Why AT&T loves the iPhone (again)

@Connor

Maybe your work should update you from a Blackberry 7290 to a Bold.

I have no idea what you all are complaining about. I bought the original iPhone the day it came out and had few complaints other than a couple small problems with the hardware (never the ATT service). Since I upgraded the the 3G, not only have my hardware complaints evaporated, but my service is outstanding. I think all these people hating on ATT’s service have no idea how to use their iPhones. I live in New England and I have had full 3G service in downtown Boston, the woods of Maine, and in suburban Connecticut. I use my phone for both business and pleasure, and only VERY rarely do I have the need to use the “airplane mode on/off” trick to rescan for 3G service. Seriously, the benefits of the iPhone (i.e. app store, fantastic camera, iPod, battery life, SMS system, Exchange Server, MobileMe, Apple customer service etc.) BY FAR outweigh the very few issues with the service plan. I’m forced to also have a BlackBerry for my job and, for all I care, BlackBerry can go suck it. It’s an archaic device the size of a brick with little more functionality than a RAZR. iPhone haters have no idea how to utilize technology correctly and they will soon be weeded out of the gene pool.

Upgraded to a Blackberry with Sprint and after 2 days, I took it back. Purchased an iPhone and have been happy with it. I found it easier to use and many more applications that I could use over the Blackberry Have not had a single dropped call. I guess it must be where you live.

While I totally love the iPhone I must state that AT&T’s network is just horrendous. As a heavy traveler I used Verizon for the last 6 years. Never an issue. My employer designed an app for the iPhone so obviously I had no choice to switch. Fortunately I kept my family at Verizon. I had a dropped call in the AT&T store, and could not hit the 3G network in an area that is supposedly blanketed by the network. The service and network is a total piece of garbage. I can honestly say I love the iPhone but if Verizon could offer it I would switch back before I can exhale my next breath.

I’ve had the iPhone since July and it is the greatest device created. The abilities this thing does and the ease it does it is impressive. I have yet to drop a phone call with this and I live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. I had a 5 cell phone plan with Verizon and was averaging over $300 a month in charges. I switched to ATT and my bill average is $244, and that’s with 3 iPhones!!! The phone selection from Verizon sucks, I was not impressed with their selections. The iPhone will only get better. Beside, the Apple OS will ALWAYS be better that Microsoft!! Hail Apple!!

I used to have AT&T wireless back in the mid90s. It sucked. I’ve been with Verizon for a long time but the wife kept badgering about that GD iphone. Well one day when I was in a post-call haze I decided to get her an iphone. Of course that meant I had to switch too. Now my phone service sux! A 3rd phone for the in-law didn’t work but 3 months later AT&T is still billing me despite cancelling the 3rd line 2 months ago.

I can’t believe any of you people like AT&T. I think you all drank the Apple poison Kool Aid or something. Look at consumer reports and tell me which cell phone carrier is the best…I believe you will see AT&T is just above sprint which is no great feat. T-Mobile and Verizon are the 2 best carriers. Now as far as the iphone, its great if you are a kid and want to play on your phone all day. I actually switched to AT&T from Verizon just to get one. I loved the phone itself other than the fact it didn’t have voice dialing,decent camera,video,able to send or receive video or pics but the worse thing was the service. I was dropping 4 to 5 calls a day and I work in Tampa! I cancelled my contract and went back to Verizon (thank god) and got the blackberry storm. So far I love the phone. Its not quite as user friendly but I haven’t had one dropped call in 2 weeks!! As far as business its awesome!! If I was some snot nosed kid in my mommas basement who had no chance of getting laid I would sit on the computer all day and tell you all how good the iphone is. I am a business professional and I tell you stick with Verizon and to hell with AT&T. If you don’t believe me, go look at consumer reports.

regardless of what AT+T has they still do not have a good network in Illinois. we are constantly having dropped calls, calls not going thru or even not being able to dial out, and when we do get thru it is usually broken up. when my contract is up I am switching companies

I would think the developer toolset as well how to publish your app is something RIM will work agreesively on with the carriers. Do you really think all these companies want Apple as the sole way to distribute content? I will tell you every media company on the planet can’t stand Apple and the lock they have on the market via iTunes so they will not fall into that trap again.

Will RIM’s solutuion be as robust and offer the amount of content? Likely no - Apple is very good at creating hype and demand.

Unsure how you install your Blackberry apps but I browse to a link, click download, click download and it installs. Unsure how much easier it needs to be.

As a developer I have worked on applications for iPhone, Blackberry, Win Mobile and Palm OS platforms.

I would say one often overlooked element to the iPhone’s success is accessibility.

Sure people recognize that the iPhone is designed to be end user friendly, but I have been very impressed with how easy it has been to launch applications, install applications, market applications etc.

Sure you can say today that a blackberry might be ‘more of a business tool.’ But, for how long? How many steps does it take to install some of the same functionality on your blackberry? Whoops you are on sprint, add two more steps…

And, another big issue is screen resolution, as a developer the myriad of resolutions and color depths creates a tangle for developers that often causes them to prematurely obsolete a product.

