Verizon iPhone on hold

Oh, to be young and in the midst of a wet, hot American summer. The birds are chirping, the lawnmowers are roaring and Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dropping bombs on his fanboys.

On Monday afternoon, Jobs debuted the iPhone 4.

The updated device boasts plenty of new features, including one not-so-revolutionary application called FaceTime, which allows a user to video chat while making a phone call.

Skype, a free service that has been around since 2003, does exactly the same thing. Thousands of high school sweethearts will cling to Skype as their last attempt to stay together this fall as they head to different universities. Spoiler alert: Jack and Rose had a better chance in “Titanic.”

The most infuriating thing about the Apple presentation was the complete and utter lack of information regarding the purported re-engineering of the iPhone for Verizon Wireless.

As a survivor of the horror that is Sprint Nextel, I have been nothing but pleased with the way Verizon carries its business.

I have never experienced an unintentional dropped call, and I have never had a problem getting a phone issue resolved.

Sadly, it appears Apple is still far away from joining the happy family that is the Verizon network.

First of all, Verizon uses a CDMA network, which is incompatible with AT&T’s GSM network. Rumor has it that Verizon is unveiling a new 4G network by year’s end that will resolve the discrepancy, but that means the earliest possibility for a Verizon iPhone is either late 2011 or 2012.

AT&T also still has a five-year exclusivity contract with Apple that will keep the iPhone safely in its hands for the time being.

While Verizon’s 93 million wireless customers do present a big slice of revenue pie for Apple, it might be a little sour after Verizon’s latest marketing campaigns.

Verizon is practically marrying Google, marketing two Google-based Android phones with mocking slogans such as “There’s a map for that” and “iDon’t, Droid Does.” There are even rumors of Google developing an “iPad Killer” tablet-based device to run on Verizon’s network.

The truth is that Verizon doesn’t need Apple or its flashy hardware. Acquiring the rights to the iPhone isn’t necessarily smart business sense. Verizon already has a strong market presence in more conservative smartphones like the Blackberry.

Besides, Verizon offers plenty of great devices that have practically the same features as the iPhone, most notably the HTC Droid.

One of my close friends bought a Droid a few months ago and has become so enamored with it that I actually think he might elope to Mexico with it in a matter of weeks.

It does everything from GPS navigation with Google Street View to scanning barcodes. Not that there’s much practical use for scanning barcodes, but who cares?

So, Verizon loyalists: If you’re looking for an iPhone in the near future, don’t hold your breath.


E-mail: halderfe@indiana.edu