

Why Apple Made Three iPhone 5 Models  - Aloisius
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/09/iphone5-lte-model/

======
Ogre
"LTE fragmentation means that AT&T customers using an iPhone 5 in Europe, for
example, won’t be able to take advantage of LTE speeds while abroad and will
instead get kicked down to the 3G network."

How spoiled are people that they can carry a thing in their pocket that will
let them access all the world's information, from a large portion of the
world, and call it "crippled" because it's slower in some places?

That's just the HN title though. The article is a pretty good breakdown of
what you get from each version of the phone, and doesn't use the word
"crippled" anywhere. Nor does it editorialize much at all.

------
omarqazi
So the iPhone 5 on AT&T can't use LTE outside of the US because AT&T uses some
LTE band nobody else uses. Bit of a bummer, but I wouldn't call it crippled
since you can still use 3G voice and data pretty much anywhere in the world.
International roaming is actually one of AT&T's few strengths. I'd be more
upset if International data wasn't so expensive. At $300 / GB, turning LTE on
overseas would just scare me. Hopefully they'll come out with a unified
chipset in the future and prices for international data will go down.

~~~
barista
I won't call it crippled either. You can make a call with it. Can't you?
</sarcasm>

~~~
tedunangst
As someone who is going to be using AT&Ts network, I'd rather have an iPhone
that works here than an iPhone that works in Europe.

Also, I'm curious. Why is the iPhone, with three models, crippled, but the
galaxy s3, with nine models, not crippled?

------
benguild
Yeah. No matter what, you're screwed this time around. Verizon's version
doesn't support simultaneous data and calling. PITA.

AT&T doesn't support LTE when roaming except in Canada. PITA.

International GSM versions can't get AT&T LTE in the US. PITA.

The only plus side to anything is that if you switch to Verizon you can use
some international LTE and get an international unlock after 60 days. However,
in my case, switching to Verizon just for international LTE support is
frivilous since I'd be paying more for less data on a Data Share plan versus
keeping my "unlimited" plan + other grandfathered options.

TL;DR — everyone is getting fucked by the iPhone 5 if you plan on using it in
a different country at some point, or like simultaneous calling and data.

~~~
Aloisius
According to [http://mgalligan.com/post/31415410863/buying-an-
iphone-5-don...](http://mgalligan.com/post/31415410863/buying-an-
iphone-5-dont-go-with-at-t) simultaneous voice & data is possible on Verizon's
network, but only with LTE.

~~~
kyleslattery
Because the iPhone 5 doesn't have an extra antenna, it won't support
simultaneous voice and data: [http://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/13/verizon-
iphone-5-will-no...](http://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/13/verizon-
iphone-5-will-not-offer-simultaneous-voice-and-data/)

------
caf
To me it looks like they've buried the lede here:

    
    
      What is oddly missing from all three phones is LTE support
      for a large portion of Western Europe, which uses LTE Band
      7.

------
TechNewb
Article is misleading, an iPhone 4s is also unble to be used on both GSM and
CDMA because of firmware.

~~~
beagle3
My verizon iphone 4s works CDMA on verizon, and GSM everywhere outside the US
(you can ask verizon to unlock it for use outside the us 60 days into your
contract. you should, if you haven't yet)

~~~
TechNewb
Can you please share the documentation of that?

~~~
beagle3
First, you have to be in good payment standing on your plan, and a customer
for at least 60 days. Assuming that's already the case:

Call them up on 611, and say you're going to go abroad soon, and you would
like to unlock your phone for non-US use. They will ask you to confirm a bunch
of things, some sillier than others (That you know this does NOT give you a
way out of your contract; that you may NOT use the phone to do anything that's
illegal in the US, wherever you do it; I don't remember the whole thing). Then
they say they're processing it, and will tell you that in a couple of hours,
you should either log in to the itunes store on the phone, or do a sync with
itunes to receive the new profile. After you do that, you restart your phone,
and it will accept non-US sim cards.

Things might have changed about the process since I've done it; I heard from
some people that they had to log in to itunes with the new sim inside in order
for it to be approved. The verizon person will guide you through the current
requirements.

------
Steko
Minor point: not too many people switch mid year but for those that want to,
instead of giving up and staying locked with one carrier you can...

Break your plan early, switch carriers, and ebay the old phone. Assuming good
condition you'll be out $100 max but you'll also have a brand new phone and
warranty.

------
gnu8
I expected a lot more interoperability between LTE devices and networks,
something more akin to WiFi. Is there even a good technical reason why an LTE
phone that supports AT&T's two channels cannot also support Verizon's five?

