Why I’m Not Getting a Verizon iPhone

Jan

Why I’m Not Getting a Verizon iPhone

Posted on January 14th, 2011 in Apple, Life and Family, Technology by Fred McKinnon

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I have waited for a couple of years now for the announcement. Finally … it came. Verizon Wireless will have the Apple iPhone in February 2011. Less than a month away. Woo Hoo?

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that I’m an Apple addict. I’ve had Mac-only computers since I graduated from college. My first Mac was a Centris 610. On yeah. Then I graduated to a Quadra. There are (6) Macs in my home right now, believe it or not. (some are just stored in the attic, awaiting the day I take the time to sell them on Ebay).

So it’s only natural that I’d have an iPhone, right? Well … not exactly. The truth is, AT&T’s coverage in our location is spotty at best. I can’t even make a call in my own home. So I’ve stuck with Verizon who gives me signal in almost every place I’ve ever been in the USA. (and that’s a lot of places) So I got tired of waiting for the Verizon iPhone and got the Motorola Droid X last Summer.

So here’s a few reasons why I’m NOT planning on buying a Verizon iPhone in February:

#1. I’m in a new 2-year contract with only 6 months used at Verizon since buying the DroidX, so … checkout my price:

#2. I actually LIKE my DroidX. It’s not without it’s glitches, but the phone is only 6 months old.

#3. I’ve gotten used to (and love) syncing with the Google Cloud – I really don’t even use Apple’s “MobileMe” anymore. “MobileMe” is $99 … Google is FREE.

#4. I can use my phone as an internet modem for my laptop or computer for no extra fee (thanks to PDANet)

#5. So far … there are no must-have apps for my daily use that I can’t get on Android.

That being said – Let me say, I think the iPhone is one of the most amazing technological devices made. I love it. I still “want one” … but I don’t “need one”.

And lastly – my official disclaimer that I may eventually get the iPhone anyway. I’m just not going to be rushing to the Verizon Store on Day #1. For now, my DroidX does everything I need. (with the exception of giving me the iPhone coolness vibe).

How ’bout you … will you be switching?

Beth

Agree! I would never leave Verizon. After being with them for about 11 years and getting a signal in elevators, basements, mountains, and anywhere else while listening to friends complain they can’t get a signal or they’ve had to buy a booster to use their phone in their own home, there is simply no way I’d consider it. Period. I love my Droid. When I see that a product I like has an app advertised for iPhone, I almost always find it on my Droid. Along with all the things you listed, Fred, I am happy with my Droid and Verizon.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Beth,
Awesome – what apps are your faves?

http://www.suttersaga.com Samuel Sutter

I’m in the same boat – i love the apple cool vibe – but I’m really really happy with my droid incredible. Occasionally I’ve used friends Iphones and for what I’m looking for it seems slow and outdated… I’m really hoping Iphone 5 (summer 2011?) will blow ppl away but for now, i’m happy with droid.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Samuel,
Honestly, I think my only Droid regret was not waiting for the Incredible to restock. I’ve played with a lot … it was totally sold out when the DroidX released … but after spending time on both, I honestly think the HTC interface of Android is cooler/simpler than Morotola’s.

http://bernardshuford.tumblr.com Bernard Shuford

No, I won’t be switching. I got my LG Vortex Android free, and the iPhone can’t beat that. The Vortex is a good phone except it doesn’t have a physical keyboard like the Droids. I would prefer that over an iPhone. Probably won’t EVER get an iPhone, to be honest. Even though I like the coolness vibe, too.

Hello, btw, sorry to have not been around for so long.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Bernard,
HEY BRO! No apology needed – life happens, but glad you stopped by! The iPhone doesn’t have the physical keyboard either, so it would be similar to the iPhone in that regard – actually, neither the DroidX or Droid incredible have physical keyboards – just the old Droid and Droid2 … either way, I totally get ya!

http://bernardshuford.tumblr.com Bernard Shuford

Well, I would have got an X or an Incredible, so now I miss the keyboard even less! Blackberry was awesome in that regard, but I hate their OS. I’m sticking with Android, I’m pretty darn sure.

http://mandythompson.com mandythompson

(I’m about 80% sure I’m getting one)

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Miss Mandy Pants,
I can totally see you sporting an iPhone. Had I not gotten the DroidX (and the new 2-year contract pricing that came with it), I would MOST DEFINITELY be getting the iPhone next month.

http://mandythompson.com mandythompson

Can you believe I’ve been smartphone-free for this long?

