Only 23% of AT&T Customers Would Switch for a Verizon iPhone

A new survey by Credit Suisse shows that only 23% of AT&T customers would be willing to switch to Verizon if the carrier got the iPhone. The good old talk about a Verizon iPhone. Sigh. It seems I am the only believing there won’t be a Verizon iPhone next year.

According to this survey, 23% would switch to Verizon, 3% would switch to Sprint, and only 2% would switch to T-Mobile. 9% are not sure what they would do. If you do the math, that leaves 63% of people staying with AT&T, most likely because they are satisfied…

By combining data from the survey with current subscription rates, Credit Suisse calculated that 1.4 million of AT&T’s iPhone subscribers are at risk of switching to Verizon. According to Credit Suisse, the estimate, which counts for only a small percentage of AT&T’s subscriber base, would have less of an impact on AT&T’s bottom line than previously expected.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am very satisfied with AT&T. They’ve always been very helpful, I rarely (if ever) drop calls, and really, they’re just as evil as any other mobile carrier. Besides, seeing how Verizon customer service treated my fiancee when she decided to end her contract, I would never even consider going with them.

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Check Out Nationwide Cellular Coverage Map With ‘Coverage’ for iPhone

With the imminent Verizon iPhone announcement, what better way to pass the time than seeing what you would actually be gaining with a Verizon iPhone. People want better cellular coverage, data reliability and overall speed. AT&T hasn’t built a very good reputation over its last 3+ years of exclusivity with the iPhone.

The general consensus in the U.S. is that a Verizon iPhone would probably make the revolutionary smartphone a much more dependable cellphone. Less dropped calls and 3G dead-zones would be a warm welcome to those plagued by AT&T sluggishness in heavily populated areas.

Recently, there was a slew of ad campaigns from AT&T and Verizon that were all about “coverage maps.” The goal of the ads were to convince the consumer that either Verizon or AT&T had better overall coverage. Thanks to a nifty iPhone app, you can see for yourself…

Coverage is a simple iPhone app that allows you to view AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile’s 2G, 3G and roaming coverage in the U.S.A. The app’s tagline is, “Bask in the joys of mobile bandwidth while avoiding the sorrows of roaming usage caps and absent signal.”

The app’s interface is just a map with 4 toggles for each carrier. There are also three options to switch between roaming coverage, 2G coverage (EDGE) and 3G coverage.

Coverage also allows you to view Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It’s kind of cool to see how overwhelmingly red it gets when you switch the Verizon toggle on. This map does not reflect speeds for areas of coverage, simply that an area is covered.

Coverage for iPhone is $1.99 in the App Store. It’s kind of a gimmick, but fun nonetheless.

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AT&T Sends Out SMS Message Urging Users to Update to iOS 4.2, Unlockers Beware

If you’re rocking an unlocked phone, it would behoove you to stick to the tried and true suggestions from the Dev Team to stay away from official updates. AT&T has recently started sending out mass text messages urging customers to update to iOS 4.2.

Why would they do this? Since AT&T is already on the cusp of losing quite a few users to Verizon’s iPhone once it is released, the company is in a frenzy trying to convince customers to stick with them…

If you can remember, they even offered early upgrades for iPhone 4′s in order to lock customers into another 2-year deal. This was done because they knew that the Verizon iPhone was only six months away.

Now, AT&T is spamming customers via SMS urging them to update to iOS 4.2. Well, as we know, there is currently no unlock for this firmware version.

So, say a customer wanted to dump AT&T for Verizon? Naturally, they’d want to sell their current iPhone in order to recoup the costs of the early termination fee if they were still locked into a deal.

Having an unlocked phone means that you could sell the iPhone to either an AT&T or T-Mobile customer. If your phone is locked, though, your only choice is AT&T until an unlock is released.

If the purchaser of the iPhone is thereby locked into AT&T, then AT&T doesn’t really lose a customer; see how that all works out?

Whether or not an unlock will be released before the iPhone launches on Verizon is anyone’s guess, but for the conspiracy theorist, it sure sounds like a sneaky plan, doesn’t it?

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The Likelihood of the iPhone Appearing on T-Mobile Just Decreased With This Video

With the release of an advertisement dissing the iPhone 4 and AT&T’s network, you can pretty much squash any idea of the iPhone appearing on T-Mobile’s network anytime soon.

The video clip purposely takes Apple’s infamous “Mac versus PC” ads, and flips the script. It features an attractive female claiming to be a MyTouch4G, while a guy struggling to support another guy on piggyback claims to be an iPhone 4. Let the hilarity ensure…

Of course the guy riding piggyback is the AT&T network, which is putting a burden on Mr. iPhone, hence slowing him down. Brilliant! The woman then touts the MyTouch’s video-chat-anywhere capabilities — courtesy of T-Mobile’s 4G network — all the while poking fun at the fact that FaceTime for the iPhone 4 only works while connected to Wi-Fi.

Obviously, all of that means nothing to us here at iDB, seeing as a simple jailbreak will allow you to use FaceTime anywhere you receive a cellular signal. Still, the ad is quite amusing, and gives Apple a nice dose of their own medicine.

Slower network or not though, at the end of the day, the MyTouch4G is still, unfortunately, a MyTouch4G.

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T-Mobile Ad Takes a Jab at Verizon and AT&T iPhones

We all knew it was bound to happen, but I don’t think we were expecting it this early. T-Mobile’s latest 4G campaign, featuring an Apple vs Mac style, takes a jab at both AT&T and Verizon.

Previously, T-Mobile aired several advertisements outlining the disadvantages of the iPhone on the AT&T network, including the inability to video chat over WiFi on the AT&T iPhone whereas the T-Mobile myTouch 4G can make calls anywhere.

The latest advertisement shows that there’s no fun in having a great handset running on a slow network, referencing AT&T’s unreliable 3G network and Verizon slow CDMA network, when T-Mobile’s network provides 4G speeds…

Now the question is how will Verizon respond?

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