WSJ: Apple making Verizon-compatible iPhone by year's end, newly designed iPhone 5 for 2011
None other than the Wall Street Journal, and the notoriously well-informed Yukari Iwatani Kane, is saying Apple will have a Verizon-compatible iPhone ready by the end of 2010, which means if a deal can be worked out, Verizon could be carrying it by early 2011 (as numerous previous rumors have suggested).
The new iPhone would be similar in design to the iPhone 4 currently sold by AT&T Inc. but would be based on an alternative wireless technology called CDMA used by Verizon, these people said. The phone, for which Qualcomm Inc. is providing a key chip, is expected to be released in the first quarter of next year, according to the same people.
Kane also says "people briefed on the matter" reveal Apple is working on a new form factor for iPhone 5, which would almost certainly be revealed at WWDC 2011 in June. Whether or not this is a new antenna design isn't said, but it isn't hard to imagine either.
Neither Apple nor Verizon would comment, so we'll leave that to you...
UPDATE: Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s President and COO commented, or rather no-commented during the CTIA show:
“This is one of those things that rolls out every few weeks whether there’s a basis for it or not,” he said when asked to comment on the story. “I can’t give you any insights. But I think Apple is the one that has to make that announcement.”
He reiterated what he said is his common response to questions about the iPhone. “What I’ve always said is I expect at some point in time our business interests are going to align. I think things like LTE are another great reason why they’d want a device or tablet on that network. But I don’t have anything to say today about timing.”
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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yawn
Not gonna happen
They are two very stubborn companies, neither will bend, a deal will not be made. Although, I would love to be proved wrong.
Hopefully the iPhone 5 will be similar to the 4 but without all glass and no antenna issues.
Bigger would be better.
iPhone 5... cant wait! I would love them to get rid of the glass back as well.. use something textured for grip! maybe a slightly larger screen too.. since they already made it thinner from the 3g(s) they can afford to boost screen size a little with the same form factor as the 3g(s). Oh and... AT&T and Verizon! on LTE of course! (if the networks are out and functional by then)
i can hardly wait! of course ill be sticking AT&T if only because i've been with them for 5 plus years and have so many feature from the old Cingular grandfathered into my contract
I wonder if they got it wrong and It's really gonna be an lte phone for verizon's new network?
See the Verizon LTE announcement.
@Justin
The article implies a deal is done. Production to start at the end if this year.
Correct Joel! it's very much a done deal! all they have to do is iron out the little stuff and it's good to go! i expect premium pricing for this product when it's launched
It's a no-brainer. Verizon will have a CDMA/LTE phone next June as a new offering. They will work it out because the money will flow for both. It will be like the iPhone 3G when it first came out voice/data on CDMA (ie: Edge) and simultaneous voice data for those in LTE covered areas.
IS GOING TO BE A BIG MISTAKE. damn i hate VERIZON. so much..
It won't be a mistake, it will finally plug the Android hole leaking at Verizon so the iPhone will have more of an equal representation for sales comparisons in the US. Hopefully T-Mobile and Sprint will get to partake in the action as well.
First let's focus on the white iPhone, I don't need one but they did announce it in June yet it still hasn't released or even been mentioned.
oh no, now what are disgruntled at&t customers going to complain about now?
BLiNK, they're not going to complain, they're going to switch.
@Grant: They are not going to switch because they have that huge ETF and the price of a new phone to swallow.
However, as contracts expire, and IF this is an LTE iPhone, people will jump.
If Not LTE, forget it. IPhone users are too addicted to Voice AND DATA to move to CDMA.
I agree yawn... This has been going on for what 3 years...
So AT&T uses GSM and Verizon uses CDMA. What about all the other carriers in Europe, do they all use GSM and Verizon is almost the only one using CDMA, or what's the situation? And what about roaming, would my European iPhone not work on the US Verizon network at all? Or does all that only affect data transmission anyway and calls are unaffected? Thanks for clarification!