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

A pretty impressive feat, for sure! (get the Evernote app, install it on your Mac, it’s AWESOME for songwriting! (like I would know, right?)

Beth

That’s a tough one. I’ve been trying to keep myself on the free apps because of some goals I’ve set this year, that said.. I’m a big photo editing junkie and like PhotoWonder the best although my kids really like to play with the PhotoFunia app. For fun we are hooked on Angry Birds, FunnyTest, and GoogleSky (I think that’s what it is, with the stars?). I’ve done a lot of travel in unfamiliar places recently so I’ve used GasBuddy a bit and my Places I’ve used A TON. I also really enjoy the quotes. My sister told me that she recently started using Kindle on her phone. ?? Not sure I can read that much on a phone.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

OK – so I’ve never heard of most of those APPS … will have to check some of them out. My kids love finger bowling, but it has ads at the bottom and top of the lane, and I wind up having all this junk mysteriously installed after my 4-year old plays. We all love Jewels (the Android version of Bejeweled), Invadadroid (space invaders), Mahjong, Whack-A-Mole, NFS Shift, Classic Tetris … yeah, we use it for games quite a bit. I think I’ll do a separate blog post about my productivity apps.

Beth

Mine is the LG Alley. I debated for a few months and test drove a few friends. I liked htc but I have a great dislike for Motorola phones. I have a dear friend who works in designing their phones and tells me never to buy one. Hmm..not reassuring. My Alley has a great keyboard. I also think that Droid’s are really becoming just as “cool” now..am I wrong?

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Totally not wrong … I think they are pretty cool, too – and actually, somewhat “accepted”!

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http://www.facebook.com/people/Todd-C-Barton/627371307 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="627371307">Todd C. Barton</fb:name>

I’m with you, Mr. M… everything I use is available via Droid… the church switched to gmail hosting last year, so even all my email can be done from the phone… we looked at all the plans when our last contract was up, and couldn’t justify the extra expense to have iPhone, esp now that the functionality (and as you noted better service) is available elsewhere… in terms of apps, I can’t get enough of PicSayPro – there’s also a free version, PicSay – but the amount of stuff you can do to your pics is insame – almost Photoshop on your phone… also Doggcatcher, which is a great podcast program (audio and video), and newsreader all in one… both were paid apps, but totally worth it!

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Todd,
Thanks for those apps – I don’t do a lot with photography, the only pics I take are instant pics of the kids, etc … glad you’re enjoying it, though. I’ll definitely have to checkout that podcast/RSS program, though!

http://twitter.com/tpaulding Travis

I’ll be switching as soon as it’s financially feasible. I’m in contract with AT&T on an iPhone but it looks like I’ll be able to sell my iPhone4 on ebay for more than enough to cover my cancellation with AT&T and a new iPhone with Verizon. Just have to get enough $ to get the wife one too. I’ll let the first roll out go and see if there are bugs on the Verizon version but I would guess they already have done that.

Since they turned on 3G here and the church got the microcell I haven’t had a lot of issues with AT&T coverage, its been good enough to keep me there because I love the iPhone. However, Verizon’s network here is better, even though their 3G is noticeably slower, the more reliable coverage will win me back. I’m on wifi most places I need to do anything significant on my phone so speed is not #1. With Verizon I’ll be able to use less minutes in my plan with vzw network calling too.

Fred, FWIW, they have already said that the iPhone on VZW will be able to be a 5-user hotspot just like Droids. You can actually do it on AT&T now too with the unlimited data plan.

As for the Droids, I still haven’t used one that felt good to me. They all seem almost too light, I feel like they’ll break real easy, or they are huge. The glass screen of the iPhone and its scratch resistance is money. Also, I’m friends with a guy who is deep into app development with iOS and Droid and he said that the Droid development will always lag behind because of the multiple versions, update cycles and different input methods. They do get good software, and most of the important things are on both platforms as well. The word on that side of the industry is that the VZW iPhone will hurt the Droid app store because now people can develop for one platform, iOS, and it will be on the two largest networks in the US.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Travis – thanks for the comment .. man, I can’t believe you’d think my DroidX is “light” – it’s a brick! I pretty much agree w/ everything you said, though …

On the wi-fi hotspot, though – is it free? I don’t use the 3G hotspot on the DroidX because you have to pay Verizon for it, and it was not very good … the PDANet doesn’t create a wireless hotspot … it just acts as a modem.

http://mandythompson.com mandythompson

The iPhone is heavier than the Droid? ooohhh…. Does this mean using my shiny new iPhone will be like working out? Benefits all around!