I’m hoping apple stays more consistent with their product (they are in position to do so) because it allows developers to be a lot more creative given time with a specific platform. The ever shifting requirements of other platforms makes it difficult to take advantage of some of their more discreet capabilities.

So for me… I say even if you don’t want an iPhone, or dislike some of it’s features you should be happy to see them out there, they are giving a long needed nudge to an industry with a tradition of avoiding innovation aimed at the end user.

@kyle

Umm every single thing you listed in your comparasion can be done on the Storm so unsure what you “tested”.

Check, check and check. Blackberry has all that same functionality. Is it as robust in some things? No - iPhone by default is an iPod so music is better but Storm is more then capable to play music / media.

My Storm has the last 4 torrent oscar contenders loaded and it looks and plays beautiful and when I need it I can switch out the MicroSD and pop in another one.

I also want to enlighten those - Blackberry has had a device called showmate with with a preloaded powerpoint (which can be saved either to the MicroSD or device memory) can then be connected via Showmate and display the presentation. No need to bring your laptop anymore - if needed you can edit the powerpoint right on the Blackberry via Documents to Go. - try that on your iPhone.

Also iPhone exchange support is basic at the most there are several things not supported on iPhone and flat out easier to do on Blackberry. At least that multitouch lets you scroll and zip back and forth a few hundred times a day to find your information.

Where is click to call from the calendar? Calendar Free / Busy lookup? Notes sync?

iPhone is simpley not designed as a workhorse - it’s an iPod on sterioids that uses small apps (which 95% are games lately). Let me know when you can run multiple apps at once - it’s huge for me having email, facebook, AIM and TeleNav all running.

Not knocking the iPhone as for what it does it’s very good at - but stating it’s better at things Blackberry excels at is just propaganda because 1. you don’t know the capabilities of Blackberry and 2. iPhone is likely your 1st smartphone so anything seems like the best thing ever.

I’ve worked with computers and high-tech equipment for 30 years and my new iPhone is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Plus my monthly bill is the same as it was with Sprint for a phone without a data plan.

Everyone still comments about location and how different companies are basically the same. Well….I had both a Verizon and AT&T phone at one time….I wasn’t crazy but just needed one for business and the other for personal use. Sorry to burst your bubble on all the hype about the different phones and how equal they are or how AT&T is sooo much better. After testing the two I decided to stick with my Verizon. Wasn’t worth keeping a phone for work if I constantly used my personal phone to take care of business. I also had trouble cancelling my phone before my 30 day trial period was up. They told me I had 30 days to try it out and if I didn’t like it I was free to return it and cancel my plan. Boy things sounded so easy but after three or four visits to the store and lots of time with the different sales associate and workers on the phone I finally was able to cancel without them charging me. This company tried to charge me a restocking fee even though they never mentioned it. It’s sad to think about all those people who were charged that extra $50 or %60 and didn’t have the time nor energy to talk to them about it. Bad sales tactics.

I bought my iPhone on June 30, 2007 (Day 1)! Since then, I have used it in about 10 states, 6 different countries (including China), and I have rarely had dropped calls. In fact, when I called my mom from Beijing, she said it was even clearer than when I called her from home. I have had no problems with AT&T service or their customer care. Remember, AT&T was bought by SBC Communications, which had a stellar customer service reputation. If you tried AT&T years ago, please know that is isn’t the same company. You do not get forwarded to an Indian call center; plus, I think they give iPhone customers special treatment.

Also, the iPhone is NOT a toy! It is mobile computing device with thousand of application possibilities. My co-workers had Treo’s which were a nightmare to operate. After a year of watching me research things faster on-line, find maps quickly, and answer emails effortlessly, all of the managers switched to iPhones.

i am a long time blackberry user and i have to say iPhone has a lot of unique features… but one big big feature which lacks and is a huge let down by apple is having the phone to act as a modem….
for me as a business owner and a traveler its a big key to access to the net and use ur laptop to get access to flash sites or document downloads or work remotely …
lets wait and see if apple will make this jump and how will it compare to the new Palm…

Everyone with this iPhone love affair, it is a fantastic device (i do own a 16gb model) but be aware that technology will never be stagnant and the time on top of the hill will rarely exceed six months. the 3g is reaching that time frame and there are comparable and in many respects better smartphones now available. the blackberry bold has superior business capabilities in essentially all respects and new phones are consistently being released with improvements upon current technology.
the only thing so far unmatched would be the app store. i dont think it will be long though.

“had the old iphone and dropped it in the water. I bought the new iphone 3G promptly thereafer. I love it and can not live without it! I would NEVER switch.”

I have a gzone, dropped in the water, picked it up, wiped it off and kept on talking. Yup wouldn’t switch from Verizon for anything from att, including the overated iphone.

MY Carrier is better than YOU’RE carrier.
you all sound like a bunch of 3 year olds. it doesn’t matter if your carrier covers 98 percent of the nation if you live and work in the other 2 percent. NOTHING but att reaches where I work, so that’s what everybody uses. It’s not necessarily better than verizon but that doesn’t work out there.Now quit bickering

Until the Palm Pre is released and we all have a chance to put it, (and it’s java based programming that everyone and their sister could be writing programs for), through its paces. The i-phone really is still the best.
Unfortunate. because those of us on other networks could use the diversity of the i-phone.