Meh. It's not like if VZW does get the iPhone that it won't be on AT&T anymore. AT&T works well for me, so I won't be switching.
Obviously, Apple wants to sell the iPhone on all carrier networks. It's the only way to grow share. I'm more interested to see how many current iPhone owners leave AT&T.
I think if Verizon gets an iPhone, it should coincide with the release of a new model. I don't think Apple wants to deal with the logistic nightmare of releasing 2 new models each year...
@Joel & says Scott T: Not saying there isn't a CDMA iPhone coming sometime in the next 6 months, but that doesn't mean Verizon. There are other CDMA networks in the US, plus don't forget about the rest of the world.
@icebike "If Not LTE, forget it. IPhone users are too addicted to Voice AND DATA to move to CDMA."
Actually back in the summer there were rumors about Verizon working on a voice-over-EVDO system. If they finished that system that could be why the Verizon CEO said they "had to earn the iPhone".
If that is true I would hope they at least leave the option to use 1X (voice only) for those that really need the call stability and don't care about the data and voice at the same time.
I'm kind of on the fence here. I mean, AT&T service is pretty goo
(call dropped)
I hope iPhone5 will be better than 3Gs
OH GOD MAKE IT STOP!!! MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!! I'm a loyal verizon customer and would love for this to be fact but until I see Jobs with his mock turtleneck on stage with it in his hand I won't believe it. STOP REPORTING RUMOR'S!!!!!
"people briefed on the matter" Sure. About as reliable as a Japanese tabloid. Whatevar. I hope the Verizon spazs get what they wish for. Good riddance.
TIpb needs to stop fanning this pile of garbage...no way its happening.
Rumor number 1,268 regarding verizon iphone this year. Please stop giving these speculative articles the time of day. I could be a journalist just as easy as the WSJ, "Some say that monkeys can fly" and its front page news.
Same EXACT RUMOR that keeps popping up on these stupid financial analyst sites ONLY! (ThEN the tech blogs pick it up..) * Apple is reported more than any other company * Verizon = New York = Wall Street = financial analysts * Guess what happens? This rumor keeps Verizon in the news along with oodles of page views because they mention Apple.
Do you REALLY THINK that Apple would let the Verizon CEO announce it at CES 2011?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA....
CDMA is going away anyway. Even if it's a few years down the road, why would Apple make a phone for a dying technology?
@Janey: Verizon just had a huge LTE announcement. That means it doesn't matter if CDMA goes away. A dual mode CDMA/LTE phone would have a LONG life span.
http://www.androidcentral.com/verizon-announces-its-lte-markets-38-metro-areas-end-year
To those commenters challenging WSJ's credibility, hahaha
It's not a tabloid.
I'll believe it when I see it. Amen.
Can TiPb stop posting this nonsense, please? Properly journalism is obviously dead. Please don't kill blogging, as well.
I wanna know if Verizon will do anything to woo customers away from AT&T?
What providing reliable service in the areas they claim to have service isn't enough wooing?
the rumor is of a CDMA phone, yes Verizon uses CDMA but so does Sprint and all of China. there have been rumors of a Verizon iPhone for 3 years now, I'll believe it when I see it.
I don't think I've ever had a dropped call with AT&T? Since I got an iPhone I like their service even more. Really enjoying the streaming Netflix.
A dual mode CDMA/LTE phone makes a lot of sense for both companies. If Verizon charges more per month for 4G data (like Sprint does), a new iPhone would be perfect flagship device to entice people to sign up for those more expensive plans. Apple wants those 100 million Verizon customers, but they do not want to cede any control to Verizon, who is as big a control freak organization as they are.
