Should You Upgrade to the Verizon iPhone?
At long last it has happened. 4 years and 2 days after the first iPhone was announced for ATT, the iPhone has come to Verizon. No doubt you’ve already heard this from every tech blog ever, and those on Verizon are now faced with one question: “Should I upgrade to the iPhone?” Here’s what I think.
Keep in mind that I am 100% an Android guy, but I’m also a tech guy and upgrade my phone just about annual (thank you, Family plan). Plus, regardless of how I feel about the iPhone, people will still want to get it. The question is do you do it now, or do you wait? Some things to consider:
It’s not LTE: This might be a deal breaker for some, but I wrote last month about what to consider about Verizon’s new LTE network. Are you even covered? If you’re not, it’s not worth waiting for an LTE iPhone. Unless you live in a major city or an airport, don’t let the lack of LTE hold you back.
A new iPhone is probably coming out in June: This is a point I’d be more concerned with. The iPhone has seen 4 iterations, one per year. With the addition of multitasking, their high definition screen, and a front facing camera, I’d argue that the iPhone 4 saw it’s greatest upgrades last June. How much better will the new iPhone be? I don’t think it will don the moniker, “iPhone 5.”  If I had to guess (this is based on only past data, PS), I’d say slightly better hardware and a slightly better front facing camera, and maybe the Verizon one will have LTE support. If you’re eligible for an upgrade now, it’s probably worth doing.
Are you eligible for an upgrade: If you are, and you want the iPhone, I’d say go for it. If you’ve been waiting for an iPhone, you’ll be very happy with the iPhone 4. If you need the latest and greatest all the time, I want you to be honest: if you upgrade now, how likely is it that you’ll upgrade again when the next iPhone comes out? There are people who upgrade their iPhone every year. If you’re one of those types of people, does it really matter why you get your iPhone? If you’re not eligible for an upgrade, wait it out. The iPhone 4 isn’t worth the hefty non-contract price, and there is, in all likelihood a new one coming out this June.
Bottom line: If you’re eligible for an upgrade or planning on getting a new contract with Verizon and you want the iPhone, do it. You’ll be happy- especially if this is your first smartphone. Otherwise, you should hold out. You weren’t going to upgrade anyway, right?
I’m really curious to see how well Verizon’s network holds up after a massive amount of new iPhone users. I don’t think anyone–including AT&T–could have predicted just how insanely, unbelievably popular iPhones would become and how much data those enthusiastic iPhone users consumed.
That said, AT&T really dropped the ball by not fixing those traffic problems once they surfaced. They have only themselves to blame at this point.
I think Verizon’s network is the best and them teaming up with Apple for iPhone will definitely boost sales for both companies.