Just under an hour ago, Verizon held a highly anticipated press conference announcing what many people have been suspecting for a very long time: Apple is bringing the iPhone 4 to Verizon. While this means a great deal to lots of people, it means considerably less to me.
Before I get into the details of the announcement and of the slightly modified CDMA iPhone 4 handset for use on the Verizon network, there are a few things I need to make clear:
- I have an iPhone 4 on the AT&T network.
- I enjoy using my iPhone 4’s voice and data simultaneously.
- I have a grandfathered unlimited data plan.
Nothing is going to change the fact that Verizon’s CDMA network is, currently, incapable of supporting simultaneous voice and data usage. This may be an acceptable compromise for some, especially if you’re already a Verizon customer, but I’ve been spoiled by the ability to use voice and data simultaneously on AT&T for years, and I’m not walking away from that.
That being said, there are some key features of the CDMA iPhone 4 and potential Verizon’s service offerings that are tempting indeed for those who are less perturbed by the lack of full device usability. Launching on February 10th, with no changes in pricing structure from current pricing structures at AT&T or Apple, the CDMA iPhone 4 will be capable of creating a mobile hotspot to support up to 5 connections; something the AT&T iPhone 4 does not have available without jailbreaking (which I highly recommend doing). Rumors abound that Verizon, with the introduction of the CDMA iPhone 4, will also roll out an unlimited data plan for the device at the $25-$30 price point, which would be quite a slap to the face of AT&T, who recently moved away from unlimited data and imposed a slightly unrealistic (for me, at least) data limit on their customers. However, as I’m grandfathered in with my unlimited data plan, I, again, don’t really care.
As I think I’ve made clear, this news doesn’t impact me very much: I have excellent reception with AT&T, I have simultaneous data and voice usage, I have unlimited data usage, and I have tethering and hotspot capabilities thanks to my jailbroken software.
Who should care? Verizon customers who want a superior hardware/software experience to what Verizon currently offers. If you’re sticking with Verizon, bump up to the iPhone. If you’re thinking of buying a new iPhone and you’re not sure about Verizon or AT&T, the choice is either unlimited data (Verizon) or simultaneous voice/data (AT&T). If you currently have an iPhone on AT&T and have grandfathered unlimited data usage, the Verizon iPhone shouldn’t even be a blip on your radar.
Featured image taken from Gizmodo.