Verizon turned down Apple before, but Apple did not have a track record then; they do now. Morever, after seeing Sprint flounder with 4G, Verizon wants to see returns on its huge 4G investment as soon as possible. Verizon knows an LTE iPhone would give them the biggest possible splash on the upgraded network, and that just might be enough for Big Red to give Apple the control they demand. The control issues being the main thing that kept Apple off of Verizon in the first place, this could be the opportunity they both need. (Pure speculation on my part.)
I might consider a switch but if a new iPhone has anything (bloatware, ststains) from Verizon, especially that stank a logo on the front, I wouldn't even touch it.
@LzarEus
Since Palm was able to strike a deal with Verizon that kept bloatware off the Pre and Pixi and the Verizon logo off the Pre, then I'm sure Apple can at least strike that much of a deal. But I'm sure Apple can get more than just that.
Reminder: Kane is the one who got the Steve Jobs liver transplant story and a lot of other pre-realease Apple product leaks.
If Kane is writing it, I'm paying attention.
@LzarEus, they don't even need a logo. You can always tell the people on Verizon because they're the ones who run outside of a building when they get a call, their batteries are always dead, and if you're on the receiving end they sound garbled. CDMA is wonderful technology.
I will say it again. Little guy "can you hear me now?" Steve Jobs " yes, if you hold it this way" I just do nit see it soon. I would love to see it, because I am a Verizon customer. Got stuck with them when they bought out Alltel. By the way did anyone read the news where Verizon was charging customers for data they did not use? Now they have to pay them back. Sneaky
already knew this was coming. makes no sense for them to make a non-LTE phone when LTE comes out next. year. the 2yr contractors would riot when the LTE version comes out a year after the EVDO one
Cannot decide AT&T or Verizon... Both have good coverage in THE BIG APPLE... (NYC)
Please say I don't have to wait until June 2011 for it. I am a Sprint Pre owner and am wanting to jump ship for the iPhone. However I hear that AT&T's service is horrible in Houston. If that is the case then I will wait for the Verizon iPhone. Of course the stars could never align and have Sprint being the first CDMA carrier of the iPhone. Sprint is always a day late and a dollar short and they wonder why they are in 3rd place.
I'm in Houston, using a 4, I spend a lot of time in Spring, downtown and sugarland. There are places where the signal is not strong but I don't feel the urge to jump ship. I would say the signal is generally satisfactory I've never not been able to make a call. Data at times does get slow but generally ita fine.
Yet another iphone for verizon topic!!!!
Screw that, I don't want bing on my iPhone, I didn't want bing on my droid X, that's one of many reasons I dropped VZ for AT&T.
Bing doesnt come preloaded with the Droid X, dumbass.
Ease up on Rene. He is just reporting the news. It's appearing on BBC and many other news sites. There have been lots of rulings but this time I think it's a go. As for switching. I have been with att since 2000. They became Cingular and then back to ATT. Great service, fast data, good coverage. I have Verizon for work and The coverage is a bit better in remote areas. Otherwise, Internet is much slower.
A VZ iPhone eh? That's fine and all, but Apple, can you provide the white iPhone that you've advertised for months? I'd like it better than a VZ iPhone.
I'm starting the believe the white iPhone is a ghost, and doesn't really exist.
I have three phones Verizon-Blackberry and Nextel/Sprint-PTT and ATT, for work purposes. Hands down - Verizon has the most consistent coverage everywhere in the country. I would love an iPhone but it must be on Verizon.
Yes please ease up on Rene and anyw blogger in these forums. A big part of their function IS TO WRITE ABOUT RUMORS AS WELL AS FACTS - especially THE RUMORS! Why do I say this? These articles spawn COMMENTARY...that's right - COMMENTARY from YOU THE READER OF THESE VERY ARTICLES! Damn...
Anyway, I've been a believer in this rumor ever since the article on engadget was posted up about Verizon's CEO giving the keynote at CES this fall. Too many pieces are falling into place for this NOT to happen: i.e. convergence of call technology into LTE, Android saturation, tablet/pad market emergence...etc! Wake up and smell the climate shift people!