Few technology announcements have been as eagerly anticipated or breathlessly covered as this week's revelation from Verizon Wireless that they'll be offering a version of Apple's popular iPhone. Let's take a look at whether this phone is a good choice for travelers.
It may be your only choice. You may be tied to Verizon Wireless because it's the only carrier that works well in your area or areas you visit often, because you're on a family plan with VZW subscribers who don't want to jump ship, or because you depend on free mobile-to-mobile calling to talk with friends or family members. If so, and you've been desperate to get an iPhone, here's your chance. But read on.
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This is last year's model. The CDMA version of iPhone 4 that Verizon Wireless announced on Tuesday is substantially the same as the GSM version Apple announced last June for AT&T and other carriers around the world. If you can survive on your current phone for another few months, chances are pretty good the next model iPhone, which Apple's really likely to announce mid-2011, will be available in both GSM and CDMA flavors at the same time. Buy now, and you're stuck with 2010 technology into 2013.
It's CDMA-only. Unlike some Verizon Wireless "world phone" models, which include both CDMA and GSM technology, the CDMA iPhone will work only on a CDMA cellular network. Since most countries outside the United States use GSM technology, your iPhone won't work on most trips outside the U.S. A few countries, like China, India, and Mexico, use CDMA exclusively or alongside GSM, and of course you'll be able to use your iPhone for data anywhere you can get a Wi-Fi connection. (Note that Verizon Wireless will lend subscribers a global phone for use while traveling, upon request.)
It's CDMA. This is old technology that no one is deploying now. That vintage MicroTAC over there? Same era as CDMA. Really. At its best, Verizon Wireless's CDMA network is slower than AT&T's GSM network at its best. For all the bellyaching about congested network performance in a few unusually dense locales such as San Francisco and New York City, the average AT&T subscriber does just fine.
One thing at a time. Another drawback to the CDMA network is that, unlike AT&T's 3G network, it can't support simultaneous voice and data connections. Multitasking is a big thing for iPhone users -- not just having more than one app running at a time, but being able to check an e-mail message or do a quick Google search while talking on the phone. Again, you'll still be able to perform such data tasks during calls if you're on a Wi-Fi connection.
Should I care? Honestly, the average smartphone user may never find CDMA to be inadequate. Both Apple and Verizon Wireless feel most users won't care that they can't surf and talk simultaneously, and, obviously, Verizon Wireless's data network is plenty adequate for many current smartphone users and cellular "modem" subscribers.
What, no LTE? There'd been speculation that yesterday's announcement would be for an LTE-based iPhone, especially when Verizon Wireless executives started their presentation by talking about the efforts they've poured into developing an LTE network. This fourth-generation technology, which both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have said they plan to use, just isn't far enough along yet, though. Waiting until there was enough market penetration for LTE before shipping a Verizon Wireless iPhone would've meant waiting years; it would only have worked in a handful of cities. And, Apple says LTE chips are still too big and power-draining to make sense in an iPhone. (They've appeared in a small handful of Verizon Wireless handsets, but if you don't also have a CDMA chip, you're going to be limited to a few cities. Great if you stay put, not if you travel.) We'd expect to see lots of LTE smartphones in a few years, as the networks become more widely available and the chips better suited to handheld use.
Surf forever. For subscribers who haven't yet made the smartphone leap, one big plus for Verizon Wireless is that they still offer an unlimited data plan. AT&T ended its unlimited plan last June, replacing it with less-expensive limited plans, but allowing existing subscribers to keep unlimited plans they were already on. This is a big deal for people who want to consume lots of data but aren't necessarily going to be in Wi-Fi range all the time. Those who want to watch streaming video on the train, for example.
But it has Mobile Hotspot! Verizon Wireless comes out of the gate with a significant advantage over AT&T. In addition to the tethering feature AT&T and other carriers offer, which lets a single computer get online through the phone's cellular connection, Verizon Wireless will offer its Mobile Hotspot feature. This lets up to five devices, including laptops and iPads, for example, get online at the same time through the phone's cellular connection. The company hasn't yet announced pricing for this feature for iPhone subscribers; it's available to Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus users at no additional cost, and to other smartphone users for $20 per month. That's the same monthly price as AT&T's tethering service, but AT&T doesn't let you combine that feature with an unlimited data plan, even if you're eligible for such a plan. (New customers aren't.)
Should you get one? We think there will be a relatively few existing AT&T iPhone customers jumping ship to grab a Verizon Wireless iPhone next month -- those with serious reception issues, deep-seated hatred for AT&T, or a large family of Verizon Wireless subscribers. Anyone with a relatively current iPhone would face an early termination fee, making staying put more attractive. We also think most existing smartphone users will want to hang on a few months to see what Apple introduces this June or thereabouts, rather than buy something that's already last year's tech. This may be a good option, though, for those who haven't yet taken the smartphone leap and who have reason to be Verizon Wireless subscribers.
A related announcement not as widely covered revealed that Apple and Verizon Wireless will soon begin selling a version of the iPad tablet with a built-in CDMA data feature. This matches the AT&T 3G version of iPad, and I imagine will replace Verizon Wireless's bundle of iPad with MiFi personal hotspot device -- though the MiFi is a good option if you travel with more gizmos than just an iPad.
What about you? Are you going to grab either an iPhone or iPad for the Verizon Wireless network the moment you can?
Comments
Ummm. I can be a jerk and post a picture of an old GSM phone and say its the same technology as in an ATT iPhone too, and Be just as right. The fact of the matter the data services side are both far upgraded from their ancient cousins. Yes, the WCDMA network that ATT uses is technically faster than the EVDO network Verizon uses. Though the major advantage to a domestic traveler is Verizon's EVDO network is much, much, much larger than ATT's WCDMA network. And EDGE data is slower than EVDO.
You raise a fair point; CDMA is only part of the picture. Verizon Wireless's EVDO data service is what we're really talking about, but the general consensus is that that's slower than AT&T's comparable 3G data offering. Neither fares well when held up against Sprint's 4G data network, but that's available in so relatively few locales it doesn't really make sense to compare them.
Really the breakdown is the trade off between coverage and speed. Verizon in using an older technology (CDMA) has been able to deploy almost their entire network with it so you have 3G coverage everywhere. While AT&T is using newer and faster technology, they have not deployed it across their entire network, so there are many portions of the country where you are still stuck with EDGE.
For the traveler, I would say that if you travel into small towns in the US, then there is a huge benefit to the Verizon iPhone.
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