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Sparkle (6)
First off, the truth: my iPhone dropped three calls yesterday. Three! I am actually so used to the phone cutting me off mid-sentence, I now have no problem picking up EXACTLY where I left off, once I can get the person (usually my husband, who also has an iPhone) back on the line. For the longest time, I have been saying “once Verizon has an iPhone option, I am so there!”
Now, though, I am starting to reconsider. I’m not saying I’m happy with the continuous dropped call situation, but at the same time I am loathe to jump into something new that might be just as bad. I’m nervous about the huge, HUGE number of people that are about to hit Verizon’s network. I’m concerned that the precautions Verizon says they have taken to support the new demands on their network will be akin to a stone in the Grand Canyon once they truly get a sense of how many new subscribers are coming and how much data those subscribers are going to use.
If you have an iPhone or are thinking about getting one, you are no doubt aware that come Thursday, you will have the option of having Verizon as your carrier. I have been an iPhone user since they first came out (because I am an early adopter / glutton for punishment), and while I have been outspoken about my dissatisfaction with AT&T's 3G service, I find that I am not planning to run over to Verizon with the same enthusiasm that I thought I would have when this option became available. Instead, I am doing something I never do—hanging back and proceeding with caution.
Here are the reasons I will be continuing my somewhat codependent/enabling relationship with AT&T for the time being. All of them center on two key concepts: 1) I have a good deal at AT&T and it’s going to be expensive for me to leave, and 2) I honestly do not believe that Verizon has prepared enough for the legion of new subscribers, so I think the problem is going to be just as bad over there starting on Thursday. Here are my ten reasons, spelled out in more detail for your amusement and learning pleasure.
1. All iPhones are not created equal. In case you're under the impression that you're going to walk into a Verizon store with your existing iPhone, throw it on the counter, and yell "I've had it with AT&T, sign me up Verizon!" -- think again. Verizon's network doesn't support AT&T's technology, and while they might make you a screaming deal on a new phone, you still have to buy a new phone. So there's that. In case you’ve forgotten since you got your AT&T iPhone, the Verizon pricing remains the same: $199 for a 16GB phone, and $299 for the 32GB model. These prices are subsidized and based on a 2-year contract and activation, of course.
2. One word: Limitations. Speaking of not being created equal, guess who is losing their grandfathered AT&T data plan? It's you. One problem AT&T has with their network is that they should not have let people EVER sign up for "unlimited data" plans, because when people like me and my techie friends hear unlimited data, we see this as an opportunity to use every possible app on the phone. This hogs up bandwidth and makes you drop your calls, especially in the big cities like San Francisco and New York. Verizon has already announced they're not going to allow this, and now they’ve added “data throttling” to their terms of service, which means even slower download time for the top 5% of users, presumably to get super-users to curtail their excessive downloading activity.
3. AT&T: the enemy you know is better than the unknown opponent.
Yes, okay, AT&T still drops a lot of my calls, and this aggravates me. But, how annoyed will I be if/when I buy a new phone and sign up for a new plan, only to have the problem duplicated over at Verizon because they just added millions (literally, millions) of new, data-chewing smartphone users to their network?
The answer is very. I've been an AT&T
