Verizon iPhone Could be Here Next Year
Posted in: iPhone, rumors, Today's Chili, verizon
According to USA Today, Apple is in late-game talks with Verizon about the iPhone. Specifically, the iPhone could be coming to Verizon’s network as soon as next year, lending some credence to the excited claims made by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg in the WSJ last week.
This comes, you will remember, barely a week after Apple made an official statement that it would be remaining faithful to AT&T (in the US, at least) for the foreseeable future.
We don’t know which way to jump on this one. It makes sense for Apple to make the iPhone as widely available as possible, and making a CDMA version will open up new markets. And the iPhone is so ridiculously successful that pretty much any carrier would jump at selling it.
On the other hand, multiple carriers in the same country would probably bring at least some small differences in pricing and contracts, which is certainly not the Apple Way. Likewise, unless there was a hybrid GSM/CDMA handset, confusion would ensue at the Apple Store:
Apple employee: “Yes sir, an iPhone. Which network will you be using that on?”.
Customer: “Wait. What? Is the the Microsoft Store?”
We still don’t know for sure when the Apple/AT&T contract expires, or if it even will — maybe it was inked in blood in a Faustian pact. One thing is sure, though — this would be good for the consumer. Multiple carriers means competition and, seamless brand message be damned, the carriers wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from entering a price-war.
Apple and Verizon consider iPhone deal [USA Today. Thanks, all powerful John!]
Photo: GlennFleishman/Flickr
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