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

I can’t imagine that it would be heavier …
http://twitter.com/tpaulding Travis

There are a lot of Droid phones, not sure where they rank in weight. I was really speaking to feel. The glass & aluminum of the iPhone feels much sturdier and more durable than the droid phones that I have used. Again, it’s preference. But, fact is that the iPhone glass is way more durable, yes you can drop it and break it, but a drop that would break iPhone glass would certainly break any other phone too.

Kevin Eades

I will definitely be ordering the iPhone Feb 3rd! I’ve been holding out for a few months to get one.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Kevin – awesome, you’ll love it.

Natalie

Ummm…Kevin will be using MY upgrade though because his phone isn’t eligible until March. How much should I be charging him for this benefit?

Kristen Bird

My Verizon contract is like yours in that I’ve still got a ways to go before I can renew (probably October of this year). I have the original Droid now and while it does do certain things that drive me crazy I’m willing to stick it out till it’s time to renew. I have to say I’m probably going to stick with a Droid though. I like the formatting better and I’ve gotten very familiar with where things are. I haven’t had issues with finding apps either. I’ve got both Nook and the Kindle apps on my phone and it’s surprising how much I use each. They have some great books online for free! The next phone I get won’t have the slide out keyboard either. This phone has it and I never use it so it just adds weight and chunkiness. I love PDAnet. It has been wonderful to use when the electricity goes out in my apartment and I can’t use my wifi. I like Angry Birds too

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Kristen,
Thanks for the comment! I have the Kindle app on the phone and it works great, but everytime I try to launch the Kindle app on my Mac, it crashes. Sih.

Natalie

Just buy a real Kindle…they’re the best! It has the same cool factor for nerds that you techies get from the iPhone.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

I would, but I don’t read enough (sadly) to justify it! And I’d be more prone to get an iPad if I did that, though clearly, I think the Kindle is getting far better reviews when used as a reading device.

http://mikeymo1741.blogspot.com Mike Mahoney

This is going to be make or break for Android. Wired Magazine (which is entirely written by Apple fanboys) wrote a great piece the other day as to why this will be nothing more than a speedbump in Android’s growth, if that.

The problem (for Apple) is hardware. iOS may be great, but you’re stuck with an iPhone. And if the features in an iPhone don’t suit you, you’re done. And given that Fred (a dedicated Machead) found features that the iPhone doesn’t offer useful, it’s a valid point.

Personally, I think anyone who dumps their current contract for a Verizon iPhone right now is pretty dumb, because they’ll be locked into a contract with an iPhone 4, when the iPhone 5 is due out in June. They’ve waited for years, they should wait a little longer.

My contract is up in March. I will definitely be getting a ‘droid.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Mike,
Good point about the iPhone 5 release .. but I wouldn’t go so far as to call’em “dumb”, haha. The flipside of the Android OS, as Travis mentioned above, is the variations of it. Sometimes, a single iOS on a single hardware makes for a great device. That’s been the model of the Mac hardware all along.

billy taylor

i do not own a cell phone and life is simple, i have a computer, an HP, that meets my needs. sometimes i feel conviction for the time i spend playing with and importance i place on the things i possess when i could be helping someone or doing something for someone other than ME.

I often wonder what Jesus thinks of all this advancement in technology and importance we place on having all this stuff. stuff that is gonna rust, not amount to a thing in the next life. we are playing on computers, listening to ipods, and texting our way into the very presence of King Jesus who is going to ask us to give an account of what we did with what He gave us. Is the life i am Living worthy of the cross and the price He paid?

