First, the Vz iPhone 4 is a 3G phone. One big drawback of this is that Vz customers will not be able to make voice calls and surf the web at the same time. The other major hitch here is because of hardware differences, anyone wanting to switch to Vz will most likely have to buy a new phone. At least until some enterprising individuals write some app to map AT&T iPhones to Vz's network. Given the announced prices, that's going to be about $200 for the phone, plus if you jump ship before your contract is up, AT&T is going to charge you anywhere from $250-$375 in termination fees. So that's almost $600 to get a phone that does LESS than the current phone does on AT&T.
The other reason AT&T shouldn't be sweating Vz getting the iPhone is that they no longer have to shoulder all the data traffic of iPhone users. If my prediction turns out to be completely off (I have a 50/50 chance people!!) and tons of people leave AT&T for Vz, that means a huge chunk of bandwidth is going to be freed up for those who choose to remain, thereby alleviating the biggest customer complaint AT&T seems to get regarding the iPhone.
Now, Vz does have a 4G network, (and there are Vz compatible phones that are 4G) but due to customer impatience, um.. increasing demand, Apple didn't have the time to make the necessary hardware changes to maintain the look and feel of the iPhone while making it compatible to Vz's 4G network. So, it's our own fault because we couldn't wait patiently. As for me, I'm waiting until I can afford the switch, so in about 2 or 3 years, (assuming the world doesn't end in 2012) I'll probably switch to the iPhone. Probably on Verizon, but who knows... maybe by then it'll be available on MY cell phone carrier!
