Apple iPhone coming to Verizon Wireless? If so, it'll freeze smartphone upgrades
Apple is reportedly developing a new iPhone that will be carried by Verizon Wireless.
Finally, all of those quotes from Verizon Wireless about how its network would be capable of handling the iPhone are adding up.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple would come up with a different flavor of the iPhone for the Verizon Wireless network. The iPhone would land at Verizon Wireless this summer and be set for mass production in September. Apple would also launch another new iPhone, presumably for AT&T.
Verizon Wireless has repeatedly said its network is ready for something iPhone-ish and noted that its smartphone selection would improve. In January, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said:
We have done a lot of work in modeling what the DROID does, what the Palm will do, what the Eris does and what the BlackBerry does. So we feel we know what the capacity limitations are in this, and we are feeling pretty good that we are out in front of this issue.
So what will this do to buying purchases? I can't speak for all Verizon customers, but this one decided to stand pat on the phone upgrade given the changes in the market. There was also a hope that the iPhone may land at Verizon.
And in speaking with other Verizon customers, I'm not alone. Simply put, all of the people that would have jumped to AT&T for the iPhone have jumped. If Apple wants to easily double its addressable market, it will come to Verizon. For Apple, an iPhone-Verizon combination could be very handy. Apple needs to thwart Google's Android assault and keep rivals like Research in Motion's BlackBerry---a big Verizon partner---and Motorola in check.