What could possibly come after the
iPhone 3GS? The iPhone 3GSS, of course! Joking aside, turns out
Apple's already dropped the
4G bomb on one of its job postings in May 2009 while seeking for a "Cellular Technology Software Manager" with "expert knowledge of... WCDMA/UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, LTE etc." That's right,
LTE. Now, we're not saying this means a 4G-powered iPhone is next in line in the annual product cycle, nor does this listing confirm Apple's favored 4G radio (be it a
decoy or an eventual change of heart), but given
AT&T's interest in LTE plus its prolonged love affair with Cupertino, it's pretty hard to not consider LTE as a realistic option on future Apple portables. Frankly, it won't be the end of the world if a 4G iPhone fails to turn up this summer -- most of us here would rather have something with improved battery life, real
multitasking, and 720p camera over those insane data speeds. No,
really.
[Thanks, Bryan]
posted March 25th 2010 11:35PM
Engadget, pleeeeze do NOT joke about the "SS" --
Hitler would be very dissapointed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34laa3sqpQ0
@rdrunner LOL. That was me yelling at my computer when I was watching the launch live.
@futurerheza
ahhhhh.....don't worry about it. don't bother yourself with trivial stuff. remember to enjoy your gadgets and spend quality time with the people you love. let the big corporations sort things out themselves and always take things with a grain of salt and with a light heart. you'll live longer and be happier. heck, i'm just here for the entertainment. =)
@futurerheza are you crazy I am an admitted iPhone hater and I know they'll release something to entice their customer base. Their biggest problem this year is the evo is going to blow then out the water
@rdrunner
My 3GS already has Palm Pre-style multitasking and as much Flash as I want (none) so all I'd really like to see in the next gen is a front-facing camera. I guess a bit higher screen res wouldn't hurt either, perhaps taking up a touch more of the front fascia.
2010 - 4th Gen iPhone with no 4G
2011 - 5th Gen iPhone with LTE 4G on Verizon and AT&T
@The Advanced Kind
i will wait for the version with Flash, multitasking, and swappable batteries. thanks
@The Advanced Kind
I'd bet on that.
@The Advanced Kind
Except you're WRONG about Verizon.
Keep kidding yourselves haters. Apple and AT&T are in it for the long run and they know that exclusivity is helping them.
Verizon spat on Apple and Jobs. There's no going back from that. And clearly Apple doesn't need big red at all. Hasn't stopped them from selling millions of iPhones.
@TheLondonExchange
You dint know how many times i've heard "iPhone coming to Verizon!" already. It's not happening.
Plus it would be dumb for VZ to put all that money into that "DROID Does" ad campaign, and then a year later say "Hey we're getting the iPhone!".
@ThreeDee912 Dumb? Since when did making money hand over fist become "dumb?" Securing Apple would DRASTICALLY undercut their lead rival's number one asset, and would reel in the 30% of my friends who would love an iPhone but either can't get AT&T coverage or hate AT&T with a white hot passion that said hatred would cause them to remove a finger before giving the company a dime. Such reversals happen all the time in the name of profit, although given Cupertino's penchant for grudge holding, I wouldn't bet on it. But I'd bet my mortgage that Verizon would hop in bed with AT&T faster than a frat boy would hop in bed with a drunk sorority girl whose nickname is "the Pele of Anal". And yes, I stole that.
@The Advanced Kind
There will be an LTE iPhone on Verizon, just not by Apple.
This is how it will happen: The iPhone Dev-Team is proud to present you, the iPhone on Verizon. After that all the mac fanboys would be singing the Christmas carol featuring big red.
@TheLondonExchange
It’s taken Apple 3 years to sell 20 million iPhones on AT&T. So does that mean they will have sold 40 million iPhones in the next 3 years? I doubt it… that would mean that half of AT&T’s customers are iPhone users. It would be amazing… but that will never happen.
Some people have no desire to switch carriers. Maybe they are on family plans and just don’t want the hassle… or their work pays for their phones… etc.
It’s been 3 years already… and we’re almost at the beginning of the 4th year of the iPhone. If you haven’t switched to AT&T by now… you probably won’t. So much for Apple's growth.