~~~
omarqazi
Yes, the networks use different frequency bands. Ostensibly, nobody has yet
developed a chip that works on both LTE bands. The iPhone 4S shipped with a
chipset that worked with both Verizon and AT&T's 3G bands, so I'm sure
somebody is working on the same for LTE. This is just an effect of the
technology being newer.

------
robomartin
iPhone 5: The biggest thing to ever happen to iPhone since iPhone.

No, the biggest thing would have been stuff like swappable RF modules so I can
keep the computer portion of the phone and get the RF module my carrier
requires.

The biggest thing would have been support for external memory cards (microSD
would have been great).

The biggest thing would have been ditching the 30 pin connector for a
mini/micro USB connector.

The biggest thing would have been allowing some access to the file system.

The biggest thing would have been adding "guest" mode to the OS so you don't
have to worry about access to your stuff when you hand the phone to someone
else.

There are a lot of "biggest things" that would have made iPhone 5 truly a
revolutionary step in the history of iPhone. Longer, thinner and blah, blah,
blah doesn't, in my not-so-humble opinion qualify. Most people I talk to have
said "not interested". As a developer I'll have to buy one. No real choice
there. We'll see what the average consumer does.

The real question: Is the iPhone 5 enough of an improvement for the average
person to ditch their 4S? I don't know. My rather limited sample came out on
the side of "no".

~~~
__abc
Historically, the answer will be yes. Apple launches a new model ever year the
conversion rates from last years model holders to the new model are really
high. This is even higher then conversions from consumers who bought two
models ago to the new model. It's ridiculous (not that I think it is dumb,
just that they have a consumer base/behavior like that).

Additionally, I don't know if the general population would be on board with
your feature list.

For example, why would my mom, sister, wife, or grandma want a sd card? They
all by the 64 gig device and that is more than enough. They access their
photos on their iPad through photo stream, email, etc. I'm not even sure if
they know what an SD card is.

I hear you on the pin connector. But again, people will fork over the money to
buy an adapter if need be. _Most_ people aren't going to throw their phone out
the window of a moving car because they have to buy an adapter .... _Most_.

No idea why I need access to the file system. I can store any type of file I
want and access it without any problems. It takes an app, but even my grandma
knows how to do this. SO maybe if you elaborate on the problem the context of
an average consumer might have regarding the file system, I would better
understand.

Who the hell are you share your phone with? Additionally, how often is that
happening? Even if I had this I would never use it. So much damn work.
Additionally, I'm usually standing right there when someone borrows my phone.
I never hand it to a stranger and then wander off.

Anywho. I can't argue that the changes are as revolutionary as the iPhone 1.
However, the device got thinner, screen got bigger, physical design looks
sweet, camera got better, software is getting better, and the device got
faster. It's not curing cancer, but that is a damn good phone.

I'm upgrading my 4S tonight. Given how much I use my phone I find it worth the
couple hundred bucks. Especially since I can sell my 4S and drastically bring
down my net out of pocket.

~~~
__a_
I think what he wants is a handheld general purpose computer. That's not an
unreasonable thing to want given what's possible these days. There is a
general purpose computer inside the iPhone and it's running a decent UNIX-like
OS. But Apple has crippled it. Sure you can use a computer as phone or a
camera. You can also use it for other things.

So-called average consumers will never want a handheld general purpose
computer, unless advertising tells them to want it. They will only want what
advertising tells them to want.

This does not mean that no one should want a handheld general purpose
computer. Nor does it mean the average consumer could not benefit from one, if
they were shown how to use it. I am perplexed by those who would argue against
anyone who asks for a more than what Apple is giving; some people want more
than just a phone/camera. Are we all supposed to play dumb like this is not
possible or not worthwhile to produce?

~~~
nessus42
_> I am perplexed by those who would argue against anyone who asks for a more
than what Apple is giving_

I am perplexed by people who criticize a great product because it is not the
particular great product that they want. Other companies can and do make those
products. Support the products that you like, rather than trying to tear down
the ones that don't match your personal preferences.

 _> They will only want what advertising tells them to want._

Utter nonsense.