Like many folks, I stuck with verizon clinging to the fear that other providers were not close enough in coverage, and hoping that they would get a good pda, and that they wouldn’t ruin it by handcuffing it’s capabilities ( the treo sound familiar?)
and then overcharging for all of verizons “v”-services.
They are a RIPPOFF!!!!
I am stuck with my personal verizon account till it runs out. My blackberry is only good for push e-mails. I have used my friends storm. It doesn’t have the programming applications that the i-phone user has at his( or her) fingertips.

I have to use the sprint HTC at work for project management, and it crashes the windows mobile all the time!!!!
All of my colleagues have crashes on them!! And sprint’s coverage is very noticeably worse than verizon here in Maryland.

The google android protocol for the google phone is interesting,but the phone doesn’t have the apps yet. so it just isn’t an i-phone.

You can use an iphone as a computer.

No Really!! that is what makes it different. It is that good. check out other users who have truly tapped its potential as a business phone. it blows the blackberry out of the water!

You can run a mobile office, get all communications, and actually have it run presentations!
And people are writing awsome programs for it.

Like many Verizon account users, I am just waiting for my contract to be over.

When Verizon lost the palm pre bid.
I decided that my next account will probably go to AT&T.
We’ll see about sprint and the palm pre.

The only people impressed with the Iphone are those that had a dumb phone beforehand. It’s nothing impressive. In fact, the first generation of firmware was pathetic. It would not allow live downloads to the phone, all updates or downloads had to be done via a tethered pc and Itunes. Lol. It’s pretty, but in terms of technical advancement, it started out behind the curve, and has remained there.

An accelarometer is not reason to be a fan of this phone. This one gimick won it most of it’s fanbase.

I live and “travel” all around southern California.

I had Verizon for a few years. The amount of dropped calls I had was staggering. It didn’t matter what phone I had or how many times I did the reactivation code to update the tower information in the phone, I couldn’t go a single day without multiple dropped calls. Switched to AT&T for the iPhone and the only dropped calls I have now are with people who are still on Verizon.

And to Rick from Verizon, congrats. You’ve guaranteed myself and many others never being Verizon Wireless customers again. Not just because of Verizon’s bad reliability, but because of the arrogant attitude. If Verizon isn’t willing to carry the devices I want and let me use my device how I want, then I won’t be a customer. Besides that, services like MetroPCS and T-Mobile’s “FlexPay” are going to kill contracted service anyway. The days of cellphone contracts are numbered. I’d rather pay full retail for a phone and not have a contract than sign a contract and deal with overpriced and unreliable service like Verizon.

I challange anyone who thinks that the Blackberry Storm is better than the iPhone to compare the two, side by side, for a week.

I did, I went iPhone. I use the hell out of it for business using Exchange Server, ToDo task manager, etc. How can you go wrong with RSS Feeds, The Weather Channel, GPS, and a fully functional iPod in one device. There is nothing like Multi-touch, AT&T service has been fairly good so far. No complaints.

Got to go. “Dark Night” just finished loading on the iPhone.

I have had six different carriers and I will tell you this, I will NEVER switch from ATT. I love it. Has not given me any problems. ATT, YOU GO BOY!!! Often imitated but never duplicated.

The iPhone is just several poorly made products in one. It’s not “redefining the entire dynamics of the mobile marketplace”. “Chris” that is by far the dumbest thing I have ever heard anyone say.

For the user touting Verizon is poor for international they obviously have never used a device capable.

Blackberry 8830, Storm have an embedded Vodafone SIM that allows you to roam to anywhere vodafone has coverage. Don’t spin facts that are simplely not true.

Blackberry has the most arrangements and carrier agreements on the planet. The Storm and Bold have the widest network frequency coverage of any mobile device outside of a handful of Windows Mobile devices.

iPhone will not work everywhere internationally but you could use open wifi - if you trust that.

Apple fans post such propagada it’s pathetic.

Cant use Verizon overseas?? I have AT&T and Verizon, Verizon covers more countires now (umm, Vodafone is a 45% owner of Verizon Wireless…you know, the largest telecom in the world.., so something like 210 countries for voice INCLUDING JAPAN) ANyways, I have a iPhone and a Storm. iPhone is my personal and Storm for work. Storm works with out IT required security (they laughed at me when I wanted to add the iPhone to our servers…wanted to know if I would also like to put my X-box on their netowrk.)

