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Verizon iphone4 has no sim card tray?

  • 12-02-2011 7:21pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭


    Just noticed something strange on a YouTube video about the new American verizon iPhone 4. It doesn't have a sim card tray...

    I know that verizon phones don't usually have this but I'm surprised that the iPhone 4 also lost it's slot.

    Could something like this come to Europe? Seems crappy to me because youd be physically locked by the hardware to one provider. You wouldn't be able to sell the device to someone on another network?


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 3,843 ✭✭✭Jimdagym


    Just noticed something strange on a YouTube video about the new American verizon iPhone 4. It doesn't have a sim card tray...

    I know that verizon phones don't usually have this but I'm surprised that the iPhone 4 also lost it's slot.

    Could something like this come to Europe? Seems crappy to me because youd be physically locked by the hardware to one provider. You wouldn't be able to sell the device to someone on another network?

    Verizon uses different technology in America, so it's not suitable to a different network anyway, it's a completely different phone. ITs not like here when voda got the iPhone after o2 had the exclusive.


  • Registered Users Posts: 893 ✭✭✭rivalius13


    Verizon use CDMA technology which doesn't require a SIM card, it's all baked into the phone. Like magic.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,858 ✭✭✭Bigcheeze


    Wonder when we'll have the first "bought iphone in US and won't work in ireland" thread.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    Bigcheeze wrote: »
    Wonder when we'll have the first "bought iphone in US and won't work in ireland" thread.

    It's only a matter of time. :)

    I was reading something the other day (on Engadget, I think) about the iPhone 5 possibly being a hybrid CDMA/GSM phone, specifically with reference to the chipset that allowed this.

    Essentially, instead of having two models like they do now, they would have one. So the new one would have a SIM tray.


  • Registered Users Posts: 26,555 ✭✭✭✭Creamy Goodness


    you won't get one i'd imagine for quite some time. verizon won't sell these without a contract for quite some time. even then they'll make you jump through hoops.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,784 ✭✭✭thomasj


    Will CDMA technology ever be developed outside of the US?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,150 ✭✭✭Johnmb


    thomasj wrote: »
    Will CDMA technology ever be developed outside of the US?
    No. It's not as good as GSM for data, so nobody will change now, and it's out of date as far as new investment is concerned (as is GSM) due to the newer 4G technology that most are working on. Even Verizon's 4G technology is built on basic GSM technology as far as I know, not their CDMA. (Although, some other countries such as India do use it currently)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,858 ✭✭✭Bigcheeze


    It's also used in china. You can't roam with it anywhere in Europe which is a pretty big drawback if you're from a small country like ireland and likely to be abroad a couple of times a year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 893 ✭✭✭rivalius13


    thomasj wrote: »
    Will CDMA technology ever be developed outside of the US?
    Yes.

    And by that I mean it is in use in other countries. China, India and South Korea to name three. It has advantages over GSM, but for a smart phone I'll take GSM.


  • Registered Users Posts: 427 ✭✭bd250110


    Interestingly the CDMA iPhone4 does ship with a GSM capable chip. The chip also has GPS built-in too, as opposed to the separate chips on the GSM flavour.

    Apple, for whatever reason decided not to provide a SIM tray and allow this function to be used.
    There could be a number of reasons, but I suspect
    1) The antenna was redesigned "for" the CDMA iPhone and is nothing to do with antennagate ;) by not allowing GSM capabilities it is somewhat easier to deny the iPhone4 has antenna problems.
    2) Apple wanted to keep "GSM" and "CDMA" flavours separate. "It's not new it's different
    3) They wanted some real world data on how the hybrid chips work.
    4) They had a contract with the GSM chip manufacturer which they will work through before converting to Qualcom for all requirements for the 5th gen.

    I think four is most likely, there might be an element of one too.


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