Posts Tagged ‘apple’

Verizon’s Droid X Ads Mocks iPhone 4′s Woes

July 7th, 2010

With Apple’s iPhone 4 suffering from antenna issues Verizon Wireless is trying to capitalize on the glitch with full page ads in the New York Times touting the imminent debut of Motorola’s Droid X, emphasizing the reliability of its double antenna design.

“And most importantly, it comes with a double antenna design,” reads the ad. “The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make calls.”

The antenna issues stem from reports that users have experienced poor signal and dropped calls when holding the iPhone 4 in their left hand, which makes their palm cover a seam that separates the device’s two perimeter radio antennas.

Some have even complained that just touching the seam results in loss of signal.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs didn’t help the matter any by admonishing those with complaints to simply “just avoid holding it that way.”

The next generation of Droid, which some have called “the fastest phone I’ve seen so far” and “easy to use,” arrives on July 15.

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Verizon Wireless to Get iPhone January 2011

June 30th, 2010

For a while now speculation has abounded about when Verizon Wireless would release an Apple iPhone of its own to challenge AT&T’s monopoly of the popular smartphone. Last month the speculation reached a fever pitch when it was revealed that Verizon would announce a release date at this month’s Apple’s Worldwide developers’ conference. As we all know, that never happened, but according to Bloomberg news the Apple iPhone will be available on Verizon Wireless beginning January 2011.

“Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends,” said UBS AG analyst John Hodulik. “It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.”

Analysts say the move is inevitable for Apple as it tries to spread the load of its ever data hungry smartphones over multiple wireless data networks.

It also means a tougher time for Google Android OS-based smartphone users who currently top billing and discount prices to lure them into choosing an alternative to the Apple iPhone which is currently unavailable on Verizon Wireless.

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AT&T Not Worried About Verizon iPhone

May 21st, 2010

AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega said at the recent JPMorgan tech conference that it’s not really worried about Verizon possibly carrying the iPhone on its network as well.

Why? Because switching wireless carriers is still pretty tricky to do.

He said some 70% of AT&T’s subscribers are on family plans, and it would be difficult to move everyone over to a new carrier.

Additionally, 40 percent of subscribers are part of corporate plans, and employers are unlikely to switch company-owned devices for a new carrier. The CEO added that “churn” rates (i.e., a measure of customers leaving) for AT&T are staying at record-low rates, so he expects that iPhone customers will remain loyal.

So just as AT&T has never been able to get more than roughly 40% of each quarter’s U.S. iPhone buyers to switch over from other carriers, it’s unlikely that huge numbers AT&T’s iPhone customers will rush out the door if a Verizon iPhone hits the market.

Verizon iPhone rumors gained heat in March when it was reported Apple was preparing to produce a CDMA-compatible iPhone in September. CDMA is the standard used on Verizon phones.

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Verizon and Google Working on Own iPad

May 14th, 2010

Verizon Wireless is pulling out all the stops to compete with AT&T and its exclusivity contracts with Apple. Verizon’s already likely to lose out on getting the iPhone despite it having been predicted to debut this September, supposedly in a quid pro quo for dropping the price of data connection fees for Apple’s iPad.

So to hedge its bets it’s been working ever more closely with Google and its emerging line of Android OS-based gadgets. Google is carving out an increasing share of the mobile phone market and Verizon’s been keen to make sure it takes advantage of any opportunities it sees along the way.

In fact, Verizon’s chief executive, Lowell McAdam, says that the two are even partnering to develop and carry a rival to Apple’s iPad.

“What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?” he told the The Wall Street Journal. “We’re working on tablets together, for example. We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.”

There’s no mention on when we can expect a rival tablet, but knowing Apple has some competition in the iPad game is alone welcome news.

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Will AT&T’s iPad Deal Delay Verizon iPhone?

May 10th, 2010

According to an analyst, AT&T and Apple probably have a deal in place that extends the mobile carrier’s exclusive deal with the iPhone in exchange for a heavily-discounted data plan pricing for the iPad.

His reasoning goes a little something like this: Apple hasn’t been happy with AT&T’s network performance for the iPhone. AT&T wanted to remain the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Apple phone, keeping it out of rival Verizon Wireless’ hands. So it offered a generous and recurring monthly data program for the iPad.

“AT&T had to do something dramatic to get the iPad,” says Brian Marshall of BroadPoint AmTech. He says AT&T’s move was to discount their normal wireless data plans by some 50% to entice iPad customers.

As part of the tit-for-tat, AT&T got what it wanted. “For that pricing [on the iPad], AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension on the iPhone exclusive,” Marshall said.

Most people had expected the AT&T-Apple deal to expire this summer, three years after the two companies first partnered on the iPhone. That would opened the door for Verizon to sell the iPhone later this year.

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Verizon Wireless: Verizon iPhone is “Apple’s Call”

April 7th, 2010

Asked whether Verizon Wireless will carry an Apple iPhone, Verizon Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said “it’s their call,” and that “eventually it’s our view we’ll get to carrying Apple.”

The comment follows a recent Wall Street Journal story that said Apple would start making phones compatible with Verizon’s current CDMA network later this year.

That story was significant because many iPhone customers have complained of poor service from AT&T, and the carrier has acknowledged that its data network has been unacceptably slow during peak hours in cities with a high concentration of iPhone users, such as San Francisco and New York.

In particular Sedenberg said he would hope to be able to sell an iPhone that supports a Long Term Evolution (LTE) high-speed fourth generation (4G) network the company is building.

Verizon expects to offer 4G services later this year and that the first phones supporting those services would show up around the middle of 2010.

An iPhone on the Verizon Wireless network would allow Apple to likely double its current US marketshare of smartphones.

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Verizon Also Getting Apple’s “iTablet?”

January 22nd, 2010

Some say the fact that the hotly anticipated Apple Tablet will feature a wireless chip made by Qualcomm confirms that Apple has chosen Verizon to be one of its wireless carrier partners.

Next week Apple is expected to announce the release of a new tablet dubbed the “iTablet” and rumor has it that Verizon has been chosen to be one of the wireless carrier partners.

“This makes sense for Apple,” says Nielsen Wireless analyst Roger Entner. “It behooves them to build a relationship with a company they haven’t worked with yet.”

Apple is expected to unveil the Tablet next week and make it available for sale in March, though the sale date might be delayed until June due to component supply shortages.

The Tablet will also include a docking station, according to Northeast Securities’ Kumar. This could be a crucial feature for consumers who harbor an ongoing love affair with keyboards. For those unsatisfied with touchscreen typing, a dock would connect to a keyboard and mouse.

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