[BergerKing]

I stumbled across this article from yesterday on Forbes, and haven't seen it posted here yet. It seems to have a valid reason why there is no 4G iPhone yet, and if one were to take the next leap, why there isn't a 4G BlackBerry showing in the pipeline yet.

4G iPhone�s Chip Won�t Come In Until Early 2012 - Brian Caulfield - Shiny Objects - Forbes

I don't normally post on this forum, but I didn't see any others on this subject, thought ya'll might like to mull it over.


Brian Caulfield
SHINY OBJECTS

*
4G iPhone�s Chip Won�t Come In Until Early 2012
Apr. 20 2011 - 7:12 pm | 8,080 views | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Apple can introduce an iPhone 5 any time � but a 4G handset won�t arrive before next year.

Rumor has it the next-generation iPhone won�t arrive until September. If so, it won�t offer the crazy fast data speeds promised by next-generation 4G wireless* networks.

That�s because access to the turbo-charged networks that make Verizon�s Thunderbolt handset crazy fast require a combination of chips Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said Wednesday Apple won�t use.

In response to a question from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty on Apple�s quarterly earnings call Wednesday, Apple�s Cook said today�s 4G chips � which rely on a wireless technology dubbed Long Term Evolution (LTE) � don�t meet Apple�s needs.

�The first generation of LTE chip-sets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those we are just not willing to make,� Cook says. Separately, Cook declined to talk about the timeline for introducing a new iPhone. �We never comment on unannounced products,� Cook said.

Those chips won�t appear in handsets until next year, says Will Strauss, president of wireless chip tracker Forward Concepts. �They�re right that there�s nothing out there that fits the bill, and likely nothing will until the fourth quarter of this year,� Strauss says when asked about Cook�s remarks.

The only 4G handset on the market in the United States, Verizon�s Thunderbolt, currently relies on a pair of chips to work. One chip, from Samsung, communicates with Verizon�s 4G networks, allowing the handset to achieve blazing data speeds of between 5 and 20 MBPS. Another chip, from Qualcomm, lets the handset talk to Verizon�s 3G network.

That two chip solution is needed because Verizon�s 4G network isn�t widespread enough for the carriers to offer handsets that rely on 4G alone, Strauss explains. The solution: a new generation of chips that combine support for 4G and 3G on a single chip,allowing handset makers to offer slim handsets that don�t gobble up battery life.

Chipmakers such as Qualcomm,, ST Ericcson, and Intel won�t begin offering customers samples of such chips until late this year. And those chips won�t begin appearing in handsets until next year, Strauss predicts. *As a result, there won�t be a 4G iPhone any earlier than that.

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[jshrz]

Yeah i would rather have a 3g iPhone 4 wit the sleek design. Besides the battery life isnt that great on the Thunderbolt

[BergerKing]

Yeah i would rather have a 3g iPhone 4 wit the sleek design. Besides the battery life isnt that great on the Thunderbolt

Makes sense. I know they mention the Thunderbolt by name, but I know some others that take a beating on battery life, probably for similar reasons, like Epic and Evo.

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[Fubaz]

A lot of the guys I know with the. TBolt have an extended battery and get around 36 hours with HEAVY use.
So I'd rather have a Tbolt than a sandbox toy.

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[chuckh0308]

Once you have 4G on VZW, it would be very hard to go back to 3G. As an iPhone/Thunderbolt user it is even difficult to go to the AT&T 3G after using VZW LTE, but this decision by Apple will be less bothersome to AT&T iPhone users. Personally, I would rather have a thicker iPhone. I would anyway though...I HATE the thin race. Pretty soon you will need tweezers or a spatula to pick your phone up off the table!

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[jshrz]

Once you have 4G on VZW, it would be very hard to go back to 3G. As an iPhone/Thunderbolt user it is even difficult to go to the AT&T 3G after using VZW LTE, but this decision by Apple will be less bothersome to AT&T iPhone users. Personally, I would rather have a thicker iPhone. I would anyway though...I HATE the thin race. Pretty soon you will need tweezers or a spatula to pick your phone up off the table!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

do you use an extended battery?

[chuckh0308]

do you use an extended battery?

I do not. I did use one with my Blackberry though. I just ordered two of the extended slim fit batteries (1700 mAh) for the TB and I'm going to see how that goes. Admittedly, the battery life is a bit of a sore point (similar to iPhone 3G/3Gs, it seems), but it's not as bad as I was expecting and I do normally have access to an outlet of some sort if I need one. If I need to, I'll switch to the super extended battery later with no hesitation. I had one with my BlackBerry, and I loved it. Have one of those external packs for the iPhone and iPods for emergencies...lol!

[mark_rivers19]

who needs a 4G smartphone when you have a 4G LTE tablet?
with more and more people buying tablets/iPads, i don't see the same people spending more time with their smartphones... regardless of data Speed... unless of course.. they forgot their iPad/tablet or its battery just drained.

Same goes for the BlackBerry user, who will eventually tie it with a Playbook.. or another tablet. with the way the playbook is set up now.. there's really no need to reach for your BlackBerry phone.
you can argue that with a bluetooth headset, the BB can stay in your pocket until the time it needs to be Charge.