In alt.cellular.attws SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:
>
>> Apple is nothing if not about planned obsolecense and upgrades. With a
>> company like Verizon, users will have to go through the hassle of calling up
>> Verizon, buying a Verizon blessed [i]phone and then get it activated. With
>> GSM, Apple simply releases a new iPhonse [unlocked ... but that is in the
>> future] and a user is free to just take the SIM out of the old one and put it
>> in the new one.
>
> I've activated many phones on Verizon without ever calling them, or
> having to open the phone. It takes just a few seconds on-line to
> activate the phone.
>

Right ... but it has to be a Verizon approved phone.

> Buying a new iPhone from a Verizon store would not be materially more
> difficult than buying one from an Apple or AT&T store.
>

True ... but later, when it is not AT&T exclusive, you can buy one anywhere
and just put your SIM in it. Another major market for Apple is Europe, which
is mostly GSM, so that is another advantage to their choice of technology.


>> That alone seems like a major reason to me.
>
> If on-line activation versus swapping a SIM seems like a major reason,
> then you haven't been paying attention, since Apple first approached
> Verizon for the iPhone they obviously weren't too concerned about this
> issue. The major reason they wanted Verizon was because Verizon has
> significantly more retail subscribers (and continues to increase their
> lead in retail customers versus AT&T); it had nothing to do with GSM
> versus CDMA. It's all about subscriber growth and sales potential. They
> did what any company would do--try to get their product into the channel
> with the largest sales potential.
>

You missed my point. You can only activate Verizon approved phones on their
network [even via the online tool]. Verizon has promised to open this up, but
they also promised to go to pro-rated early termination fees and I haven't
seen that materialize ... so vapor is vapor until otherwise revealed.

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse

In the land of the dark the Ship of the Sun is driven by the Grateful Dead.
-- Egyptian Book of the Dead