Is it the Phone or the Network?
Marco talks about the iPhone/Verizon debate:
I was a loyal Verizon customer before moving to the iPhone in late 2007. I frequently travel to the fringes of cellular reception areas, including many areas with zero coverage from any carrier. I’ve found: AT&T isn’t as bad as many people think, and Verizon isn’t as good as many people think.
I particularly liked this point, that could easily go unnoticed:
…it’s actually in Verizon’s customers’ best interests that the Droid doesn’t sell very well.
Time will tell, especially since Verizon appears to be more apt to spend money on upgrades than AT&T. However, I completely agree. Once Verizon gets a smartphone that isn’t crappy—and thus very popular—they will quickly realize they have their own set of problems.
I also find it generally interesting that the typical comparison isn’t (yet) between the iPhone and Droid. Or the iPhone and a Blackberry. Instead, it’s the iPhone (a device) vs. Verizon (a network).
Further, having also been a loyal Verizon customer until this summer, I can say I’m disappointed with AT&T coverage, but only when I get off the “beaten path”. Granted, this is easy to do in Virginia, but in my day-to-day use, I have absolutely no problems with AT&T and actually find their data network to be quite excellent.
I definitely agree that AT&T isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. I’m not sure (honestly; that’s not a passive/aggressive way to disagree) that Verizon isn’t as good as everyone thinks.