Meanwhile… EVERY carrier is getting the Nexus One… as well as other amazing Android phones, Windows Phone 7 whatever, and people still love their Blackberries too.
Dontcha think Apple has gone about as far as they can with their marriage to AT&T? I disagree with you... the only one that is being helped by the exclusivity is AT&T. People want the iPhone... and people have switched to AT&T for it. AT&T is the winner. They get new customers because of the iPhone... because nobody would switch to AT&T to get some dumb flip-phone.
So... if the iPhone is what people really want... and they could get it on every carrier... that's how Apple would the big winner. You know the iPhone is already the highest selling single phone in the US... beating the old record set by the multi-carrier RAZR. Imagine how many iPhones they could have sold if it wasn't tied to only one carrier?
Sure, Apple has sold plenty of iPhones without Verizon. But, they could have sold TWICE as many if they were also on Verizon! And that means twice the app store sales, twice the iTunes sales… everything.
Sure… Apple doesn’t *need* Big Red… but why wouldn’t they *want* them!
There's probably never gonna be another surge in iPhone sales in the US. So, however many iPhones are sold on AT&T... that will be the "artificial" limit. I guess we'll never know how many iPhones they *could* have sold. I know I would have bought an iPhone on Verizon long ago... actually 2 by now... oh well.
So why limit yourself to only one outlet? What if Ragu was only sold in one grocery store.. and Prego was only sold in another? Does that ever make sense?
@Michael Scrip
Your last statement is proof that we need more phones similar to the nexus one where they are not sold by the carriers, but by the manufacturers. If this were to happen carriers could compete with each other based on their services or better yet, their internet speeds... It feels ridiculous that we have to be locked into 2 year contracts and such...
@The Advanced Kind
You won't see an LTE iPhone for Verizon that soon. Verizon LTE coverage will be very patchy until at least 2014 and an LTE iPhone won't be able to fall back onto Verizon's 2G/3G network.
@dark star I am waiting for this one too.
@xbit -- "Verizon LTE coverage will be very patchy until at least 2014 and an LTE iPhone won't be able to fall back onto Verizon's 2G/3G network."
Would any LTE phone be able to fall back on Verizon's old network? Seems like there needs to be some sort of crossover between the 2 networks. This transition is not gonna happen overnight.
I'm not so much concerned when LTE will be turned on... I just wanna know when CDMA will be shut OFF.
As soon as Verizon announces when CDMA will be shut off... then 2 years prior to that is when they will have to stop selling CDMA phones. They have to let people with CDMA phones let their 2 year contracts expire and get new LTE phones... before they can turn off CDMA.
It's taken decades for cell phone networks to get where they are today... how long until LTE can fully replace it?
So... if CDMA will still be active for the next few years... then why doesn't Apple just make a CDMA iPhone now? Since the Nexus One is on its way soon to Verizon... we know that CDMA will still be around for at least 2 more years. Google obviously thinks CDMA is the way to go for now... Motorola does too since they recently launched the Droid... and every other company that will launch a new CDMA Verizon phone this year.
If all these companies can make both a GSM and a CDMA version of their phone... why doesn't Apple do it... and start selling more iPhones now?!?!
I agree that LTE is the future... but I don't think Apple can wait 4 more years for Verizon's LTE to be fully rolled out. Apple's announcement would go something like this:
" 7 years after we revolutionized the mobile phone market... we're finally doing something that other companies have been doing for decades... we're selling the iPhone on 2 carriers... the iPhone on Verizon - Summer 2014 "
@Michael Scrip
You forget however in your calculations, that AT&T doesn't need more customers to help Apple with sales, and that if iPhone hardware sales double, then that doesn't necessarily mean it's because half of AT&T's customers have iPhones....
There are a TON of current Original iPhone and iPhone 3G customers that are now able to renew their contracts, and that turns into them getting the new iPhone, and staying with AT&T for 2 more years. (Like me)
It all just equals hardware sales. Sales of different iPhones to one customer.
