Marco.org: Rambling about Verizon
To expect Apple to wait until LTE to make a Verizon-compatible iPhone, therefore, seems unlikely. LTE hasn’t been deployed anywhere yet, but the current promise is that it’s going to start being available late this year. Based on the deployment of EVDO, when might it be practical to own an LTE-only phone? 2016?
Marco is spot on with his assessment of LTE availability.
But I wouldn’t hold my breathe for a Verizon compatible iPhone any time before June 2011. Vendor contracts aside, I see Apple waiting to introduce a Verizon iPhone for one reason. Simplicity.
Apple has taken great effort to make the iPhone purchasing process as simple as possible (iPhone 4 pre-orders not withstanding). A customer can walk into any number of retail stores and choose from the white or black iPhone. Then decide if they want to spend $99, $199 or $299. That’s really all there is to it. Introducing another variable, choosing between the Verizon or AT&T (or Sprint or T-Mobile) iPhone adds a layer of complexity that is un-Apple-like.
I think Apple is serious about maintaining their momentum in the cell phone market and the easiest way to do that stateside is by expanding their carrier partners. So I look to next summer when iPhone 5 is released with dual CDMA/GSM chips allowing use on any supported network.
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