions more customers tied into contracts with that carrier.
(Twiddling thumbs) Now we’re looking at releasing THE perfect phone on the best carrier, with no antenna faults. Pretty dark huh? Everyone thought that only one network provider in the States would have the iPhone, committed to it, and now will be forced to watch as Verizon customers get better iPhones.
Darth: Man, that’s evil.
Jobs: So am I in?
Darth: I’ll just call the emperor quickly on my iPhone. Ack! No coverage.
Jobs: MWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
Was all this just an evil multi-year master plan? A strategy to ensure the iPhone would remain hot, with minor improvements every year, then a major leap forward, culminating in an even better handset going out to another network?
Judging by comments, many TiP readers seem skeptical. In fact some of them are pretty fed up with the gossip and having their hopes dashed by stories like this. And I don’t blame them. Rumors of the Verizon iPhone have literally been circulating for years. So is this just another phoney fake of a story designed to stir the masses to a frenzy? There are some compelling arguments this time around — and a few sketchy aspects as well.
What strikes me is the assertion that a compatible, CDMA handset already exists (so they wouldn’t have to create one from scratch in a hurry) and the fact that Verizon is speeding toward 4G (making the timing of a hot Apple 3G handset a “now or never” situation). But there are also some fishy parts of this rumor — and it’s not the notion that Apple would partner with Verizon, a company that has been publicly slamming its phones in advertisements. (After all, business is business, and there’s a load of money that could be made here.) For greater market share, I have no doubt the companies would kiss and make up. No, what I’m hung up on is the idea that Apple would bend to Verizon’s design wishes. The rumor suggests that Cupertino put the antenna inside and changed out the device’s exterior (to something more durable) at the behest of Verizon.
I believe wholeheartedly that Verizon would try to put its hands on the device. But there is no way Steve Jobs would take orders from a carrier, especially when it comes to design.
So I’m wondering if there’s a grain of truth in here, amid all the muck. If there is, then I think it’s clear that Jobs has sold his soul to the Empire. It would be a slap in the face to loyal customers who adopted the new device early.
What do you think of all this? Would this version of Verizon iPhone worth breaking an AT&T contract for? Or would you be so mad, you’d jump ship from iOS? Maybe you don’t even want to mull it over, because you’re tired of this rumor. However you feel about this, let us know. Comment below, and follow me on Twitter: @TiP_Cam
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