Apple iPhone needs verizon in order to compete

[tomcrown1]

"Market research firm Morpace has published the results (PDF) of a survey finding 29% of surveyed consumers either very or somewhat likely to purchase an iPhone should it become available on Verizon, with existing Verizon customers showing particular interest in the handset should it come to their carrier of choice. In particular, the strong interest among current Verizon customers suggests that bringing the iPhone to the carrier could have the double effect of both opening the device up to new customers as well as drawing them away from other smartphone platform such as Android, which has proven very popular with Verizon customers."

Here is the link to the rest of the article which proves apple needs Verizion more than Verizion needs the Iphone.


Surveys Show Pent-Up Demand for Verizon iPhone, Would-Be AT&T Defectors Waiting to Upgrade - Mac Rumors

 

[meStevo]

I'd argue they're competing just fine, they need Verizon to resume dominance and are missing a window of opportunity to do so due to their exclusivity. When the fall Android 3.0 compatible phones hit they're going to make the iphone look underpowered by comparison. Finally releasing an iphone on VZW early next year will be a big deal, but not as big as it could have been if they were able to do it now.

 

[navychop]

Always rumors of a Verizon iPhone. And others saying it's an AT&T exclusive until 2012 or 2013.

Competition is good. Let 'em push the envelope. Preferably, on pricing as well. LOWER pricing.

 

[dtanderson]

I think Apple has lost the opportunity. I was wanting an iPhone but was not willing to switch to AT&T just to get one. I kept hearing rumors that they were coming and then the time would pass and nothing. This rumor comes up every year. If they would have come over to Verizon last year then I would have gotten one but now that the Droid is out, I have no interest in the iPhone now. I am very happy with my Droid

 

[diogen]

I believe the next 12-18 months can be very interesting in the mobile industry.
Mostly, not because of the software improvements, but hardware.

There is only so much a device with a screen of 4.5-5" or less can do. And I think this list has been exhausted.
I don't expect any revolutionary improvements on this front going forward: Android 3, WP7, webOS, etc. will all do 99% of the same things, some better, some worse. I have a hard time to believe that video editing capabilities will sell phones.

But I think Intel has a good chance to wreck havoc on the hardware side.
All (?) smartphones at the moment use some flavour of an ARM CPU. Very disguised and custom built, this is true for iPhone (A4) as well.
Next year Intel is expected to bring the thermal specs of their Atom line CPUs to a level suitable for phones. And as soon as we have competition in this market, the hardware pricing will start coming down.

This might not be the repeat of the PC market since we have a limited number of "gatekeepers", i.e. carriers that actually make that device a phone.
But having competition is always good. And competition on the hardware side is what the smartphone market is desperately missing...

Diogen.

 

[navychop]

I think Apple has lost the opportunity. I was wanting an iPhone but was not willing to switch to AT&T just to get one. I kept hearing rumors that they were coming and then the time would pass and nothing. This rumor comes up every year. If they would have come over to Verizon last year then I would have gotten one but now that the Droid is out, I have no interest in the iPhone now. I am very happy with my Droid

I guess you found the Droid you were looking for.........

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[navychop]

I've heard too many promises about the Atom line to not be a bit cynical. Maybe we'll see it this time. Or maybe it's another "Intel is about to take over the LCoS industry."

 

[TheForce]

The thing with Android phones is they are updated with a major jump in technology about every 2 months. iphone is a year between technology jumps. iphone since the beginning has had to rely almost totally on cult dedication. Android on performance. iphone of usability ease, and Android on freedom. As Android matches the performance and usability with Verizon as a carrier, iphone will lose the game. Soon Apple will not only need to offer all carrier choices but also more frequent new phone designs.
Another factor is the ipad service. This also needs to have multi carrier service.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

The thing with Android phones is they are updated with a major jump in technology about every 2 months. iphone is a year between technology jumps. iphone since the beginning has had to rely almost totally on cult dedication. Android on performance. iphone of usability ease, and Android on freedom. As Android matches the performance and usability with Verizon as a carrier, iphone will lose the game. Soon Apple will not only need to offer all carrier choices but also more frequent new phone designs.
Another factor is the ipad service. This also needs to have multi carrier service.

I think the plan is that once gingerbread hits, the development cycle will be slower, since there will be two tiers: gingerbread for "high end" phones; and froyo for less powerful ones.

But I agree, the speed of new releases sure keeps things interesting for Android in general. And users get impatient. Froyo just hit the Droid 1 and people are in forums anxiously awaiting gingerbread.

Oh, and i wish the next name wasn't gingerbread. Fro-yo is so much more appetizing. You make a pastry house with gingerbread, nobody really eats it

 

[JAG72]

But I agree, the speed of new releases sure keeps things interesting for Android in general. And users get impatient. Froyo just hit the Droid 1 and people are in forums anxiously awaiting gingerbread.

The Droid 1 users are going to be waiting a long time as it does not meet the minimum specs for gingerbread. Of course there will be one that a person ports over to it but I don't think there will ever be a supported version out there.

 

[meStevo]

Many Droid 1 owners are likely looking forward to upgrading to a Gingerbread phone, after watching many incremental upgrades release since the purchase of their phones nearly a year ago.

 

[Big Dawg 23]

Yeah once Gingerbread hits, Google appears to be going to a annual upgrade like others. Keep in mind that Android just launched less than 2 years ago. Yes, Apple did only start what, 4-5 years ago however, they were in the Software Operating System unlike Google.

 

[navychop]

Just keep the competition coming!

 

[diogen]

But I think Intel has a good chance to wreck havoc on the hardware side...

Another step in this direction: Intel buying Infineon's baseband business
Intel to buy final piece of the mobile puzzle from Infineon
This comment I found most interesting

The reason that Intel is buying Infineon at this point in time is that the company's new 32nm mixed-signal SoC process will enable it to eventually put both the application and baseband blocks on the same chip. So, at some point, Intel will be able to offer what's essentially a complete smartphone on a chip—CPU, GPU, northbridge, I/O hub, analog DSP, and even RF signal processing. This level of integration will dramatically decrease the cost and power consumption of a smartphone or netbook...

This time Intel seem to be serious...

Diogen.