iPhone, HTC EVO 4G – The 4G Problem That No One is Talking About
The iPhone 4G is expected to be announced on June 7th when Apple opens up the WWDC2010 conference in San Francisco. This has been the venue of choice for all previous iPhone announcements, so it’s hard to believe that the iPhone 4G would be any exception.
The Android powered HTC EVO 4G, sold by Sprint, is expected to be available for at least pre-order by the end of the month (May).
So within just a few weeks from right now, we could have a major increase in 4G enabled mobile phones coming to the market. And surely lines will start forming for these ultra fast web enabled mobile phones.
There’s only one problem that most people aren’t talking about – there is hardly any 4G hot spots available in the United States.
So someone please correct me if I’m wrong, or I’m missing some updated information about the 4G coverage area, but at the moment 4G coverage seems very sparse – at best.
And if my research is correct – why in the world would someone buy a 4G enabled device, pay the extra money for 4G speed, yet not be able to use the 4G speed unless they live in just one of the very few metro areas that are currently enabled for 4G.
Here’s a 4G coverage map I pulled from Time Warner:
As you can see in the legend of this 4G coverage map, the coverage for literally the most populated quarter of the United States is very limited.
Again, I’ve only been searching Google for 4G coverage maps and this is the best one I have found so far. So if I’m missing something, please let me know – I don’t claim to know all things, all the time!
If the 4G coverage is limited at the moment, then it seems to me that Apple is going to struggle with satisfied customers who buy up the iPhone 4G and who are disappointed when they realize where they live doesn’t have 4G coverage.
And also Spring customers once they get there nice, new, shiny HTC EVO 4G but cannot get 4G mobile Internet speed.
What are your thoughts?
So am I finding outdated 4G coverage maps, or am I on the right track here?
What do you think about the current issue of 4G enabled phones coming to market, but the 4G network not being available for these new mobile phones?
View Comments
not to point out the obvious but i think 4g doesnt necessarily mean coverage it could also reference 4th generation
uma
Hi uma - thanks for commenting - although I agree that the 4G references "4th generation", I believe there is no question about the 4G mobile web speed implication.
iPhone 4G is 4th gen. HTC Evo 4g is the wimax radio. The iPhone has nothing to do with wimax/lte. It might be even called HD (rumors).
Also the $10 premium data fee is for the amount of data that they're expecting people to be using with the HTC Evo phone (wimax/lte).
Hi Carter - thanks for commenting - I didn't realize that - would be interested in submitting a guest post here at Social Media SEO talking about the wimax radio and 4G mobile web speed?
Thanks again
I would be happy to do so. Your article is misleading, stating that the iPhone 4G/HD works on 4G radios.
I think it's a non issue with Sprint and the HTC EVO. Sprint is very upfront with details of its coverage and is merely embracing the leading edge of what is available. With them the understanding is clear and if one is fortunate enough to be living in a covered area then it's a wonderful thing.
Apple & AT&T??? That's another story entirely. These are the folks that charge extra for unlimited texting on the Iphone, the folks who only delivered MMS recently after huge delays, the folks who act like tethering is a privilege reserved for royalty and the clergy. I wouldn't trust them to "get" 4G "right" for another five or ten years.
Robert - if yer gonna blog about this stuff you have to at least be a little bit informed. As stated above, 4G in relation to the Iphone relates to the generation of the phone....in this case, the fourth generation. ATT is coming out with 4G netowork coverage in 2011 and it will be called LTE.
The HTC is using 4G coverage called Wimax and it is slowly being rolled out over the course of 2010.....and yes the extra $10 is a complete ripoff if you do not have 4G coverage in your area. The excuse that it is for the extra data that people will be pulling down is complete bullshit.
I think it's a non issue with Sprint and the HTC EVO. Sprint is very upfront with details of its coverage and is merely embracing the leading edge of what is available. With them the understanding is clear and if one is fortunate enough to be living in a covered area then it's a wonderful thing.
Apple & AT&T??? That's another story entirely. These are the folks that charge extra for unlimited texting on the Iphone, the folks who only delivered MMS recently after huge delays, the folks who act like tethering is a privilege reserved for royalty and the clergy. I wouldn't trust them to "get" 4G "right" for another five or ten years.
hilarious comment about AT&T.. i never thought i would dislike a phone company so much... my bill is approx. 148.00 a month and my service and phone is crappy.. i have the HTC Tilt 2 now and its a nightmare
I get your point, I live in a city where we're not getting 4g for a while i'm sure, but what interest me bout the evo is not necesarily 4g, its just everything else, the actual feautures of the phone, n specially fully capability of flash.. who doesnt need flash on their phones? I know I do
It is not a needed soc on the HTC evo it will be needed to access the wimax network but is not needed on the phone, With the HTC Evo 4g it is expected that you will have done your research to know if you live in a 4g area or to have called customer service. part of sprints goal with the 4g data charge is to be better able to begin building more wimax towers to expand their 4g Market
It is not a needed soc on the HTC evo it will be needed to access the wimax network but is not needed on the phone, With the HTC Evo 4g it is expected that you will have done your research to know if you live in a 4g area or to have called customer service. part of sprints goal with the 4g data charge is to be better able to begin building more wimax towers to expand their 4g Market
I do have to say that even with the $10 charge for the 4g capability the Evo is still $20 cheaper per month compared to a similar plan for the 3GS with 3G speeds. $20 cheaper to have the first true 4G capable phone in the country. Just think about it this way: the closest competitor won't have LTE in starting locations until mid- 2011. Paying less for more features and exponentially faster speed depending on where you live doesn't sound like a ripoff to me. People seem to be tiring of being told what they can and can't do with their hardware. I can vouch that Android is fully customizable and you can do much more with it than an iPhone. I was really hyped about the upcoming iPhone 4G(4th gen) until I realized the specs and capabilities are sub-par or just at par with the new Evo. Tx:)
One more thing, if Apple was running an open OS I would defly get the iPhone, but I shouldn't have to hack and root a phone to do things that I want on it. Also, the iPhone won't support Flash and that's a dealbreaker for me. Jobs' HTML5 won't be properly released for years to come.