Bottom line, iphone is an amazing consumer device, but no video, no stero bluetooth, only GSM, NO REMOVABLE BATTERY???? come on….Blackberry rules the business world….but I do love my iPhone

The comment made by Frank Castle “iPhone is designed and made to make Apple money - period.”
what phone was designed not to make money? That is why companies are there, to offer goods and services so they can make money. And Apple designing a gem like the iPhone that gives users of the product unprecedented value for their money, i say i hope they make Lots of money so they can continue to produce such great products. Not just Apple, any company that gives their product the great design and ideas like the iPhone deserves to succeed and make lots of money.

had an iphone for a while. recently jailbroke. just made it 100x better. if you have one you MUST jailbreak. and if you have t-mobile or anything else with a sim card you can “unlock” it and use it for that (requires simple hacking)

CDMA networks make up only 15% of the worlds wireless networks. GSM (GLOBAL standard for Mobile communications) makes up 85% of the worlds wireless networks. Inferior products tend to be the ones less adopted by consumers. Give us credit, we can figure out what is best.

“The steps to get there are very logical and they’re all building on the same GSM technology that we’ve been using for a while. LTE will allow for backwards compatibility to GSM and HSPA, which is a great benefit to customers. And our path forward to LTE allows us to get there step-by-step, with interim steps that will deliver more and more speeds everyday” - Ralph de la Vega

So in fact HSPA+ is based on the GSM technology. Also, Why did verizon buy all of that 700Mhz spectrum? So they can roll out LTE, which is as you guessed it GSM based.

Good luck to verizon, you can buy your way to the top, saddle yourself with debt, and replace your and your customers technology every 2 years. Meanwhile, AT&T will keep grinding that 120 years of experience in providing the best technology that their nobel prize winning staff can think up.

Are you aware that the resistor was born in an AT&T lab? Try typing on your verizon cell phoen with out that.

- Ryan

I used to have Sprint and Verizon but switched to AT&T. I was surprised at how fast and reliable their 3G network has been. I’m pleased and I’m not planning to switch.

I’m a T-mobile subscriber for personal, and AT&T for buisiness using a RIM blackberry, so i have no axe to grind in the “iPhone wars”

the G-Phone and Storm are jokes compared to the iPhone. Complete jokes in fact. The iPhone is a product that is changing the entire dynamics of the mobile marketplace.

While the US lags in infrastructure, it leads in product. nothing touches the iPhone

The iphone kicks everything else out of the water, just like the ipod. ATT kicks everything else out of the water when it comes to phone service. So the two together, are now and will always be at the front.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Klein

The iphone has to be the best thing I have seen in a long time. I dont know how I lived without it. In my line of work it is a life saver. I will never leave Att as they are just as good as verizon and I have had both.

I will say AT&T is the best. I have used all the services but so far i like GSM technology much better than CDMA. 85 % of world population are using GSM.

Verizon is trying to switch to LTE. If you are traveling internationally u will hate verizon which u can not use anywhere. Thats why all business people loves att and Iphone which u can use anywhere in world including 2100 MhZ frequency in Japan and Korea.

And all you idiots saying verizon is biggest cellphone company with 80 million customers are stupid because they dont know that to gain 8 million customer from alltel they got $60 billion debt too……now calculate

ATT is the best and ma bell knows what it she doing…

Is #4 even relevant as the iPhone is ONLY on at&t?

The fact is iPhone has peaked. The fact that Storm got RAILED in just about every review and still sold the number it did shows that people want these type of devices. Storm will only attract more users as the OS improves and it moves to other carriers (which it will).

Jailbreaking an iPhone is what truely makes the device worth while and something I’m sure Apple will love to stop as it stops you from feeding the iTunes ecosystem. It’s like hacking your cable box to get free channels. iPhone is designed and made to make Apple money - period.

When iPhone can equal all Blackberry functionality and run more then 1 application at a time I’ll state it’s as good but for now it’s good at what it exels at (web surfing, media playback and downloading fun little apps) - everything else it’s adequate to poor.

the iPhone is not the coolest phone out there, we’re way behind compared to Asian phones and cellular/data networks. sheep and goat herders in remote villages are talking away on phones and pay nothing compared to us…. i know companies need to be profitable, but why is the US so behind when we’re supposed to be technologically advanced yada yada yada. we also need to focus on the quality of the customer service at times too. apple blaming att and att blaming apple when there are issues is lame and i dont think its responsible for them to pass the buck like that. also, im not stupid, and i knnow that iTunes sucks. Apple as a company has great technology, but the way they do business, is akin to Microsoft. Both of them are greedy.. and thats a sin ya know…. but seriously though, we should be able to use more types of music apps or even OS’s, and apple’s app concept its great!! not perfect… network isnt all that great for me either, everything is up to date, but it just isnt a perfect phone. it depends on your needs as a phone user.. its not a corporate phone, at all… at allll…

anyway, our phones need more commpetition, the Anderoid and BB’s stuff is making things intersting… Sprint has one too, but none are perfect.

My contract has just ended with Verizon after 2 years and several years before that. I have had other carriers in the past. Have to say that service does depend on the area you live by any cell phone company. In our area we are very lucky to have all the bells and whistles in the latest and greatest networks. But go 20 miles out of the area and wow just getting txt messages can be a challange from any carrier!! We were one of the first for Sprint PC Cell Cards a few years ago trial city. Think for service just see who is best coverage for your area and go with it. I am looking at either the iPhone or Samsung Omnia. Have to agree the MMS Messaging is something to be desired on the iPhone which has me moving toward the Omnia. One last thought just think that most of us are still lucky enough in this country to be able to make this decision on our own and still have jobs to pay these high phone bills to have these phones. Think we all need to sometimes sit back and realize how lucky we are when compaired to those that do not have jobs in our country and those in other countries that still can not have what we have and make decisions like we do with our freedom everyday.

