Is There a 4G iPhone?

Everybody has heard about the iPhone 4 which was released in June of 2010. Being the fourth generation of the famous Apple iPhone, the company naturally called it the iPhone 4. Unfortunately, a bit of confusion arose from the name because many people thought it was a 4G iPhone.

What’s In A Name?

Coming after the Apple iPhone 3GS which was the third version of the iPhone, the iPhone 4 was promptly purchased by people who mistakenly thought the “4” stood for 4G. The error is understandable, considering that the previous version (iPhone 3GS) was a 3G smart phone that used the high speed 3rd generation mobile wireless data transfer network. Coming upon the heels of the 3G iPhone 3GS, you can’t blame them if people thought they were buying a 4G iPhone this time.

A 4G iPhone would have used the lightning fast 4th generation network, also known as the LTE (Long Term Evolution) network. The 4G LTE network is up to 4 times faster than the 3G networks that people are currently using.

Many consumers use their cellular service provider to provide their internet connection. It’s understandable that they would want their mobile phone service provider to ramp up their network to 4G standards to be able to make full use of any 4G device they may have. Conversely, if their carrier now uses a 4G network, they would want their smart phones to be equipped to take full advantage of a 4G LTE network.

AT&T and Apple iPhone 4

When the iPhone 4 was first released, it could only operate on the AT&T network. The AT&T network is not 4G. AT&T, however, is currently in the process of testing their 4G network and they expect to offer a completely new 4G LTE network for their customers in mid-2011.

Verizon and Apple iPhone 4

Verizon now has the iPhone 4 but again it is not a 4G smart phone. Verizon’s iPhone 4 is a 3G version and runs on Verizon’s CDMA network. This means users won’t be able to connect to the internet and make phone calls at the same time.

Verizon has a 4G LTE network, so why not offer a 4G iPhone for their customers?

Easier said than done. To use Verizon’s 4G network, Apple would have to rework the phone’s casing and make design changes, something they do not want to do just yet. For now, Verizon customers will have to make do with a 3G iPhone 4. It’s also unclear if the Verizon iPhone can be upgraded.

People will have to wait and see if the next iPhone will finally be a 4G.

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