there are so many people hurting, hungry, homeless, in this country and others, that the money spent on mac computers and iPhones could be put to use to feed, shelter, administer medicine to, all these people that we choose to act like is not there. i don’t mean to rain on the iPhone parade and discussion here, and i do not condemn or judge people with all these things, i just choose to spend and be spent, to be the Eucharist instead of the Eucharist being a ritual that i participate in.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

are you SURE you’re not judging? Kinda sounds like it. But the viewpoint is not uncommon, and one I’ve heard plenty of times before, whether I bought a smartphone, or took a vacation. Yet … for all anyone knows, I’ve given away a larger % of my income to the poor, the Church, etc., than the miser who things it’s worldly to possess those things (clarify: not pointing the finger at Billy here!)

billy taylor

i am definitely sure im not judging, im just trying to express how i feel, the things i wrote are things i struggle with. its important for me to spend and be spent, because i have been the homeless and hungry, and until one has experienced it first hand, one cant understand what its like. no need to defend your decisions.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Billy,
I am totally grateful that you express the view – there is SO MUCH truth in it, for sure … and I’m sure it’s a struggle. I war against those every day – how much luxury is too much. We are so blessed by God. He expects us to be a blessing in return, not just feed ourselves. I’m with ya.

billy taylor

fred,
where is the line, i mean, i desire nice things, and i wouldn’t mind having a cell phone, i remember what it was like before cell phones. and im sure we could go all the way back and remember what it was like with out a lot of stuff, and the pattern i see in that is a growth in technology and a decay in morals. the more and more technology and knowledge increases the worse our morals get and the less dependent we become on God. i guess part of me is scared to own to much in the fear i will miss God and have so many distractions that my relationship suffers. it was a war for me to get where i am with God today, i mean a literal war, and i dont want to risk it today. does that make sense? some of that is probably not healthy, and in time God will deal with it with me.

please understand, i think its great you are able to have nice things, God wants us to enjoy life, and our salvation should be worked out individually with fear and trembling. i will say though, i hate the kindle and ebooks, there is so much character and personality obtained by real books i have and have read and marked in, they reflect me. thats just my opinion and thats another blog, i was actually gonna write one myself on that topic, lol. anyway, thanks for the comments and understand, i dont blame you for having nice things, be blessed, sounds like your pretty grounded and balanced….
http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Hmm .. one thing, though:
the more and more technology and knowledge increases the worse our morals get

I think of Sodom and Gomorah .. I think of the harsh rebukes of horrific moral sins … things including having sex with animals …

And they didn’t have technology or cell phones.

http://twitter.com/tpaulding Travis

I use my computer and my smart phone as an integral part of my life & employment in ministry. I feel no guilt about it and that is OK. I am able to do things for the kingdom that I often would not have the time to do otherwise and certainly things that I couldn’t do without the technology that God has provided. I was able to edit a video for Charity: Water and get it on the NASDAQ tower in times square on less than 24 hours notice. If I hadn’t had a smart phone that allowed me to communicate with a guy in Texas and a guy in NYC at the same time via MMS and email while I was away from home & office, it wouldn’t have happened. If I hadn’t had a modern and capable laptop that let me crunch out HD video in a very odd configuration for an LED tower in only a few hours… it wouldn’t have happened.

Technology is agnostic, the reasons we have it and the ways we use it determine its value in the kingdom.

The HP computer that serves you well is a piece of technology that a few years back would be no different than a computer I bought last year.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

how come we work 2gether, and I never heard that story? A vid on the NASDAQ tower? That’s super-cool.

http://twitter.com/tpaulding Travis

It was when I was on vacation over Thanksgiving and no one could see it around here so I didn’t really talk about it.

http://www.wexfordjewelers.com Julie

I hate Droids! I’m not very smart and I find iPhone really easy to use and I’m also a brat and will never use anything else. I will switch to Verizon when my plan is up at AT&T and upgrade to the iPhone4 at that time.
Hope I didnt offend you Droids! Doesnt mean I hate Droid users, I will love you no matter what, even if your phone sux.

xoxo

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Julie,
You made me laugh! Thanks. (glad you don’t hate me)

http://bernardshuford.tumblr.com Bernard Shuford

Believe it or not, there was sin before cell phones.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Ding Ding! Amen.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-McLean/692817563 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="692817563">Alex McLean</fb:name>

I’m sticking with Sprint & my HTC EVO – I’m an Apple user, but my EVO does everything I need it to and in fact with the larger screen, I think it’s much nicer than the smaller iPhone. Plus I happen to love the apps that I have and while I admit that the iPhone has slicker, better looking apps – Andriod seems to have more, pretty much an app for whatever I can think of.
My fave apps: tweetdeck, facebook, fxcamera, google: gmail, talk, voice, maps & navigation, picplz, golauncher, pandora, doubletwist, tango, planningcenter, bible, groupy free, app 2 sd free, lightning bug (just to name a few…