I actually have not had ANY problems with AT&T, but then again I am probably one of their longest customers, and get awesome data and voice connectivity in Pittsburgh.
@Michael Scrip
I mostly agree with you. But I also agree with other posters who stated quite rightly that Big red spit on Steve jobs, and it;s gonna not only take some real serious begging, but the king of subsidies and pricing and policy changes Verizon is just not comfortable with to lure Apple back. Further, NO WAY IN HELL is there going to be an iPhone on Verizon unless it can do concurrent voice and data, which means Verizon's needs to deploy a whole new network first (because if they lag AT&T on coverage, thy loose).
t-mobile is next. Then maybe sprint since they're changing direction and committing to LTE too. Verizon will get last dibbs.
@The Advanced Kind
The problem is that most people (yes, most) are not very well educated on cell phone technology and primarily buy their phones based on word of mouth.
How many people go online and do a 3 hours research on which phone is better? How many people know the difference between OLE, AMOLED, TFT, etc?
How many people know the difference between the cortex A8 processors?
Well I don’t think many do.
Most people get the phone based on what their friends got, so if someone gets the iPhone without knowing too much about technology, they will definitively be impressed (comparing it to their old RAZR) so now they spread the word to their friends, and so on so forth.
People that come here to research and be up-to-date is a small percentage.
Seriously, HTC has been selling phones on AT&T since 2005 and how many people have been buying them? Not many since they rather get the Valentine's day special on the LG Chocolate. It's all based on the media and that's the reason why I think the iPhone sold so many phones in the US market.
Now with so many choices, people getting more educated and new technologies, I believe people will spend more money on their phones and look for better specs.
@beckhams777 I agree with all of that except for the part about people eventually caring about specs. They won't. They really won't. People just want something that looks cool and works. I would bet that less than a half of 1% of phone users know or care about basic phone specs like processor or RAM. Hell, most people I know don't even know what a processor is or what RAM is. They just want something that first and foremost looks cool. Then they want that cool looking thing to work. Plain and simple. The nerd echo chamber is strong on Engadget but the average consumer doesn't care about what people who cruise gadget blogs care about.
@beckhams777
OMG you have tunnel vision and you are a NERD. lmao
Seriously, people buy iPhones because they are pretty awesome, easy to use, and replace the need to carry around an ipod (that before the iPhone MOST people had). I love it when people spew out specs and claim that everyone is a stupid sheep for buying a popular product. How insulting!
@pvito
Yup, exactly. Nerds on gadget blogs will tell you all day how horrible the iPhone is, but the reality is that the phone is pretty fantastic. Besides the fact that it's integrated with the iPod, it's easy to use and has a nice web browser and the world's best selection of mobile applications and games. For most of us out there, there's really nothing not to like about it.
@BMills -- "Sales of different iPhones to one customer."
I understand that... right now, the only people who can buy iPhones are AT&T customers. A lot of 3GS customers were original iPhone 1G customers. So, many iPhones sold today are probably to an existing iPhone user. They're just keepin' it in the family... the AT&T family.
But, there's gonna be a point when everybody on AT&T who wants an iPhone, has one already. Then what? There are 172 million other people on different carriers who might actually want an iPhone... but don't wanna go through the hassle of switching carriers... changing family plans, etc.
What is Apple gaining by being on only 1 of the 4 carriers in the US? You know AT&T loves it... they've got the hottest phone on the planet. But what does Apple get? They get an artificial limit to the number of customers they could have.
@zelannii -- "But I also agree with other posters who stated quite rightly that Big red spit on Steve jobs"
Spit on? Apple and Verizon began their talks in 2005. Here's what happened:
"Apple wanted a percentage of the monthly cellphone fees, say over how and where iPhones could be sold and control of the relationship with iPhone customers, said Jim Gerace, a Verizon Wireless vice president. "We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn't reach a deal that was mutually beneficial."
Is that being spit on? It's just business. Furthermore, 5 years have passed, and the whole mobile phone industry has changed. I think it's time to restart the talks. Verizon allows open Android phones, WIFI on their phones, and everything is a lot different than in 2005.
