14 ms·

Verizon iPhone is coming

90 points by sportsTAKES 16y ago

nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
We've been hearing that the iPhone will be on Verizon "any day now" for the past three years. I'll believe it when I see it in a Verizon store. They can't even fill the preorders for white iPhones....
- kgermino 16y ago
  I will say though that historically the WSJ (This writer in Particular) has been spot-on when reporting Apple rumors. iPad: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703405704575015362653644260.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870340570457501... No iPhone 4 Recall: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575369311876558240.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESecondNews http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870468260457536... Job's Liver Transplant: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124546193182433491.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124546193182433491.html And a TechCrunch article mentioning it: http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/15/iphone-4-recall/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/15/iphone-4-recall/ It appears that Yukari Iwatani Kane has a connection to Job's inner circle...
  - patrickaljord 16y ago
    Except for that $999 iPad.
    - mcobrien 16y ago
      Which was almost certainly price anchoring by Apple. If they leak to anyone, it's the WSJ.
  - irons 16y ago
    This story can be spot-on (Apple's producing a CDMA iPhone) without fulfilling the only aspect which US-centric HN readers care about (that Verizon will carry it). The story is framed in terms of technical capability, not in terms of a deal in place. A Verizon deal would be news. A CDMA iPhone in January just means Gruber has good sources.
- stevefink 16y ago
  The fact that the white iPhone has not shipped is mutually exclusive from carrier availability rumors. With that said - although WSJ has been historically accurate on occasions, I've got a heavy filter on for things like this until it comes from Steve Jobs himself.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
- jokermatt999 16y ago
  It's beginning to feel like the Duke Nukem Forever of phones. It's been rumored too many times over the years for me to believe it until I actually hold it in my hands. Perhaps it will actually happen soon, but I remain skeptical. (Yes, I know DNF is actually coming out, it appears. Gearbox just had to go and ruin a perfectly good metaphor by releasing a game that people have wanted for years.)
  - loewenskind 16y ago
    You still have perl6. :)
thaumaturgy 16y ago
Verizon and Apple blew it on this one IMO. While the iPhone has been wildly successful by pretty much any metric, there is a not-small market segment that hasn't picked up an iPhone solely because it is encumbered with AT&T. (I am one member of that group.) AT&T gave up its exclusivity deal with Apple for the iPhone back in the spring of this year. Verizon and other insiders had to have known well in advance that they were going to. They should have been ready for a release in July, at the latest. Instead, Android has made great strides. I'm not a gadget guy when it comes to my phone; I just want it to work and be easy to use and not frustrate me. So, I've played with the various releases of Android and have continued to hold out for an iPhone ... until 2.2. 2.2 is good enough for me, and best of all, Android appears to be gaining ground on the iPhone, and it isn't being crushed by Apple's thumb. It's tough to tell for sure, but if I'm not alone in all this, then when the iPhone finally does come out for Verizon, it could fall flat on its face. It just took too damned long and frustrated everyone that has been patient enough to wait for it for years.
- brown9-2 16y ago
  If Android is a huge seller, isn't Verizon one of the top carriers selling Android phones? So if Verizon has been losing out on potential iPhone sales for the past few months, aren't they also making up for it with increased Android sales?
  - thaumaturgy 16y ago
    No. I think that until recently, the Android market and the iPhone markets had only a little overlap; there were relatively few people that had a perfectly equal inclination to purchase an iPhone or an Android device, assuming that both were available on their carrier-of-choice. Meanwhile, AT&T has continued to be one of the top complaints about the iPhone. [1] (This doesn't help Apple's image, BTW; if Apple is so concerned with the end-user experience, then why are they in bed with one of the most-hated companies in the U.S.?) In other words, Android has been a popular fall-back for people that wanted a solid smart phone without AT&T. Although Android has been doing very well for Verizon [2], I have no trouble imagining that Verizon has lost out on a sizable amount of business from the market segment that preferred the iPhone to Android. Android 2.2 came out just a couple of weeks ago; back in July, a Verizon iPhone could have been a big deal. Now that Android has finally caught up to the iPhone (IMO), I think the holdouts are going to start picking up Android devices, which is going to cost Apple, which has already fallen behind Android in terms of both growth and popularity. On the other hand, AT&T has been paying Apple by the metric ton for the exclusivity deal, so maybe that money has been worth the lost market share for Apple and they just don't give a shit. [1]: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/06/top-10-complain.php http://dvice.com/archives/2010/06/top-10-complain.php [2]: http://gigaom.com/2010/10/05/nielsen-android-surges-to-no-1-in-recent-sales/ http://gigaom.com/2010/10/05/nielsen-android-surges-to-no-1-... edit: I suspect that a lot of this comes down to some politics and personalities. Apple had to have pissed off Verizon a bit when they offered a hugely popular device, but only for Verizon's only real U.S. competitor; then Apple pissed off Google shortly after; then, not too much further along, we start to hear that Verizon and Google are getting real friendly with each-other, possibly in an "any enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine" way. Verizon's been happy to push Android real hard, Google's been happy to support Verizon, and the two of them together are certainly putting some hurt on Apple/AT&T. It just sucks that consumers are getting caught in the middle.
lotusleaf1987 16y ago
But Verizon doesn't have simultaneous voice/data, so how will this work out? One of the main selling points (in the iPhone commercials) is that you can check your email/use Safari while making a call.
- martin 16y ago
  I'm pretty underwhelmed by that argument, given that my iPhone 3G on AT&T's network in NYC can barely do voice OR data, let alone both at the same time.
  - lotusleaf1987 16y ago