I had the old iphone and dropped it in the water. I bought the new iphone 3G promptly thereafer. I love it and can not live without it! I would NEVER switch.

The bottom line is that Verizon is the number #1 cell phone company in the country “HANDS DOWN” and many independent 3rd party business also agree (check out consumer reports). Verizon not only posted the highest revenue for all cell phone providers but we now have the most subscribers (80 million plus) with the acquisition of Alltel. So I say to AT&T, keep your IPhone, we don’t need it, without the IPhone, AT&T would be lost.

I had two accounts with 10 phones total. Phone bill $500.00 per month avg. AT&T had no interest in keeping me a customer. I started with T-Mobile and purchased the G-Phone (Google phone) and my family loves it. Far better than the I-Phone from AT&T where they charge you for all the applications. G-Phone has most of the applications for free. Dump the AT&T I=Phone—–Go with the Google Phone from T-Mobile.

I agree that geographic location plays a big role in service, but in my two years with Verizon I had fewer problems with coverage no matter where I was in the US. Prior to that I had Sprint, which was fine in Virginia (and Florida where I bought it), but was atrocious in Las Vegas. When I moved here I switched to AT&T but found the coverage almost as bad as Sprint, so I cancelled and went with Verizon.

However, when it came time to renew, I couldn’t justify spending money on any phone other than the iPhone 3G. It’s exactly what I had been wanting for a long time, so I sucked it up and went back to AT&T. And truth be told, they must have improved things in Vegas because I haven’t had nearly as many problems as I did in 2006.

That said, whenever I visit southern California I’m always irritated at the relatively poor coverage there, for both data and voice. Great as the phone may be, I have to be able to USE it, and I don’t think I would have been able to stick with the iPhone if I lived there. I’m just glad it worked out at home.

The iphone is not just a phone. The PC won market share because all the applications. Well, the iphone has more applications than all phones combined. It is taking advantage of cloud computing like no other device. Everyone, that I know that has one-loves it.

“VERIZON uses OLD, delapidated technology - CDMA”

Yes, CDMA protocols may be old hat to Verizon, but CDMA is the latest and greatest thing to come to ATT. ATT’s fancy “new” 3G network is based on UMTS, which is based on W-CDMA.

I switched to AT&T so that I could get the iPhone 3G. I love the phone but still miss verizon’s service. If the iPhone was available with verizon I would switch back. Until then, I will be with AT&T so I can have my iPhone.

all those that think the iPhone is a toy just goes to show how much you know. When you jailbreak the iPhone, it becomes the device you never knew was possible. Just some things i’ve added onto the iPhone - MSN, Yahoo MSG, Google Talk, Skype, 100s of games (Chess, iGo, Poker, Nitendo, Atari, PS1…), Video recorder, Voice Recorder, CookBook, Pocket Guitar with Chord finder, if your work has MS Exchange server like i do, i get my emails Pushed to my iPhone just like how Blackberry works. If your work has VPN running on Cisco like my work, you can sign-in remotely and access all Web applications on your LAN, for me that is our billing system, financial system, intranet with all daily reports. After all that, then i use the other fun stuff that come pre-installed like iPod for music, movies, check YouTube when on wifi, surf the web with a full blown browser which means you can access everything that is on the site, not like the cut down browsers of other phones. I also bought protable speakers for iPod/iPhone and everywhere there are drinks with friends, i make sure to take the speakers and just dock the iphone in and whole 20 hours of music is available. All this from just the iPhone. Oh, you can also sync with your PC so all your contacts and i mean ALL your contacts will be backed up on both PC and IPhone.

So a toy, yes, awesome toy. just a toy? very very far from it. I clasify it as much more than a toy or phone. It is both and much more. This device is in a whole new classification. In other words, it is in a class of it’s own.

those that complain about call drop/voice quality, that has nothing to do with the iPhone. that’s to do with your carrier. So hack/jailbreak it and go with the carrier with the best coverage/quality.

Are you kidding me, I have had a iphone since the 1st one came out and I LOVE IT! With the 3g network I can talk and surf at the same time and the apps are starting to come around and will only get better with time. I live in North Carolina and have never had problems with coverage even when I travel to remote areas. Att can improve customer service but is better than verizon any day.

To Rick from Verizon: 3G, Verizon has a pathetic excuse for a network they want to call 3G. When compared to AT&T, where I can both talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time, you VERIZON uses OLD, delapidated technology - CDMA -.

Verizon is nothing more than a complete waste of time, and cell network. I dont even like AT&T charging more for service, but VERIZON is just garbage.