-- "NO WAY IN HELL is there going to be an iPhone on Verizon unless it can do concurrent voice and data"
Tell that to every new phone that launches on Verizon... like the "super phone" Nexus One. Obviously Google and HTC don't have a problem with it. Neither did Motorola and the Droid. 5 companies make 20 different smartphones for Verizon. What made them do it?
@ebgolfin Well, the iPhone is pretty horrible software-wise. The arguments made about the software's limitations are well-thought-out and deserve consideration. At the same time, however, the iPhone is still a really nice piece of industrial design; along with the Blackberry designs since 2006, the RAZR and a few other phones, it is the best piece of useful art available. For those who care about aesthetics than about function, the iPhone offers much in the way of appeal.
The other thing is that most people, it's the first phone that is more-technically advanced than the RAZRs and flips they've carried around for several years. Most people don't upgrade phones every year, largely because they aren't on an Everything Data-type or Simply Everything kind of plan. If anything, they will resist upgrading to a smartphone until either they get the hankering for one (usually after a friend shows them one in action), they have to buy a new phone or they buy a messenger/near-smartphone such as an LG Rumor or Samsung Exclaim.
Ultimately, the average Engadget reader is more-knowledgeable about technology than the average cellphone owner. But, unless he has a significant other who isn't technologically savvy or is known among his pals as the smartest guy in his circle about tech, he has little influence on most phone decisions. People think about tech on their own terms, within their own values and based on their own needs; my best friend is more-excited about the latest netbook (because he writes everywhere) than about phones; he still owns an old Motorola that has an antenna that pops out. As much as my opinion may be valued by my father-in-law, for example, I'm still the young dude who's banging his daughter. Therefore my opinion on phones (and that of my brother-in-law) is always suspect. And, hell, since my mother is an IT vice president, my thoughts on tech are just plain mud.
True story...I've never looked at an iPhone screen...is it really that crappy? How the hell are people reading books on that?
@kspraydad
The picture is pretty crappy quality. The iPhone screen is the best multitouch out there and among the best in resolution. No it doesnt look that bad in person.
@Beinss
It's actually among the worst in resolution.
The screen is very bad at angles. Very washed out. He wasn't talking about its multi-touch capabilities.
@kspraydad
obvious troll is obvious.
GTFO
The iPhone has one of the best screens I've ever seen on a phone. Regardless of whether it's resolution is as nice as the Evo 4G or the Nexus One it hardly makes a difference.
@Beinss
among the best in resolution? I hope you are joking.
Ever heard of the droid? How about the nexus one? How about the other billion phones with higher res than the iPhone?
@TheLondonExchange Oh, I didnt know you've witnessed an EVO 4G. And have you put a nexus ones screen next to an iphones? The AMOLED dominates, with amazing deep blacks and pretty colors.
*is N1 fanboy but I dont care I love mine
@B3astofthe3ast did you ever try to look at amoled in the sunlight? one of the reasons i sold my nexus was because i couldn't read a thing in the sun. this is why i still prefer lcd over amoled.
@B3astofthe3ast
I said even if it's not as nice as the nexus one's
I KNOW that the iPhone's resolution isn't as high as those other phones...
It did come out months before them after all right? I'd HOPE that these companies would at least have put a better screen (spec wise). Not that that has helped android sell any better...
My point is that regardless of screen resolution we're still dealing with small phones and it hardly makes that much of difference to me. And as I mentioned below the average consumer couldn't give two shits about specs...so it's all just a moot argument that the anti apple people use to justify not buying the iPhone.
You and I know both know you'll never buy an iPhone...umm okay that's fine. You're the one who's missing out. However don't delude yourself into thinking that you're better than me because you're not rocking the hottest phone on the market right now. You're not "emo cool" because you're anti apple. Only on engadget where all the trolls are will you be popular. In real life you represent a small fraction of haters.
@untrueparadox Honestly, Its impossible to read unless you turn up the brightness...I have no problems reading the screen with the brightness all the way up.
@TheLondonExchange Your point is moot because unlike your iphone, these phones dont have small screens. At 3.7 and 4.3 inches, the Droid, N1s, and EVOs screen truly show what a difference the extra pixels can make.
