We have heard this one so many times before: Verizon iPhone. TechCrunch has restarted the rumor mill that Verizon could get iPhone in January because Apple is currently working on its CDMA version of iPhone. Before this in June, Bloomberg had reported that the largest U.S. mobile company will launch iPhone next year, probably in January. If these rumors are true, then Verizon CEO, Ivan Seidenberg will give his keynote address at CES next year and may introduce iPhone for Verizon.
If iPhone is to be launched with Verizon then first Apple has to manufacture a CDMA enabled iPhone. TechCrunch claims that Apple has placed a large order to Qualcomm for CDMA chips which would be deployed in iPhone during the production. Sources have assured that Apple has placed orders of millions of units to Qualcomm. This evidence still can not guarantee that Verizon will get iPhone but a CDMA enable iPhone clearly indicates this.
Sources with knowledge of this entire situation have assured me that Apple has submitted orders for millions of units of Qualcomm CDMA chipsets for a Verizon iPhone run due in December. This production run would likely be for a January launch, and I’d bet the phone is nearly 100% consistent with the current iPhone 4 (with a fixed internal insulator on the antenna).
AT&T’s exclusive relationship with Apple will be over by the end of this year. We have also heard rumors that T-Mobile will get iPhone in the third quarter of this year. May be after the end of the deal with AT&T, Apple may give iPhone 4 to more than one carrier which might increase their sales. With the strong competition Google’s Android is giving to Apple, it’s very much possible and seems like a logical move.
Surely adding the iPhone to Verizon's already stellar line-up of phones will be a certain boost for business. i'm sure that millions of Verizon subscribers will make the switch to the iPhone, whether they are due for an upgrade or not. Being a “smart phone”, like the Android and the BlackBerry will Verizon still require the 29.99 or higher data package? Or will Verizon feel the need to gouge the new iPhone converts, and force them into a 50 or 60 dollar data package? Only time will tell. I know several people that would own nothing but an iPhone's and I must admit, I want one too. I just hope that Verizon see's the benefit of keeping the cost of a decent data plan low, in order to attract more subscribers. Verizon…its better to get SOME money out of a lot of people than to get a lot of money out of nobody.