Verizon to Finally Get iPhone

[Bond]

The iPhone is finally coming to Verizon Wireless.

The largest U.S. wireless carrier will say Tuesday that Apple Inc.'s iPhone will be available to its subscribers, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company is making the announcement at an event at New York's Lincoln Center.

Verizon sent invitations to journalists Friday asking them to "Join us as we share the latest news," but didn't specify the subject matter.

The event will be headlined by Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications Inc., which jointly owns Verizon Wireless with Vodafone Group PLC.

Apple declined to comment.

A Verizon iPhone would bring an end to the exclusive hold AT&T Inc. has had on the iconic phone since its launch in mid-2007.

Adding an extra carrier could spur sales as Apple faces growing competition from phones powered by rival Google Inc.'s software.

Analysts expect high demand for a Verizon iPhone. Users have long complained about dropped calls and poor service on AT&T's network, even as the carrier boosted spending to improve coverage.

Many customers, however, are stuck in long-term contracts or family or business plans, which could make it difficult to switch.

Source: WSJ

Anyone else excited for this? I am eligible to upgrade in early February, so iPhone here I come!

[Vampyr]

Just got mine with ATT a few months ago. I hope this will spur competition and cause ATT to stop resting on their laurels.

[Professor S]

I would have been excited about this a year ago, but I've become quite fond of my Droid and the Android software. I will likely convert, though, simply because the peripherals available for iPhones are so much cooler than for Android phones. We'll see, though... I still have over a year before I can upgrade. That is a century in technology terms.

[BreakABone]

Yeah fond of my phone as well, only issue is I wish they had more options for payment, since you can't bill to your account nor use anything other than Google Checkout it seems.

[gekko]

Should open the door for a lot more customers. Been using AT&T since before the iPhone, so I could care less. I just wonder how this will affect future phones, since AT&T added support for visual voicemail and home activation to its network prior to the initial launch. This will make the switch to 4G (or another buzzword) more difficult, since both services will need to support it before the a new phone is released.

[BreakABone]

The phone has been announced.
Out next month

[Bube]

How will this be any different than the iPhones already out there?

[Professor S]

So, Steve Jobs couldn't roll out of bed to announce the biggest phone on the planet coming to the biggest/best service provider on the planet? What an ass.

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Bube

How will this be any different than the iPhones already out there?

Only 3G, can't use voice and data at same time, and I'm assuming won't be able to sync with itunes.

[Bube]

How is being 3G only different? That's how my iPhone is, I can't use voice and data at the same time.

And about not syncing with iTunes, wtf!?

[Bond]

According to the FAQ from Verizon it will sync with iTunes.

[BreakABone]

Why wouldn't it sync with iTunes?
That's a strange rumor to start.

[manasecret]

I'm with the Professor here, I would have been more excited a year ago. At this point when I upgrade to a smartphone, it's going to be an android. I've been very impressed by the ones i've seen, and like any good engineer I prefer the nitty gritty control that an open platform brings.

On another note, when is real 4G coming out with the speeds of real 4G (~1 Gbit/s) instead of the 3G+ (~100 Mbit/s) that Sprint and Verizon are using?

[KillerGremlin]

Seriously the only winner here is Apple since it will pad their pockets. Because objectively speaking, DROID > iPhone.

Bond, if you have not checked out some of the Droid phones I would encourage you to do so.

[BreakABone]

And if you have a DROID phone, download WordFeud, and play with me!