I don't hate apple, and I don't want the iphone simply because it doesn't fit my needs for having a phone that can be customized, can multitask, and handle messaging and email the way Android does. I got a G1 when it first came out, loved it, and I doubt I'll be switching to another platform anytime soon.
You and everyone else can enjoy your iphones for all I care, but don't come belittling our phones, especially in an area where they are clearly superior than the iphone.
@TheLondonExchange
Hi London...what is trollish about my question. I have honestly never picked up or looked at or used an iPhone. If the image is a bad one...that is all that needed to be said no?
Obivious internet bully is obvious.
@kspraydad
If you want an unbiased opinion look else where than engadget. If you want the hater 's opinion, which will be highly/highest ranked due to the sheer amount of Microsoft fanboys and Apple haters, read the comment above. Usually pro Apple comments get down rated here so they are deemed "untrustworthy" or automatically deemed Apple lovers.
In conclusion, don't ask engadget commenters on any things Apple. Find a different site.
BTW. This may be down ranked again due to the amount of Microsoft fanboys not liking criticism an the fact that they THINK engadget is pro Apple. Which they are not. Which then they will talk about engadget supported by Apple or AOL or some other BS. My point? Don't ask engadget commenters for an unbiased opinion of Apple tech.
@kspraydad
BTW- I love my iPhone. It's the best phone I've ever had. I wish youtube video was crisper but that's really my only complaint. I live in Ohio and have full reception throughout the city in which I live. I have used Android with and without the Sense UI and find it a lacking in both cases. I enjoy the simplicity of my iPhone and the ecosystem it employs. I appreciate the close ecosystem and appreciate the fact that it must be approved and makes me feel secure, even though it may not be;) I should also point out that I actually PAY for apps and don't have to steal/jailbreak to enjoy my iPhone. AGAIN- you can't listen to many of the commenters here. Geeks and tech lovers alike hold fast to the camp they support and it can get ugly. Just look at the iPhone for YOURSELF and see if YOU like it.
@TheLondonExchange
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/iphones-lcd-screen-beats-nexus-ones-oled-display/
@kspraydad Quick answer the screen is great. Others might have better specs but in real life performance the iPhone dominates. There are lots of haters on both sides so don't listen to either side go and try all of them (no N1 at stores tho).
Don't compare specs between different OS's since it's a fools comparison. Even with a 1GHz snapdragon an Android phone barely competes with an iPhone 3GS @ 600 MHz. The first iPhones ran @ 412 MHz and the speed jump between them is huge in real life tests.
Btw there is a modified Android OS that blows the sox out of the Google version. It is not available in any current phone tho.
@B3astofthe3ast
I don't hate Apple either. I also don't love it. Same goes for Android or Windows Phone. Honestly, I think most opinions on this site are completely juvenile - people "choose" sides and then become fanboys, bashing the other side. Myself, I make rational evaluations of products and then choose which one best fits my needs, like you. I've owned Palms (PalmOS as well as WinMo), HTC WinMo phones, whatever. Recently when I was deciding how to upgrade I was leaning towards Android, but unfortunately a work project involving developing an iPhone app made the decision for me.
Anyway, I've been pretty happy with the iPhone all in all and to make a long story short, you're wrong on most counts of why you wouldn't choose an iPhone. The iPhone can be customized to hell and back, either officially or through jailbreaking. It can also multitask (I'm not just talking about music and email, any app at all) through jailbreaking. Yes, it's true you do need to jailbreak to maximize the capabilities of the iPhone, but the exact people who clamor for this sort of control are the exact ones for whom jailbreaking is dead simple. As for "handle messaging and email", I'm not really sure where you're going with that one. What exact features are missing?
@tonicboy I realize jailbreaking opens many doors for iphone users, but as far as I can tell, its not as tweakable as Android, especially since my N1 is rooted and I can load a custom ROM, tweaked in every way to my liking at will.
I'm not fond of the iPhones "app grid"; I prefer androids custom screens where you place apps and widgets where your heart desires. I'm also fond of live wallpapers.