    I do it all the time actually. For example, someone will be calling me telling me something/someone I need to follow up with. I can start immediately emailing the person and at least get started, if not finish the task. Different strokes for different folks. Edit: I also use Google Maps while talking, or check for movie times while someone is on the phone.
    - brk 16y ago
      So then on Verizon you could do everything but hit 'Send' on the email. I too don't put much value on the simultaneous voice/data feature, but then again I have 2 phones, so I usually multitask by using two devices. Even without that though, I've never really felt a huge demand for the voice+data thing.
      - ra88it 16y ago
        You could even hit 'Send'. The email would go out automatically at the next opportunity.
      - liamk 16y ago
        It's extremely useful when tethered. I find that I tether for hours at a time and I'm happy to be able to make/receive phone calls.
    - 16y ago
mattparcher 16y ago
Background: In early August, John Gruber wrote that: “The wheels are turning on N92, the CDMA variant of the iPhone 4... It’s right about where you’d think it would be if it were scheduled to go on sale in January. The CDMA iPhone is no longer a cold storage, keep-it-alive-just-in-case-we-need-it project.” [1] He noted that the CDMA iPhone could be headed for China Telecom first - the competitor to China Unicom, who just launched a GSM iPhone 4 in that country. He cites anonymous tipsters, as well as: - Bloomberg says Verizon iPhone coming in January [2] - CEA announces the Verizon CEO as the keynote speaker for CES in January [3] - Steve Cheney claims that Apple has placed orders for “millions of units of Qualcomm CDMA chipsets” for December [4] - Digitimes reports that Pegatron Technology will begin mass production in December of CDMA iPhones for Verizon and China Telecom [5] [1] http://daringfireball.net/2010/08/n92 http://daringfireball.net/2010/08/n92 [2] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-said-to-start-offering-iphone-ending-at-t-s-exclusivity.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-sa... [3] http://cesweb.org/news/080410.asp#4200 http://cesweb.org/news/080410.asp#4200 [4] http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/08/verizon-iphone-january/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/08/verizon-iphone-january/ [5] http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100809VL202.html http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100809VL202.html
- noilly 16y ago
  it's happening ;)
geuis 16y ago
So basically entire report based on stuff some people heard from some other people. "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the matter"
maresca 16y ago
If the time comes when Apple does release a Verizon iPhone, it won't matter. Apple has already alienated potential customers by forcing them to switch to AT&T. Droid's success is an indicator of peoples' unwillingness to switch. Verizon's customer service can be lacking at times, but not enough that I would have switched to AT&T.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
seanalltogether 16y ago
The only thing that matters to me now is the day apple starts selling all iphones unlocked. I don't want to go through firmware hacks to unlock an iphone or be forced on to a contract in order to buy it, I just want to be able to throw in any sim card and just go.
eguanlao 16y ago
... along with Verizon Math: one cent is equal to one dollar.
shareme 16y ago
Moto suing Apple over WCDMA patents..its about to get very interesting
listic 16y ago
Which other countries is US CDMA technology compatible with?
jcroberts 16y ago
If you want device specs for the Verizon Apple iPhone: http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2548&c=verizon_iphone_4_apple_iphone_3,2 http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2548&c=verizon... The database at pdadb.net has specs on a number of "known but unreleased" devices.
tomkarlo 16y ago
Folks seem to forget that not everyone has the option of switching carriers. The most obvious example of this are people who get their phone from their company via a bulk contract with a particular provider, as I used to when working at a large bank. If your company is only offering you Verizon service, you're not going to give up an essentially free wireless account on that carrier to pay $100/mo for an ATT account, even if you would rather have an iPhone. A lot of folks are also not aware of number portability yet - I still see notices that folks have changed their numbers because they got a new carrier - so they may think that buying an iPhone on ATT would mean changing numbers. It's also worth noting that overseas, where the iPhone is not tied to ATT, Apple continues to outpace Android significantly: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1733041/apple-google-continue-smartphone-growth-europe http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1733041/apple-google-cont...
- dailyrorschach 16y ago
  Do you mind sharing your age range? The reason I ask is, I work for an agency, and we have blackberry service provided by T-Mobile, which we are free to use as our personal phone. However, most people, especially those 35 and under, and our technically inclined folks, all still carry their own phone. Primarily because they want the iPhone, or in some cases, want Android.
cletus 16y ago
This isn't happening for the exact same reasons it's never been happening: 1. Newspapers and bloggers love this story. It generates clicks. 2. People want an iPhone on other networks. This makes them want to believe this in spite of the evidence. 3. CDMA doesn't do simultaneous voice and data. Apple is unlikely to try and explain such a difference to consumers given their focus on user experience. 4. CDMA is a dead/dying technology. Jobs summed this up In his D8 interview (when talking about Flash): Apple picks technologies in their "Spring". CDMA will be phased out in favor of LTE. 5. Most of the world uses GSM. The market for CDMA is small. People in the US forget this because of Verizon. 6. Apple tests far more products than they release. I'm sure there has been a CDMA iPhone. That doesn't mean it will be launched as a product. 7. AT&T had a five year exclusivity deal with the iPhone starting in 2007 according to court documents. While this may have changed it seems unlikely that AT&T would give this up without getting something huge in return. The only possibility realistically us that AT&T has failed to meet it's contractual requirements somehow. 8. AT&T service apparently sucks in SF and NYC, where most tech journalists and bloggers are. They are fine in most of the rest of the country. But this creates a huge sample bias in the press. If Apple does a CDMA anything it will, in my opinion, be an iPad.
- andreyf 16y ago
  I was dubious, but the last line really clicks. A verizon iPad would be perfect for Apple. The iPhone 4 was the last true iteration of the iPhone. I imagine the team has mostly moved into developing the next iPad.
- fondue 16y ago
  Point number 7, over and over ...
bobx11 16y ago
Sweet - we've only heard about it for 4 years. O_o

