
The Verizon iPhone 4 - tortilla
http://daringfireball.net/2011/02/verizon_iphone_4
======
acqq
> it could be that the GSM iPhones have hardware or driver problems that the
> CDMA iPhone 4 does not. But, alas for AT&T, GSM iPhone users around the
> world do not share in the problems of GSM iPhone users in the United States.

Certainly not true. Writing from Europe: I've had all the iPhone 4 dropped
call problems in the middle of the city whenever I've forgotten how to
"safely" hold the phone until I've bought the bumper case. My provider here is
T Mobile.

~~~
ugh
I haven’t seen any widespread coverage about problems with the iPhone in
Germany.

~~~
acqq
I consider it natural to the way of the coverage in German speaking countries.
Don't forget that it was "old news" for Europe since iPhones 4 were first
available in the U.S. I own the iPhone 4 and I can easily repeat the "death
grip" whenever I want. However I also almost never see anybody using the 4
without the bumper case.

~~~
ugh
Complaints about the iPhone (all iPhones, not just 4) in the US went way
beyond the death grip, real or imagined.

~~~
acqq
Let me guess: you don't own iPhone 4 and even haven't tried to borrow one and
try it in common urban circumstances?

Why don't you believe the guy who reports his own Eropean experiences? I just
claim that the "death grip" is simply not the AT&T issue but the real iPhone 4
issue.

~~~
arthurschreiber
I do have an iphone 4 and live in germany, too, and have not once experienced
a dropped call, no matter how hard I actually tried to do the "death grip".

~~~
acqq
UK based Cambridge Technology Centre was able to repeat the death grip too:

[http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/30/49184/c...](http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/30/49184/cambridge-
researchers-test-iphone-4-for-death-grip-video.htm)

It is dependent on location, my experience is that in more urban areas the
problems are more prominent, you probably live in some small city or a city
with less providers or mobile phone users, or you haven't tried it in the
bigger and denser located buildings. I can repeat the problems in the center
of the city easily, but not so easy at my home. And it's not that I'm wasting
time trying to repeat it -- it just happens if I hold it without the bumper
case.

Once again: Death grip is the real "feature" of iPhone 4 when 3G is used. And
it's the iPhone 4 problem, not the AT&T problem.

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nhangen
I had bad service in NC (just south of Raleigh, near Fort Bragg), but was
astonished to find that moving to Tampa made my service worse. I drop calls,
can hardly hear, and lose data signal constantly. I'm ready to switch, even
though I just bought a brand new iPhone 4 a few months ago.

My only concern is this - why buy an iPhone 4 on Verizon when the next model
is due in a few months? Will be interesting to see if this pisses people off.

~~~
ugh
_My only concern is this - why buy an iPhone 4 on Verizon when the next model
is due in a few months? Will be interesting to see if this pisses people off._

That’s one of the downsides of having such a simple product line. Who (except
for a tiny minority) even knows when HTC or Samsung release a new phone? The
announcement of a new iPhone makes headlines and it’s also introduced as a
replacement, not just another different model. (Technology progresses. Blaming
any tech company for introducing a newer, better and cheaper model is stupid.
A phone you buy today will be just as good in three years.)

My guess would be that people will not be very pissed. There will be lame
jokes but not much outrage. I think that Apple will go for a two-year rhythm
when it comes to major iPhone updates and that the next iPhone will
consequently mostly receive a speed and RAM bump, maybe some nice software
features and some cool hardware thing (NFC?) and that the case and other specs
will stay the same. (Except for changing the case I don’t even know what they
could conceivably do to make this a major update.) Current iPhones would
obviously equally benefit from software updates (well, mostly – hopefully).

Apple will definitely continue to sell the current iPhone even after the next
model has been introduced – just like they are still selling the 3GS now.

~~~
nhangen
You're probably right, but I distinctly remember buying my first Apple
product, which was a 3G. I just returned from Afghanistan and was stoked to
have an iPhone. 31 days later (1 day post-return option), the 3GS came out and
I watched with horror as all of my friends had a much better phone than I
bought just weeks prior.

