A news
We read a few days ago that Steve Jobs wasn't going to bother to attend the launch event for the iPhone on Verizon because there was little else to say other than state that fact. The report was accurate on both counts.
Rival phone operator AT&T has had the monopoly on the iPhone in the US since it was launched, so this is a big deal for the American market. However, just as when Orange and then the rest of the UK operators got the phone in the UK, consumers shouldn't be fooled into thinking this represents anything resembling price competition.
Verizon will offer the iPhone 4 16GB for $199 and the 32GB for $299 on a two year contract. AT&T lists the iPhone 4 at $199/$299.
There also don't seem to be any hardware changes, bar replacing the old modem with a shiny, new CDMA one. The one feature that seems to be unique to the Verizon iPhone is the ability to use it as a Wi-Fi hotspot for five other devices. Can you do that on the ones we get over here? We'd be grateful for clarification from any iPhone 4 owners.
"We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation's most reliable network," said Lowell McAdam, president and COO of Verizon. "This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century."
"Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can't wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it," said Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer. "We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers."
This deal will get interesting when Apple decides to go 4G. Verizon uses LTE which, as it went to great lengths to stress during CES, has probably the best speeds of any of the 4G claimants. An LTE iPhone would open up a bunch of new opportunities for developers and should see some pretty cool software coming out.
