[MorrisTheCat]

MacPCJustCreate said:

"It would be really nice for Apple to break out of this single carrier mode they're in in the U.S.
Though something tells me Verizon would still be stupid enough to not want to carry it on Apple's terms."

iPhone = GSM (currently) = AT&T in the US (although there are other GSM providers) see: http://www.wireless....-technology.jsp . Verizon = CDMA EV-DO which is not compatible with GSM (see: http://aboutus.vzw.c...work_facts.html ). Therefore the iPhone would have to be redesigned to work on Verizon's network.

Additionally the Worldwide market penetration of GSM (approx. 3 billion connections, see: http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press2008/press0831.shtml ) is greater than CDMA (>441 million, see: http://www.cdg.org/worldwide/index.asp ). With greater than 6 times the number of connections as CDMA and growing it is easy to see why Apple, Inc. chose GSM for the iPhone. Will we see a CDMA (or TDMA for that matter) iPhone? Time will tell, however from a Worldwide penetration standpoint it looks like Apple, Inc. made a good choice going with GSM.

iI fully understand the difference between the two types of networks offered by Verizon and AT&T (& other GSM carriers), but let's not forget that according to published reports, Apple approached Verizon FIRST to carry the iPhone, and was rebuffed by them, and then turned to Cingular (not AT&T at the time let's not forget).

So, obviously, Apple initially thought that VZW was a better choice of a partner when launching the iPhone, and I'd guess they were quite ready to build a CDMA version of it as well. So some of your points don't really apply here. Apple could come up with two different versions to run on either type of network if they chose to. It's not all that complicated. Almost every wireless phone maker does this already, so what's the big deal?

Whether they made the right choice with Cingular/ATT is somewhat debatable.

[zulu156]

Are you kidding me,you are getting paid to recycle old news?
there is nothing new in your article. tell us something new that we don't know! All you did was recycle old article in a new package.

[zarmanto]

wiseman said:

That's not true. Apple's agreement with AT&T is for 5 years from introduction, but there are provisions for either party to cancel under various circumstances.

While I agree with another poster that this information need corroboration -- frankly, it would be more surprising to me if there isn't a pre-defined set of cancellation provisions. As noted by the author of this article, Apple doesn't take partnerships lightly, and they have been known to break with old partners over issues much less severe then these. (I seem to recall hearing rumors that Apple had once summarily cancelled an agreement simply because the "partner" announced the agreement the day before Steve was to take the stage for his keynote speech...)

So to me, the question isn't whether or not such cancellation provisions exist, but rather, which one of the many failures on AT&T's part is going to finally trigger Apple's use of those provisions...

[rudge]

It just goes to show you that it's all in the hands of the carriers. Partnering up with AT&T was a necessary evil. Features like 3G+ data speeds, video conferencing, and other features have been available for awhile but held back by the carriers. We here in the States have not built up our infrastructure to allow this. It all went into the wallets of these companies, and it shows when you compare this to other countries (especially Asia).
The iPhone definitely broke a lot of barriers in technology, but we couldn't have done it had AT&T not stepped up their services to allow this. Soon, every carrier will try to offer visual voice mail and loosen up on their data plans. Then maybe Apple could start selling unlocked phones like these more enlightened countries that have forced this issue.
As far as inconsistencies with their service, isn't that dependent upon availability in a certain area? Can AT&T tell Starbucks that all data will be free at all of your coffee shops? I don't know. Just like the availability of 3G in all areas will be an issue in the future. It's all a crap shoot.

[feefer]

Yeah, not to mention how quickly people have forgotten the minor uproar following Apple's mishandling (poor communication) of the iPhone price decrease, etc.