Verizon iPHONE

Verizon iPHONE

By now you may be overcome with excitement that the Verizon iPhone is here Yes, finally.

Time to buy it, right? Not so fast. Before you buy it, there are five reasons why you might want to wait, at least for a few months:

1. Verizon is pushing 4G, but iPhone is 3G
Verizon's chief priority for 2011 is to launch a 4G network that's faster and more reliable than the competition. There are four Android phones slated to arrive by mid-year intended to navigate the waters of Verizon's NEW LTE network like a Ferrari. So why do you want to stay in a 3G Honda?

2. Verizon's 3G is actually slower than AT&T's 3G Network.
While I can state from years of testing and field experience that Verizon offers a more reliable 3G network, it really isn't as fast as AT&T's. Speed isn't everything, and what good is speed when the connection is poor? But still, you should know this, especially if you love streaming Netflix to your phone.

3. The iPhone might have inherent phone flaws
The iPhone has never been a great "phone." Its dropped calls are the stuff of legend . But the dropped calls are real. So, the question is, are they a network thing or a device thing?
Apple is content to let the blame fall on AT&T, but last summer's "Antennagate" showed that there's plenty of finger pointing to go around. I suspect it's a little of both, which is why I intend to test the Verizon iPhone carefully before letting any loved ones buy in.

4. The iPhone can't run voice and data simultaneously
While the technical separation of Verizon's voice and data networks may end up being a reason it drops fewer calls, this is viewed as a flaw by some people who wish to browse the Web while chatting.

5. iPhone 5 is due in June
Like Pavlov's tinkling bell, Steve Jobs' last four early summer iPhone news conferences have programmed iPhone enthusiasts to salivate as the weather gets balmier. This year won't be any different, given the financial power of the annual refresh for Apple, not to mention the fact that carriers all over the world literally bank on it.

The only mystery here in the United States is whether or not there will be a radio chipset in the fifth iPhone that lets it run on both the Verizon and AT&T network. A unified iPhone 5 makes sense, especially if it also supports 4G LTE data. How Apple and Verizon will address this, maintaining both sales and customer confidence, is a true puzzlement.

Now that you know the five reasons not to buy one now, feel free to get in line, money in hand. Believe me, for gadget lovers who swear by Verizon's network, there's no shame in lusting, provided you enter into the transaction as an informed consumer.