What I find funny is everybody is claiming my 3G network is faster than your 3G, when you can’t tell the difference between each other with a good cellphone in a 3G market(not every city have 3G coverage)…United States are so behind everything else on mobile technology…I have ATT and I have a HTC Touch-Pro(Fuze)..which i love and I like it better than Iphone or Blackberry….Europe and Japan are using 3.5G(or the fourth generation) which is 5-10 times faster than anything available in the states(guessing,don;t know the exact number)…and one thing you need to remember ATT is the first company in the states that had 3G network and coverage, so obviously they’re ahead of Verizon and T-mobile when it comes to speed and quality…..just my 2 cents into conversation…peace

So as I’m seeing people are mostly buying the iPhone because it’s cool. Verizon has better coverage overall than any other provider. And as said before if you want something for urgent business activities get a Blackberry. If you want something cool and to play with get an iPod Touch (the same thing as an iPhone without the phone part).
I’m with Verizon and I have an iPod Touch and it is more than I need.

Except AT&T will charge an INSANE amount of money should you use the phone in another country. I used my iPhone for 25 minutes total while in Canada just to retrieve email and then disconnect my roaming feature… and it cost me 400.00 and I hadn’t even exceeded my anytime minutes.

The iphone is a fun toy that would have the potential to be a true business device if people were building products for it other than gimicky teen software like lighters, or other silly games. There needs to be a real focus on building software that changes they way people use their phones and PC. These $1.99 apps are a waste of time and money and effort but they are all anyone can sell. Apple needs to step up. It has the ability to be something specila but continues to be for entertainment only.

the iPhone is definitely not the only device out there with all of these great features. For the people who like the phone, but hate AT&T’s inferior network. Verizon has a great phone that has all the same features plus a little more (like a 5MP Camera!) and it is not slow and sluggish either. Look into the Samsung Omnia, compare it with the iPhone, you will be very impressed, great phone, with Verizon’s very reliable network.

AT&T will be eating Verizon’s dust from now on. They have made so many bad business decisions and failed to be ready to when it was their chance to be a technology leader. They blew it. Now they’ll just be a dot in Verizon’s rear view mirror.

I love my iPhone, but hate AT&T’s service. I live in a major city and still have service issues. Anywhere up and down my street you’d be lucky to get one bar. I’ve complained several times and all I get is the cold shoulder. I’d get an iPhone from any other carrier if it was available.

I switched from Verizon to ATT last year just because I liked the music capabilities of the iPhone. As most iPhone owners can attest too though, the iPhone is not a greatly functional phone; although it will get you by. If you love your music more, the iPhone is a great toy. Otherwise, just stay with Verizon, they have a much better network.

I have an iPhone and it keeps me entertained, gives me turn by turn directions, has one of the biggest screens of ANY phone, the interface is unbeatable. That said, I agree there are things missing. But who is sending all these MMS messages? I have never (in the almost 10 years of owning a phone) sent a picture text. Just like I rarely record video on my phone. Who needs to do these things? BTW I live in Miami, and my coverage is excellent. I never drop calls, and I get 3G almost everywhere I go. AT&T also laid fiber optic lines down so now my internet is blazingly fast. The storm sucks, its trying so hard to be an iPhone, so is the G1. I’d much rather have my sleek apple phone with its unbeatable App store.

For you guys who think the IPHONE is just a toy obviously don’t have an apple computer. The syncing of apple equipment is flawless. Also, all four of the major cell companies are rip offs. They all share a lot of the same towers and they are all over charging for a product that is ran by computers. OH well pick your carrier and be happy.

Hopefully Verizon will never get the Bold. They are a terrible company and should just go away.

I think revenue comes from Tilt too…
EFIXPC.COM

As an employee of Verizon Wireless, I can GUARANTEE that our 3G is not only larger but faster than AT&T’s, we also just released our 4th quarter numbers and we outpace every cell phone company in the country. This isn’t hype. Its the TRUTH. Look it up.

Mike in Milwaukee, what you say may be true geographicly where you live, but may be vise versa in other states. With Verizon post acquisition of Worldcom, they can honsetly declare that they have the largest 3G network, and if not mistaken the 1st to have a 3G network. Like the article said AT&T spent most of last quarter playing catch up just to meet the demands for the Iphone, which in my opinon the only thing that’s keeping that company afloat.

I also converted to iPhone, after having Verizon for over 10 years & a Blackberry for 4. I too love Verizon’s network, but when the BB Storm came out, I tried it for over 2 hours & absolutely hated it! I waited until my contract was up, then ported over to AT&T. I like the iPhone, but I don’t get coverage anymore inside Unv. of Phoenix Stadium. As soon as I walk out, I get a flood of old Texts & Emails. I also wish the iPhone could record video & play MPEG video, maybe next gen.
Bottom line, if you are someone who has serious business needs (managers, sales reps, Execs) get a Blackberry from whatevery carrier. If you don’t need to do business mobily & just want a social communication toy, get the iPhone.

I have an iPhone and love it. When are people going to realize that coverage varies from place to place with each provider?

