Verizon iPhone 5: reasons to jump, reasons to stay home with the big T

Posted in iPhone Game by admin. Published March 18th, 2011

Verizon iPhone 5: reasons to jump, reasons to stay home with the big T

The Verizon iPhone 5 arrival will be the first time in which Verizon customers have the opportunity to nab a new iPhone generation on day one. But it’s also the first time existing iPhone customers on AT&T will have the choice of jumping to Verizon without having to replace their existing iPhone 4 with another iPhone 4; the move to the Verizon iPhone 5 this summer would be the same hardware transition as sticking with the big T for their iPhone 5. For existing iPhone users, there are good reasons to go either way. Here are some factors to consider.

Network: The elephant in the room is the network, of course. Verizon and AT&T fans will argue all day about which carrier’s network is the best overall, but most of those arguments are based solely on their own personal local experiences with their phone compared to the out of context feedback they hear from users of other carriers. Bottom line for your iPhone 5 choice: which carrier has the best signal and fewest dead spots at your home, your place of work, and your other favorite places? Also, travelers must consider nationwide and international network implications.

4G: The speedy next generation of cellular network is coming. Slowly. Verizon’s 4G network barely exists. AT&T’s doesn’t. If the iPhone 5 offers 4G, and that’s a big if, then the speed at which the two carriers are rolling out 4G could be a factor. Of course if you live in a small town, don’t expect 4G to reach you during the iPhone 5 era anyway.

Contracts: If you bought your AT&T iPhone less than two years ago, you’re on the hook for an early termination fee if you jump to a Verizon iPhone 5. Are you willing to pay a couple hundred bucks just to go Verizon?

Pricing: Verizon and AT&T are charging iPhone 4 users roughly the same each month for plans and features, with variations along the way. This could change in the iPhone 5 era, as the two carriers find themselves in real competition for iPhone users’ affections. Or they could just sit back and collusively gouge customers, as they’ve done for as long as they’ve existed.

Data: For some users the prospect of changing carriers for the iPhone 5 and taking your longtime unlimited data plan with you will be a factor, depending on which way the carriers go on this.

[Thanks: http://www.beatweek.com]