90 points by sportsTAKES 16y ago

We've been hearing that the iPhone will be on Verizon "any day now" for the past three years. I'll believe it when I see it in a Verizon store. They can't even fill the preorders for white iPhones....

kgermino 16y ago
I will say though that historically the WSJ (This writer in Particular) has been spot-on when reporting Apple rumors. iPad: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703405704575015362653644260.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870340570457501... No iPhone 4 Recall: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575369311876558240.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESecondNews http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870468260457536... Job's Liver Transplant: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124546193182433491.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124546193182433491.html And a TechCrunch article mentioning it: http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/15/iphone-4-recall/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/15/iphone-4-recall/ It appears that Yukari Iwatani Kane has a connection to Job's inner circle...
- patrickaljord 16y ago
  Except for that $999 iPad.
  - mcobrien 16y ago
    Which was almost certainly price anchoring by Apple. If they leak to anyone, it's the WSJ.
- irons 16y ago
  This story can be spot-on (Apple's producing a CDMA iPhone) without fulfilling the only aspect which US-centric HN readers care about (that Verizon will carry it). The story is framed in terms of technical capability, not in terms of a deal in place. A Verizon deal would be news. A CDMA iPhone in January just means Gruber has good sources.
stevefink 16y ago
The fact that the white iPhone has not shipped is mutually exclusive from carrier availability rumors. With that said - although WSJ has been historically accurate on occasions, I've got a heavy filter on for things like this until it comes from Steve Jobs himself.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
jokermatt999 16y ago
It's beginning to feel like the Duke Nukem Forever of phones. It's been rumored too many times over the years for me to believe it until I actually hold it in my hands. Perhaps it will actually happen soon, but I remain skeptical. (Yes, I know DNF is actually coming out, it appears. Gearbox just had to go and ruin a perfectly good metaphor by releasing a game that people have wanted for years.)
- loewenskind 16y ago
  You still have perl6. :)

thaumaturgy 16y ago

Verizon and Apple blew it on this one IMO. While the iPhone has been wildly successful by pretty much any metric, there is a not-small market segment that hasn't picked up an iPhone solely because it is encumbered with AT&T. (I am one member of that group.) AT&T gave up its exclusivity deal with Apple for the iPhone back in the spring of this year. Verizon and other insiders had to have known well in advance that they were going to. They should have been ready for a release in July, at the latest. Instead, Android has made great strides. I'm not a gadget guy when it comes to my phone; I just want it to work and be easy to use and not frustrate me. So, I've played with the various releases of Android and have continued to hold out for an iPhone ... until 2.2. 2.2 is good enough for me, and best of all, Android appears to be gaining ground on the iPhone, and it isn't being crushed by Apple's thumb. It's tough to tell for sure, but if I'm not alone in all this, then when the iPhone finally does come out for Verizon, it could fall flat on its face. It just took too damned long and frustrated everyone that has been patient enough to wait for it for years.