I have never had a dropped call or any problems with ATT for that matter, and I’ve had several providers (including Verizon, with whom I have experienced poor coverage, but I don’t going around bashing them because of it)

I just sold my 3g iphone. Its a great toy/phone, but to get real messaging and emailing done get the Blackberry Bold. MMS messanging not even supported on the iphone. Even cheap/free phones support MMS (Apples way of getting you to get the next gen phone when they release it). I asked the ATT rep. to name ANY phone that doesnt support MMS, he could NOT. Yes the ipone can handle MMS thru email, but that is not right.

when will verizon get the bold? :)

I don’t know about the other comments, but I had a horrible experience with Verizon. They absolutely lied to me, even though I had confirmed what they had said to me 3 times. I could not complete a single call without it being dropped, and whenever I left the country (frequently), the phone doesn’t work at all.
I switched to T-mobile and love it. Their service is worldwide and never have a dropped call. I have a Blackberry and it works everywhere I’ve gone. The iPhone doesn’t compare. It is like a toy in comparison to a Blackberry.

I am a recent iPhone convert. I came from Verizon. In all honesty, Verizon has better phone service. Hands down. But the iPhone is such a cool toy I had to have it. I love the iPhone but hate AT&T. If you need a iPhone first and foremost, the iPhone is probably not for you. If you want a toy, that is a functional phone, its for you.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple’s OS and the iPhone is a nice product, but AT&T….. I loathed cell phone providers until I found Verizon. They actually listen! And, when they answer back, it isn’t from some call center in India! So, I own a Storm and am learning to, er, like it.

I am a devoted Apple user. Never owned a PC, never will. That being said, I will not buy an iPhone as long as it is exclusive to AT&T. Had their service once….it blew. I use Verizon in southern California. Excellent coverage, very few dropped calls. I’ll buy the iPhone if & when it is available w/ Verizon..not until.

I live in Houston as well and have had no such issues with the ATT network. I also have Verizon and it isn’t any better?

The iphone is much more than a cell phone. It is a new type of device that provides much more than the competition. That being said the electronic world moves very fast and everyone wants a piece of the pie. As windows once an imitator of the mac became the market dominant force, so can another phone software/hardware oem. Google is the leading new kid on the block and I never count them out.

Everyone talks about how great Verizon is - but they don’t have that many of their own cell towers. They actually lease the right to use other SP towers. Example - they exclusively use AT&T 3G towers, but then claim they have the biggest 3G network. A bit dishonest if you ask me.

I was one of the early iPhone adopters. When I first starting using it, there were many times when I thought to myself “this is the coolest gadget of all time.” There are really only two drawbacks to the device (one of which is a deal breaker to me). The first is the seemingly little oversight regarding the release of 100’s of iPhone applications. Installing many of these renders your phone very vulnerable to crashes, hangs, and general flakiness. The second issue is the very poor quality of AT&T’s network and how that quality combined with the way the iPhone handles the hand off between 3G and Edge results in a high number of dropped calls, or circumstances when the other party cannot hear you talking.

I wanted to love it and keep it, but the main component of a phone that I am looking for is the phone part. If I can’t use it as a phone, it really just doesn’t make it a good phone.

Like many others who’ve posted comments here, I really like my iPhone, but the ATT network is just terrible. I live in Houston, so you would think a large city would have good service. No such luck. I’m going to have to crack it and move to another carrier - so I can use the phone I bought!

Hey, Bob from Los Gatos…

You know what’s even more sad? People like you who have nothing better to do with their time than leaving trollish comments.

I switched to ATT for the iPhone. Yeah, the network is ok, but I know this much- by the time it comes to Verizon, it will be old technology. This is b/c everything on Verizon is garbage.

Got the best of both worlds - got an iPhone and hacked it to run on another network. It’s not hard and if more people did it, ATTwould see a huge decline. Trick is, but the phone frorm Apple, ATT won’t sell it without their activation.

What empty lives you must have to talk about a phone being the most important thing in your life.

How sad - as they say please get a life.

The iPhone is a great product. It’s not for me, but it’s still a great product. That being said, AT&T is a poor service provider. Men’s Health had a great article detailing service quality and customer satisfaction across six regions of the country. In all of them, AT&T was among the worst, and at best in the bottom half. Verizon was the best, and in every region received a rating at least TWICE as good as AT&T in both categories.

The above article tells you why: AT&T invests in the cool new thing, and their line of phones beyond the iPhone make this clear. Compared to Verizon’s lineup of 2nd generation equipment, AT&T comes out on top. Yet in the end, what really matters is how well the device works as a phone, not as a toy. I will stick with Verizon.

for harrygibralter — your “cool” “new” link references an article from 2007.. the 3G iphone is already here… and I switched from Verizon, where I got spotty coverage when traveling to NH. No problems with AT&T !

I like the Iphone but hate At&t’s network. I bought a touch instead and kept my old phone. If the Iphone comes to Sprint or VZ then I’ll get one.

AT&T needs to invest in their network infrastructure. My IPhone isn’t useable 1/3 of the time. If I don’t see an improvement - I’m going back to Verizon.

