Phillips reports, “Others cite the looming threat of a Verizon iPhone to explain what Macquarie analysts call the AT&T’s ‘incredibly generous upgrade offer.’ Macquarie analysts write: “AT&T’s accelerated upgrade policy came in more generous than expected, likely to lock in as many existing iPhone customers as possible ahead of a possible CDMA iPhone launch in late 2010/early 2011. AT&T customers whose upgrade eligibility comes in 2010 will be able to apply for an upgrade as soon as the phone launches.’ Collins Stewart analysts also suspect that a CDMA iPhone have prompted AT&T’s upgrade policy. ‘We would not be surprised if this move signals AT&T’s attempt to lock in as many current iPhone users as possible, before it is possibly offered at other carriers or on other technology platform (such as CDMA).'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
This rumor has definately ran it’s course. What if Sprint ends up getting an iPhone, will the rumors stop? You can guess the answer
These asshat analysts will keep predicting this until, some year, it happens. Stupid.
Maybe at&t;pre-empted the floods of iPhone users complaining that can’t upgrade this year, and at&t;knows Apple has product loyalty and there are people out there than they thought who are always willing to upgrade and sign off for another two years.
MDN magic word: child as in “child please, this is a dead goat rumor that just needs to die.”
Verizon voice is still gonna be CDMA for a couple more years and Apple has no need to make two different phones. Look at the RnD that goes into this phone, they are not gonna waste more money on a dying signal.
So much for the 6 month respite request…..stupid analysts
There will NEVER be a CDMA (ie beer cans and string) iPhone. And there will NEVER be a Verizon iPhone until they agree to Apples’ “demands” instead of the business model they are so accustom (ie are way or no way) to.
I will agree that coverage is a big upside for the evil axis that is Verizon as I’ve been a customer but beyond that, put a frickin’ lid on it.
As a side note: Bud Selig is a dickhead
Everytime an “iPhone on Verizon” rumor gets published, God kills a puppy.
Won’t someone please think of the puppies?!?
——RM
When Verizon builds out its LTE network then you might see a Verizon iPhone. Til then, nada.
And by the way, AT&T;’s upgrade offer ain’t so generous. For those saps who bought a new 3 GS when they came out last June, they have to wait until February of 2011 to upgrade. What’s so generous about that? That’s the normal upgrade time frame. Don’t believe me? Go to AT&T;’s site, log in and click upgrade phone and see for yourself.
3 reason why Verizon is not getting the iPhone:
1) Contractual – Apple signed a 5 year contract with AT&T;to be the exlusibe provider in 2007
2) iPhone sales are not hurting – Apple is selling iPhones as fast as it can make them. Adding Verizon will get some new iPhone customers but most will just be existing iPhone users switching from AT&T;. That doesn’t help Apple much.
3) Technology – Verizon uses CDMA. Currently there is one model of iPhone which is sold globally. Why would Apple build a CDMA model just for Verizon in light of reasons 1 & 2 above.
Nobody other thanApple, AT&T;, and possibly the other telcos knows just when the contract runs out.
That being the case, AT&T;’s generosity which also locks in new two-year contracts does tend to support the notion that iPhone competition is coming real soon now.
Maybe Verizon, maybe Sprint, maybe everyone. And soon.
someone should shoot anyone that starts the iphone going on verizon rumors again and again
Did 6 months fly by?
I thought we might just get by with out these ridiculous Verizon rumors for 6 months, but it didn’t even last 6 days!!!
And they are all BS! The WWDC and D8, I feel, just answered all our questions of other carriers and such.
IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!
And it’s not predicated on CDMA, GSM, LTE, WiMax, Sprint or Verizon. Nothing, NOTHING is going to happen until the exclusivity contract expires and that according to reports doesn’t run out until 2012.
Apple is making a CDMA iPhone. IT IS NOT COMING HERE!!!! IT IS GOING TO CHINA!!! You will not see a US CDMA phone until the AT&T;’s contract expires. By 2012 LTE will probably be more rolled out for Verizon and AT&T;which by that time we will probably see the iPhone 4G on both carriers. Unfortunately for Sprint, selecting WiMax as their 4G option may leave them out in the cold as the iPhone is concerned unless they pick up the CDMA version at that point, which I don’t think will make a lot of sense.
I would suggest everyone go back to the WWDC Keynote speech circa 1997:
Steve Jobs mentions that Apple is an honorable company that intends to honor their existing contracts to the clone manufactures even though it may make them go broke. He offered to renegotiate the contract extensions for a fair price and they told him to “go pound sand.”
AT&T;is not telling Apple or SJ to pound sand. They would happily re-up their exclusivity contract with Apple and do pretty much whatever Apple wants to continue said contract. At D8 in response to a AT&T;network question Steve Jobs conveys a belief that AT&T;is doing everything it can to get their network in order. I felt after his comments that he believes that AT&T;is the best network for the iPhone, due to network speed and the overwhelming world standard that GSM has become. Not to mention that any other network would have had similar problems that AT&T;is facing.
I would find it HIGHLY UNLIKELY that Steve would look to get out of his contract with AT&T;early no matter what it might mean for the profits. I think it would tarnish their image to pull out early. Microsoft might do something like this, not Apple.
Unfortunately, as long as there are bloggers and other “journalists” who practice “page view journalism” we are never going to see the end of this tiresome rumor. I would therefore ask MDN to possibly put a hold on any further Verizon rumor until we have something concrete to post.
