Think Verizon Will Do A Better Job With The iPhone? Think Again.

It seems to be an agreed-upon point of view within the Digirati crowd that AT&T is killing the iPhone. If “killing” is not your bowl of soup, then we can substitute “is highly detrimental,” “the Achilles heel,” or “the main reason I switched to another smartphone.” But aside from the few high-profile and outspoken members of the Digirati community, what real reasons exist to prove that AT&T is really the “dark side” in the relationship? In this article, I dissect the great plethora of FUD, bogus, and unfounded claims about AT&T wireless as it relates to the Apple iPhone.

It’s the network, huh?

Those who have voiced and continue to voice their opinions about AT&T’s quality of cellular service as it relates to the iPhone seem to be focusing their attention on one falsely-conceived assumption: that the iPhone would be better off on a different network, such as Verizon Wireless. However, those who think so haven’t thought it all the way through. Here’s why: the iPhone is the kind of device that is extremely easy to use. It makes many features very user friendly – SMS, email and web browsing all shine on the device thanks in part to its awesome user interface. Remember when those features were completely not user friendly on other phones? Both of my parents (who have never used mobile web browsing, SMS, or email on their Motorola RAZRs) now use SMS, email and the browser regularly on their iPhones. In that regard, the iPhone – by its very nature – increases the usability of data by an enormous amount! It’s a device that takes what have been “geek only” features and brings them to the mainstream.

Knowing this, we can conclude that iPhone users consume exponentially more data than non-iPhone users. So here is my question to all those who think that the iPhone would be better off on Verizon/another carrier: do you really think that another carrier would be able to handle the exponentially greater data load brought on by the iPhone any better than AT&T does?

Think about it before you answer. Seriously, keep thinking. If you think that GSM/HSDPA (AT&T network technology) is in some way inferior to CDMA (Verizon network tech) and you are not a wireless network engineer, you have no idea what you’re talking about. There, I said it! I’ve spoken to dozens of cellular network engineers around my area from all four major carriers, and all of them state that while the underlying technologies differ greatly, what really determines the quality of the network is its implementation and the quality of the backhaul.

So who is to say that Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile would do a better job than AT&T is doing with the iPhone, given the increased data load the device brings on the network?

Personal experience

Everyone has a personal experience with their cellular device. You hear these stories all the time: “I hate (insert carrier name here) because when I step into the very South East corner of my apartment, put on my cowboy hat, place my left hand on my right ear, and then stand on my tippy-toes I lose service.” Know what I’m talking about? Sure you do! Let me tell you my experience with iPhone 3G S: ever since it fell into my hands on June 19, 2009 (launch date), I have not had one dropped call and have never lost service (had zero bars). You read that right – it has never happened to me. Sure, I’m not in the Digerati capital of the world (San Francisco area). But I’m not in the boonies either – I live less than five minutes driving distance from Boca Raton, FL. Sure it’s not as densely packed as an urban conglomerate such as New York City or San Fran. But everyone I know has a cell phone and so do their 10 year-old kids (iPhones, even).

Show me the evidence!

Having said that, I see absolutely no reason to wish that the iPhone be available on a different exclusive carrier in the U.S. So after thinking it through, you should be careful what you wish for – as the saying goes. Actually, there is one reason that I want the iPhone to be available on multiple wireless carriers: competition, which can happen on multiple levels: plan price, quality of service, or device price, among others. But let me be clear: competition is good for the consumer (and in some cases, for the companies). I’m in no way dissatisfied with AT&T wireless when it comes to the iPhone.

Really?

Perhaps I’m not understanding exactly what is going on here and iPhone users in San Francisco are suffering terribly from dropped calls and poor service. If that is the case, AT&T should look into fixing its service in that area. But – again – let me point out that the dissatisfaction with AT&T as it relates to the iPhone is overblown, overhyped, and – in my experience – only affects the (very) outspoken few. So leave AT&T alone!

In a future post, I will discuss the technical reasons why it’s not in Apple’s best interest, or the interest of me as a consumer, to switch iPhone exclusivity from AT&T to another carrier.

Posted in ATT, Apple, Celluar, De-FUD, Decisions, Featured, iPhone