Everyone can complain as much as they want, but everyone knows that new products using new technology will have problems and quick upgrades. So all you people that bought the iphone because it was the “new” “cool” thing, you have your “cool” “new” thing and there is a better one coming next year. Quit your bitching!!
————————————–
harrygibralter@gmail.com

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/11/att-3g-iphone-c.html

Philip, you have to admit, this article talkbacks have the most “I am not an Apple fan but [Apple rules][iPhone rocks][Jobs is King] ever!

The era of the olg guard faithful that changed into the era of the brainwashed bandwagon fanboys must be changing again into the “subconcious fanboy” era.

Imagine how slow ATT would have rolled out its 3G network without something to kick them in the pants? Their 3G network has exploded in size and scale in just a year. Thank goodness. Also, would ATT have invested in buying all those thousands of wifi hotspots without the iPhone?

Lastly, someone mentioned their unlimited Sprint plan. There’s no doubt they are cheaper now, and that’s because they are a declining 3rd in a 2-horse cell market. If they weren’t losing customers, they wouldn’t be offering a fire sale on cell plans. One more thing, do you really need an unlimited plan? Aren’t calls between your family members free? And, with rollover minutes, you can easily rack up thousands of minutes. I have a 450min plan, and have got 3000 rollover mins.

Apples Iphone is the greatest piece of electronics I have ever bought. I was never a fan of apple products, but this phone is simply the greatest thing I have ever purchased. I have now taken a second look at their other products.

Once again I could not agree more…AT&T’s 3G network is not very good at all. They need to invest and invest heavily in it ASAP or once the I-phone becomes available on Verizon Wireless or Sprint I will also switch immediately. Also Apple and AT&T need to work together to figure out why the Iphone keeps dropping calls. This is extremely annoying and makes me not want to be part of the AT&T network. I phone great idea, AT&T 3G/Edge networks average at best if even average = a great i pod with lousy phone/data coverage. AT&T and Apple need to work together to fix these issues and invest in the network to get the capacity they need to make it work the way the claim it will.

I love the iPhone and AT&T’s network! It is far better than anything else I have used!

ATT network is really poor and not as available as they state.

The only reason I stay with them is because of the iPhone. If Verizon or Sprint provides the iPhone I would switch immediately.

I don’t see why there would be a significant difference in cost serving users via 3G or WLAN. Other countries give 3G connections for home use for $10 (384kbps) and $20 (1mbit) with unlimited data, if 3G bits were expensive this couldn’t be done. I think the only reason why they opened up the WLAN network is that 3G coverage is still very limited.

NeXT big thing would be when apple and at&t offer hot spot device for wire in your home with range of about 10-20 meters witch make your Iphone an a house wired phone with option to kip your old number etc…

And with Apple’s newly-minted U.S. Patent #7479939 (see http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/01/27/apple-awarded-iphone-patent/), Apple is going to have the best phone in the world for years to come.

I am not an Apple fan - I still remember the outcry when Apple yanked the Lisa off the market… But, simply put, the iPhone works. Period. I was a hold out to see if T*Mobile’s Android was going to be something worth using, and imagine my shock when I tried to use one - in the T*Mobile store - and couldn’t even get to the internet… Viva le iPhone!

Here’s another way of looking at the iPhone’s huge impact in the context of the Verizon vs. AT&T struggle:

New Verizon wireless customers, total for December quarter:
1.4 million

New-to-AT&T iPhone customers, December quarter:
760,000 (40% of 1.9 million)

New-to-AT&T customers, total for December quarter:
2.1 million

The fact one phone can drive this portion of customer decisions is nothing short of phenomenal.

The Iphone dominated AT&T’s new subscriber data accounting for about 90% of it. The Blackberry Storm is a piece of garbage compared to the Iphone and I doubt this phone will be picked up by carriers other than Verizon in the future. The Iphone is here to stay in a very big way!

I think AT&T would be able to attract even more new customers - during the recession- if they decided to compete with Sprints “Everything Data Family” plan of $129.99 for 1500 mins with unlimited data and text. My wife and I have been thinking about switching but may wind up staying with Sprint because of the more cost associated with the AT&T iPhone family plan plus $30 unlimited text.

Well duh!
I’m not a huge fan of Apple, other than their stock. But the Iphone 3G is a winner hands down ove any other smartphone on the market today.
It forced me to switch to a provider I swore I would never return too. (Not that Verizon is any better these days). AT&T service has actually improved, over years ago, when I left. But nothing short of the Iphone could have provided me enough reason to switch back. I waited to see what BB would do, but the Storm, while nice simply did not have the advantages that the Iphone does.
Still won’t buy an Apple computer, but the Iphone rules.

Regarding #2: While it’s true that all iPhone users are forced to buy a data plan which costs more than what users of other AT&T smart phones have to pay it’s not a good thing for AT&T that data traffic is going up. With a fixed price data plan the more traffic you use the worse it is for AT&T. That is why they were encouraging people to use WiFi by giving iPhone users free (albeit clumsy) access to their hotspots. It’s cheaper to serve up bits via wifi than 3G.

ex ped: Good point. #2 recast accordingly.