In terms of email, I haven't seen anything hold a candle to the Gmail experiance on Android, but that is to be expected.
@TheLondonExchange yeah I would have to disagree. After owning every iPhone generation and now having a nexus one there is a huge difference in screen quality. The iPhone isn't bad but it also doesn't hold a candle to the Droid N1, or the HD2.
@think before you react that's a great post and although I am now in a different "camp" than you are this is really the only way you can truelly find a phone that suits your needs. Don't take enadget comments seriously because you will never find the phone (or other gadget) that you really like. And if you do find a product that you like keep your options open and try out other products cause or you will never really appreciate your investment or u might even find something better. There is way to much fanboy/product bashing that goes on in the comments on sites like these.
@B3astofthe3ast
I'd like to hear what kind of things you want to tweak. Not to doubt you but more for my own sake because in a year or so I'll be back on the market and I'll have to decide once again what phone is best for me. I'm making a mental list of everything I could possibly want to do with a smartphone so I can compare and contrast. So far, I haven't been able to find anything I wanted to do that I couldn't, and I'm a pretty geeky guy, as a web developer. After all, once you get past Apple's barriers, you're looking at a Unix-based mobile OS that has all sorts of untapped power.
You want widgets? Done. You want to change the grid layout? Done. You want to add a skin? Done. You want custom app icons? Done. You want to customize the lock screen? Done. You want multitasking and app switching? Done. You want to enable wifi-only apps for 3G? Done. You want tethering? Done. You want to enable your phone as a mass storage device? Done. You want a custom keyboard layout? Done. You want to customize the status bar info and layout? Done. Want to replace the default SMS app? Done.
Even though I don't use GMail, I would expect that the experience would indeed be best on Android, so you've got me there. But, that has nothing to do with iPhone OS, it's just that that is one of Google's family jewels and they'll keep the best for themselves.
Of course, after all that is said and done you'd still have to ask yourself why you would choose iPhone over Android and the short answer is... apps. Seriously, that is the one thing that would make it so hard for me to leave the Apple ecosystem. The amount of software available is staggering. I've been browsing the Android Market at AndroidZoom.com and really, it will be another year at least before they're competitive with Apple's App Store. Not to mention that the games suck on Android (Labyrinth is one of the top games, really?!). Oh, and 75% of apps are available for free, if you're the unscrupulous sort ;), and the paid ones are cheaper than their Android counterparts.
@tonicboy I do agree that the app selection on the iPhone easily bests Androids app selection, especially in the games, but it is slowly getting better. I also feel as though Android has more functionality out of box, with free navigation, google apps, etc.
As far as tweaking goes, there is so much you can play around with on a nexus one, especially if you hang around XDA-developers. Between all the custom ROMs and hacks you can do, as well as a plethora of options and settings, you can really make the phone exactly how you want. I know you can do that with an iphone, but there aren't different flavors of the iphones OS to play with, like Sense UI, MotoBlur, etc,
Honestly, I think the iPhone is a great platform for those with the knowhow to jailbreak and customize it. However, I'm far too accustomed to android to switch.
@The Advanced Kind
the higher resolution wouldn't do much for me if I couldn't watch my iTunes movies and TV shows on it. It's the iTunes content that gives the iPhone its biggest advantage over phones with superior displays, processors (like Snapdragon), and higher resolution and AMOLED brightness.
@B3astofthe3ast
Did you notice on the spec list, however, that the EVO only supports only 65,536 colors, just like the HD2?
@angermeans
You know, you can buy a Ferrari with a sexy body and fast engine, then constantly tinker and tweak it to make it go faster, or buy a Honda Accord and just get in and drive it without worry, cause it'll get you there just as fast, because you're not having to stop and mess with it, Ive had my iPhone for a year now, and I know every morning when I wake up, it will too. To all those who want fast tweakable phones with super OMLED screens, there's nothing wrong with that, that's why we have choices. But I want to get in my car every morning and just drive to work without having to pop the hood.
@B3astofthe3ast http://www.pcworld.com/article/190112/nexus_ones_screen_is_gorgeous_but_with_issues.html