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

Alex.
Welcome back, friend! BetterThanBlank was one of the very first blogs I added to my blogroll years ago!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-McLean/692817563 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="692817563">Alex McLean</fb:name>

I’m such a lurker now! You can catch me at alexmclean.net now – good to comment with you!

http://twitter.com/tpaulding Travis

Fred, it is also worth mentioning that the google cloud syncing you are doing works on all iDevices as well. Basically, now that it is on VZW there are not many technical differences. It gets into price, timing, and preferences.
http://alangustin.wordpress.com/ Alan

Hey, Fred…

Likeb you, I use the pdaNet app quite often when I’m away from a free wifi hub with my laptop. Not the fastest internet connection, but very handy and, like you said… free.

Unlike you, I don’t give a rip about being iCool. Coolness factor with Apple stuff has always been way too expensive for me.

Some of my favorite Droid apps are TweetDeck, IheartRadio, Kindle, and RoboDefense (an exquisite time-waster).

Bless.

http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

RoboDefense? You’ve got me curious.
As for the iCoolness factor, you are a stud. I only wish I didn’t factor it … but I do! (grin)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Hudson/1405481054 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="1405481054">Jennifer Hudson</fb:name>

My contract w/ Verizon is up on 2/3/11 and my old enV is dying… so yep, I’m getting the iPhone. I had just about given up though. If they hadn’t announced it by next Friday, I had planned to be at the verizon store getting a droid.

fortunately, the announcement finally came.
http://journeyofaworshipper.blogspot.com/ Ryan Rotman

Wow Fred, lots of comments on this one. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get an iPhone. I’m on Verizon and currently use a BlackBerry right now. It’s not that I don’t like the iPhone, because I do, but more often it’s felt like a want instead of a need. Though I don’t think I’ll ever move away from smartphones, I’ve been really intrigued with what the Android platform has come up with. My wife works at a publishing company that does a lot of computer/technology books and they’re very pro-Apple and originally everyone was all about the iPhone, but now even a lot of them are going Android. Android seems really solid. I agree with some of the others though, if I were to entertain the thought of going with the Verizon iPhone, I would wait until it seems like any potential bugs would be worked out.
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http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Goodwin/1661182367 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="1661182367">David Goodwin</fb:name>

Not being in the US, all this matters little…but having used several Android phones (including a DroidX) while road testing our church app…

- Android is nowhere near as nice as iOS. Good, but…not even close.
- despite claims to the contrary – Google & Apple get along very well together re syncing, etc (as Travis has already mentioned)
- the other reasons you give and many commenters give are largely redundant in most o/s markets, but I’ll not go into that here – lol.

But like most of these things, personal preference is king, and if you’re enjoying what you have Fred, that’s the most important thing!
Kristin

I have the Samsung Fascinate from Verizon. I just got it in October, so, I’m stuck with it for a while even though I don’t really like it. I had the LG Dare and was just planning to hang on to it until the iPhone came. Well, the Dare died and I had to do something, so that’s how I ended up stuck with this thing.

It freezes all the time and ironically, the apps that I have issues with are those that came on the phone (email, calendar, browser). I get my work email through my phone and the other day I tried to open my inbox only to have it freeze on me. I turned the phone off and then back on to find that it had completely wiped all of my Exchange settings! So I had to completely reconfigure the thing.

It even freezes sometimes when I’m unlocking the screen!

I have waited and waited for the iPhone and now that it’s coming, it hurts to know that I can’t have it, unless I want to pay $750!

Kristin

Verizon says they’ll give me a new Samsung, but they won’t just allow me to get the iPhone at the promotional price. ugh.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Fred-McKinnon/631515675 <fb:name linked="false" useyou="false" uid="631515675">Fred McKinnon</fb:name>

Kristin,
That’s just wrong – if it’s broken, they should let you choose a new phone!

http://angrybirdswalkthrough.wordpress.com/ Walkthrough angry Birds

In case you also play the stage once more and beat the previous significant score, you’ll get extra star. Performing this, you are able to get upto three stars to the level.

FredMcKinnon.Com

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