Otherwise this is all just a waste of everybodies time.
Phone upgrade does not require plan change. You can keep your $30/mo plan. At least that’s what MDN reported.
Wasn’t there an article a few days ago saying that there was an industry group working on a unified phone standard, and doing away with CDMA?
Over and over and over, analysts have been telling us about the CDMA iPhone since 2007.
These analyst’s companies are probably long on VZ and just attempting to boost VZ value.
We believe the threat of the possible loss of iPhone exclusivity partly explains what motivated AT&T;to extend the subsidized pricing at an accelerated time frame.'”
As Anonymous said, this is the epitome of crappy reporting.
AT&T upgrade cycle has NEVER been longer than 18 months, not even with the cheapest voice-only plans ($40). With cheap (free with contract) throw-away phones, oftentimes you can upgrade after 12-15 months!
This is the most absurd story and proves Steve’s point that we don’t want to see the world (and America in particular) descend into a nation of bloggers. Real journalists actually do some research before writing.
And there is no question; big news houses (such as WSJ) should really abolish their blogs and bloggers. This guy posted this info on his WSJ blog. So, even though he is a blogger (therefore not a real journalist), it received the perception of real journalism because it appeared on WSJ. This is just really bad.
I get the feeling that people think if they cry and stomp their feet long enough, then somehow Verizon will get the iPhone.
Steve Jobs is NEVER going to remove features from the iPhone just so Verizon can run it on CDMA network. It’s NOT going to happen.
And it’s pure fantasy to think that Verizon could suddenly swallow a bunch of new iPhone activations and not have the same, if not worse, problems that AT&T;has had.
I worked for AT&T;during the early iPhone years. You cannot even begin to imagine the network upgrades and engineering that AT&T;put into the launch of the iPhone. I’m talking years of work and billions of dollars. No corporation is going to make an investment like that unless they have a rock solid contract to make back that investment, plus a profit that fits the level of risk they undertook. And believe me, such profit is still way down the road for AT&T;.
Please stop this nonsense. Just go to an AT&T;store and sign on the dotted line.
As a resident of New Zealand, I’m curious about how America manages its mobile phone usage. Here, you walk into an electronics shop and buy a phone. At the same time (or later from the same place you buy your milk, bread or petrol) you buy a SIM card of the carrier of your choice (there are four offering service) and you’re in business. Please find an opportunity to write a paragraph or two about how things work in America.
By contrast, in Russia where I also lived for a spell, you buy a phone and a card as above but, this time, you must jump through hoops when you buy the phone. Produce passport, for example.
I say why not t- mobile? They have always praised the iPhone and there were talks back for the first one with them. I can’t see this iPhone only on AT&T;for long. T mobile has better coverage in places verizon has lots of areas AT&T;does not and even sprint is in some places. I mean why not at least do t mobile that’s easy. Just need a different 3g antenna since they use q different band. Even Canada has iPhone on several carriers. Everyone but the US
I thought that if Apple made a CDMA iPhone, that would be for Sprint. However, judging from AT&T;’s discontinuing unlimited data for new subscriber, it seems that there is a crack in Apple-AT&T;partnership. I don’t think Apple is happy with that since iPhone’s and iPad’s major advantage is due to its internet capabilities. Perhaps this CDMA iPhone is intended for Verizon instead of Sprint.
As for the exclusivity, it’s hard to imagine companies like Apple and AT&T;don’t have a clause to get them out of the contract legally in certain conditions. Perhaps AT&T;discontinuing unlimited data offer is one of them?
It’s just cruel….
It’s like eating a juicy hamburger in front of a starving man who has been reduced to eating grubs and tree bark, and every day you keep repeating “I heard they are going to send down a burger for you… next week”
Here is the real deal verizonites: There is no real, valid indication that Apple has any plans to make a CDMA phone. Even though you have been told that it is just around the corner for a couple years now, that was and is just a pack of lies (it seems like you would catch on at some point, but apparently not. Perhaps verizon is the place for you after all, with a a brand newnew droid-grubphone! And as EVERYONE knows the new droid-grubphone 5Vr is so much better than the iPhone, because the iPhone is for sissies! )
Er, Apple is being incredibly stupid to stay on a shitty network that is rated time & again as pathetic… ooooh, you can talk & surf at the same time – yeah on that miniscule 3G coverage they have (the coverage VZW keeps pounding on in their ads), you can’t talk & surf at the same time on their old, creaky 2G GSM/EDGE network… which is what most of the country has….
To all you imbeciles that keep saying CDMA is old & GSM is new, you are total morons. ALL 3G technologies are CDMA! DUH! GSM is creaky, old TDMA based technology from the 1980’s! Why do you think many in the third world use it?
What do you think UMTS is, hmmm? WHY is it also called W-CDMA? Because it is CDMA!
Wireless Test Man:
Again, you can cry and stomp your feet, but it doesn’t change the facts.
1.) Apple would need to drop features from the iPhone for it to work on Verizon’s existing network. (Not gonna happen.)
2.) Verizon would have the same call quality issues if they had the iPhone. (Probably worse at first.)
3.) AT&T;has an exclusive contract for the iPhone. That’s the only reason AT&T;has made the huge investment in infrastructure. And they are still spending on infrastructure every day.
If you want an iPhone, go to AT&T;. If you don’t want an iPhone, then don’t.
@ bgrayson
What features are you referencing that Apple is going to have to drop in order for it work on Verizon’s existing network?
For the life of me, I cannot think of one…