brown9-2 16y ago
If Android is a huge seller, isn't Verizon one of the top carriers selling Android phones? So if Verizon has been losing out on potential iPhone sales for the past few months, aren't they also making up for it with increased Android sales?
- thaumaturgy 16y ago
  No. I think that until recently, the Android market and the iPhone markets had only a little overlap; there were relatively few people that had a perfectly equal inclination to purchase an iPhone or an Android device, assuming that both were available on their carrier-of-choice. Meanwhile, AT&T has continued to be one of the top complaints about the iPhone. [1] (This doesn't help Apple's image, BTW; if Apple is so concerned with the end-user experience, then why are they in bed with one of the most-hated companies in the U.S.?) In other words, Android has been a popular fall-back for people that wanted a solid smart phone without AT&T. Although Android has been doing very well for Verizon [2], I have no trouble imagining that Verizon has lost out on a sizable amount of business from the market segment that preferred the iPhone to Android. Android 2.2 came out just a couple of weeks ago; back in July, a Verizon iPhone could have been a big deal. Now that Android has finally caught up to the iPhone (IMO), I think the holdouts are going to start picking up Android devices, which is going to cost Apple, which has already fallen behind Android in terms of both growth and popularity. On the other hand, AT&T has been paying Apple by the metric ton for the exclusivity deal, so maybe that money has been worth the lost market share for Apple and they just don't give a shit. [1]: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/06/top-10-complain.php http://dvice.com/archives/2010/06/top-10-complain.php [2]: http://gigaom.com/2010/10/05/nielsen-android-surges-to-no-1-in-recent-sales/ http://gigaom.com/2010/10/05/nielsen-android-surges-to-no-1-... edit: I suspect that a lot of this comes down to some politics and personalities. Apple had to have pissed off Verizon a bit when they offered a hugely popular device, but only for Verizon's only real U.S. competitor; then Apple pissed off Google shortly after; then, not too much further along, we start to hear that Verizon and Google are getting real friendly with each-other, possibly in an "any enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine" way. Verizon's been happy to push Android real hard, Google's been happy to support Verizon, and the two of them together are certainly putting some hurt on Apple/AT&T. It just sucks that consumers are getting caught in the middle.

lotusleaf1987 16y ago

But Verizon doesn't have simultaneous voice/data, so how will this work out? One of the main selling points (in the iPhone commercials) is that you can check your email/use Safari while making a call.

martin 16y ago
I'm pretty underwhelmed by that argument, given that my iPhone 3G on AT&T's network in NYC can barely do voice OR data, let alone both at the same time.
- lotusleaf1987 16y ago
  I do it all the time actually. For example, someone will be calling me telling me something/someone I need to follow up with. I can start immediately emailing the person and at least get started, if not finish the task. Different strokes for different folks. Edit: I also use Google Maps while talking, or check for movie times while someone is on the phone.
  - brk 16y ago
    So then on Verizon you could do everything but hit 'Send' on the email. I too don't put much value on the simultaneous voice/data feature, but then again I have 2 phones, so I usually multitask by using two devices. Even without that though, I've never really felt a huge demand for the voice+data thing.
    - ra88it 16y ago
      You could even hit 'Send'. The email would go out automatically at the next opportunity.
    - liamk 16y ago
      It's extremely useful when tethered. I find that I tether for hours at a time and I'm happy to be able to make/receive phone calls.
  - 16y ago