I got over it, but I learned that I had to keep an eye on release cycles to
avoid having that happen again. I believe many Verizon iPhone users will learn
the same thing.

------
yesimahuman
I can't help but feel like not having data while using voice would be a bigger
annoyance to me than Gruber found it. I often look up maps while on the phone
with someone. Also losing wi-fi during a call could be frustrating.

~~~
mqt
WiFi and calls work simultaneously, it's only 2G/3G data that's affected.

~~~
pyre
I think that yesiamahuman meant the hotspot tethering functionality by 'WiFi.'

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brianwillis
Think it's interesting that John Gruber got a review device provided by Apple.
I don't recall them ever really reaching out to bloggers in the past.

I wonder if Gizmodo got one?

~~~
marcc
MG Siegler over at TechCrunch did. He just published his review, which was
pretty much the same as John's. But Gizmodo... ha. That'll be the day!

~~~
nightshowerer
No problem, but she's a he.

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pmjordan
I'm curious about the wifi tethering. Ad-hoc wifi networks created on a Mac
are only WEP-"protected"; I wonder if the iPhone's is a true WPA(2) access
point. I wouldn't be comfortable walking around with an effectively wide-open
WEP AP attached to my mobile data connection.

I also wouldn't be too presumptuous about getting the AP feature in previous
hardware, if it is a true access point - 'master' mode isn't supported by all
wifi hardware, although it may well purely be a firmware ("baseband") issue. I
don't expect to get the feature on my old iPhone 3G, though it would be a nice
bonus on the iPad.

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doki_pen

      Verizon sells phones. They will continue to sell phones. They will continue to own and push (and control) the Droid brand. The iPhone, though, is a phone they don’t need to own, push, or control. Apple will sell it for them. Verizon just needs to sell their core competency: cellular networking.
    

That it's exactly what verizon does not want

~~~
sambeau
Why? What is your reasoning?

~~~
robin_reala
Traditionally (and to this day) mobile connection providers don’t want to
become ‘mere’ data pipes, as it becomes difficult to differentiate yourself
from competitors. To this end the mobile companies have been furiously ‘value-
adding’ for the past 15 years (given a certain definition of value). In the UK
at least this has lead to operator branded phones, an operator defined
catalogue of phones available to buy, operator ‘enhanced’ phone firmware,
operator apps, highstreet operator-run shops and plenty more failed projects
including music stores, walled content gardens, etc etc.

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
At least Verizon is well-poised to be the one carrier that truly benefits from
the move being "mere pipes", simply because they have long been the US carrier
with the "best" coverage and reliability.

~~~
robin_reala
I’m not USian so I have no direct experience, but the reviews of the Verizon
iPhone4 are showing about half the upload and two thirds the download speeds
that users are getting on AT&T. Is AT&T’s coverage really bad enough to
warrant that drop in speed?

~~~
ptomato
In SF and NY? (And some other major cities) Yes, yes it is.

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guelo
What I wonder is if Verizon will continue with their massive Android
advertising, without it Android's U.S. numbers might slow down. It is very
interesting that Motorola's best new Android phone, the Atrix, is an ATT
exclusive.

Fun times!

~~~
neild
Verizon advertises the Droid, not Android. And the Droid brand belongs to
Verizon.

The fact that "Android" and "Droid" are becoming synonymous for many people is
very, very good for Verizon.

~~~
kenjackson
Can Verizon label a non-Android phone as a Droid?

~~~
chopsueyar
Droid is a trademark, owned my Lucasfilm, for which verizon pays licensing
rights.

It would be up to the terms of the licensing agreement, but it is possible.

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thecasper
I had a 1st gen iPhone the day they came out. Loved that phone. Sadly I
couldn't stand AT&T's customer service. So I went to verizon and bought a
Droid. Loved that phone too, but anymore I just want a iPhone again. I miss
having my easy integration with my contacts, iTunes, and iPhoto

Anyways I will be waiting till this summer for when the next generation
supposedly comes out.

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iqster
In the next few days we'll find out if the problems were with the network,
with the phone, or both.

~~~
glhaynes
Nope. iPhones have for a long time now been available on tons of carriers all
over the world. The phone's fine (though not great).