mattparcher 16y ago

Background: In early August, John Gruber wrote that: “The wheels are turning on N92, the CDMA variant of the iPhone 4... It’s right about where you’d think it would be if it were scheduled to go on sale in January. The CDMA iPhone is no longer a cold storage, keep-it-alive-just-in-case-we-need-it project.” [1] He noted that the CDMA iPhone could be headed for China Telecom first - the competitor to China Unicom, who just launched a GSM iPhone 4 in that country. He cites anonymous tipsters, as well as: - Bloomberg says Verizon iPhone coming in January [2] - CEA announces the Verizon CEO as the keynote speaker for CES in January [3] - Steve Cheney claims that Apple has placed orders for “millions of units of Qualcomm CDMA chipsets” for December [4] - Digitimes reports that Pegatron Technology will begin mass production in December of CDMA iPhones for Verizon and China Telecom [5] [1] http://daringfireball.net/2010/08/n92 http://daringfireball.net/2010/08/n92 [2] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-said-to-start-offering-iphone-ending-at-t-s-exclusivity.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-sa... [3] http://cesweb.org/news/080410.asp#4200 http://cesweb.org/news/080410.asp#4200 [4] http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/08/verizon-iphone-january/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/08/verizon-iphone-january/ [5] http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100809VL202.html http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100809VL202.html

noilly 16y ago
it's happening ;)

geuis 16y ago

So basically entire report based on stuff some people heard from some other people. "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the matter"

maresca 16y ago

If the time comes when Apple does release a Verizon iPhone, it won't matter. Apple has already alienated potential customers by forcing them to switch to AT&T. Droid's success is an indicator of peoples' unwillingness to switch. Verizon's customer service can be lacking at times, but not enough that I would have switched to AT&T.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

seanalltogether 16y ago

The only thing that matters to me now is the day apple starts selling all iphones unlocked. I don't want to go through firmware hacks to unlock an iphone or be forced on to a contract in order to buy it, I just want to be able to throw in any sim card and just go.

eguanlao 16y ago

... along with Verizon Math: one cent is equal to one dollar.

shareme 16y ago

Moto suing Apple over WCDMA patents..its about to get very interesting

listic 16y ago

Which other countries is US CDMA technology compatible with?

jcroberts 16y ago

If you want device specs for the Verizon Apple iPhone: http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2548&c=verizon_iphone_4_apple_iphone_3,2 http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2548&c=verizon... The database at pdadb.net has specs on a number of "known but unreleased" devices.

tomkarlo 16y ago

Folks seem to forget that not everyone has the option of switching carriers. The most obvious example of this are people who get their phone from their company via a bulk contract with a particular provider, as I used to when working at a large bank. If your company is only offering you Verizon service, you're not going to give up an essentially free wireless account on that carrier to pay $100/mo for an ATT account, even if you would rather have an iPhone. A lot of folks are also not aware of number portability yet - I still see notices that folks have changed their numbers because they got a new carrier - so they may think that buying an iPhone on ATT would mean changing numbers. It's also worth noting that overseas, where the iPhone is not tied to ATT, Apple continues to outpace Android significantly: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1733041/apple-google-continue-smartphone-growth-europe http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1733041/apple-google-cont...

dailyrorschach 16y ago
Do you mind sharing your age range? The reason I ask is, I work for an agency, and we have blackberry service provided by T-Mobile, which we are free to use as our personal phone. However, most people, especially those 35 and under, and our technically inclined folks, all still carry their own phone. Primarily because they want the iPhone, or in some cases, want Android.

cletus 16y ago

This isn't happening for the exact same reasons it's never been happening: 1. Newspapers and bloggers love this story. It generates clicks. 2. People want an iPhone on other networks. This makes them want to believe this in spite of the evidence. 3. CDMA doesn't do simultaneous voice and data. Apple is unlikely to try and explain such a difference to consumers given their focus on user experience. 4. CDMA is a dead/dying technology. Jobs summed this up In his D8 interview (when talking about Flash): Apple picks technologies in their "Spring". CDMA will be phased out in favor of LTE. 5. Most of the world uses GSM. The market for CDMA is small. People in the US forget this because of Verizon. 6. Apple tests far more products than they release. I'm sure there has been a CDMA iPhone. That doesn't mean it will be launched as a product. 7. AT&T had a five year exclusivity deal with the iPhone starting in 2007 according to court documents. While this may have changed it seems unlikely that AT&T would give this up without getting something huge in return. The only possibility realistically us that AT&T has failed to meet it's contractual requirements somehow. 8. AT&T service apparently sucks in SF and NYC, where most tech journalists and bloggers are. They are fine in most of the rest of the country. But this creates a huge sample bias in the press. If Apple does a CDMA anything it will, in my opinion, be an iPad.

andreyf 16y ago
I was dubious, but the last line really clicks. A verizon iPad would be perfect for Apple. The iPhone 4 was the last true iteration of the iPhone. I imagine the team has mostly moved into developing the next iPad.
fondue 16y ago
Point number 7, over and over ...

bobx11 16y ago

Sweet - we've only heard about it for 4 years. O_o