More Verizon iPhone Rumors… In Time for WWDC?!
There’s been a lot of noise lately about Verizon and the iPhone. Sure, some could be wishful thinking. Some could be to manipulate the ongoing Apple/AT&T negotiations. But could there be anything more to it?
We’ve heard rumors that an iPhone nano/lite/mini could be coming, and coming to Verizon alongside an iPhone-esque iTablet/iPad.
Yesterday on MacBreak Weekly, Scott Bourne claimed a Verizon insider contacted him and told him “Verizon is getting their own iPhone and the announcement will be in June”. Sound like a WWDC 2009 “one more thing” for the ages?
This follows on our friend Duvi letting us know about a rumor posted on the CrackBerry.com forums:
It is confirmed that iphone is coming to vzw…date? Very soon…there is a training for all emp on the internal training intranet website.
Could be smoke and no fire, or it could be Verizon finally warming up the iPhone BBQ, what do you think?
"
May 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Still don’t buy it… it’s all talk.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
The Lord of the Rings references are getting really old. Time for some new jokes.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I’m with you truth. It’s good photoshop work don’t get me wrong bit they were painfully unfunny even the first time I saw them.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
@Rene no the LOTR joke is not getting old keep using it, i love it!, @Truth be gone hater! you shall not pass!!
@This Topic, I gotta throw in my 2 cents, i certainly hope verizon doesn’t get the iPhone anytime soon, First off I hate verizon, and i’d HATE to see some sort of V Cast bull @#@# App on the iPhone trashing it up with it’s taintful smell.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Wow, so much hate from the Narnia Potter fans. Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn
[Actually, they take a lot of time, so there's no way I can make fresh ones for each post. They'll cycle out eventually as new, more compelling imagery makes sense]
Now we can stick to the Verizon rumormongering?
May 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Would Verizon be able to let Apple completely control hardware AND software like AT&T does? If so this would be cool, otherwise it just wouldn’t be an iPhone.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Can we get back on topic gentleman?
I would love to see a version of the iPhone on Verizon. This way, they can compare networks and see the difference. I say it’s a win-win for everyone.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
They already did compare networks and VZW’s coverage was a bit better but ATTs speed was way better.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/05/3g-wwan-shootout-chart-4.png
May 27th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
it would be very big news and i believe it could happen. Would get iphones into americas next biggest network. Would kick the blackberry in the butt too. Thats the only thing that verizon customers has…but I know so many that want the iPhone. Would be a smart decision if its not a big hardware update this time around. Would still give something new to millions of people.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I dont really believe Verizon would get an iphone version of any type… however if they did verizon tends to find a way to cripple the **** out of a crab with crutches approach to any device, so i wouldn’t worry too much about the masses jump on to the IN network.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Too true Steve… Even if Verizon gets iPhone, it will be crippled in true Verizon style. I switched to ATT last month cos I wanted an iPhone and I’m glad I did. Get thee behind me, Verizon!
May 27th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Great if they get the iPhone. Actually I hope they do. Then ATT and Verizon can fight on the rate plans.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Yes verizon will get an iPhone …….BUT THEY SAY THE GPS IS GOING TO BE LIKE VZGPS & VERIZON’S IPHONE IS GOING TO HAVE MORE VERIZON STUFF..NOT ALOT OF APPLE STUFF.. AT&T IS STILL GOING TO WIN CUZ ATT IS PUTTING UP LOTS MORE TOWERS..for better reception….THAT’S WHAT A ATT EMP TOLD ME…
May 27th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
steve is totally right – though vzw has downed down the crippling a bit recently, they haven’t given up entirely. It’s also amusing to me that though VZW has the newest crappiest CrackBerry (Storm, please stand up!), they don’t have the latest and grewatest QWERTY BBs. Weird… I think it may happen eventually, but I don’t believe it’s this year.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
HEY JOSPEH STOP YELLING… AND USING… ELLIPSES!
May 27th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
If Verizon gets the iPhone, it will not be crippled. Not because Verizon is now a friendly-puppy-dogs-and-ice-cream nice carrier, but because they already tried to impose demands on the iPhone two years ago. Even though Apple was just starting out, they told Verizon to kiss off. Two years later, Apple is riding high, Verizon has lost customers to the AT&T/iPhone pairing, and Apple is in a much stronger position.
Verizon will get an iPhone on Apple’s terms, or not at all.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Its called market saturation people. Only so many subscribers on AT&T, and so many more willing to jump service. I for one am not. Apple is aaware they are reaching market saturation and if they want to continue to sell thier hottest product, they must expand to other carriers. Kudos to my Marketin 101 prof.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
oooh ooooh, i know, i know… how about an AT&T and Verizon merger? That would solve everything, well, except no competition means higher prices for everything. Honestly, here is what I see. Verizon is probably working on iPhone stuff in their labs so when it does come out they can put some if not all their stuff on there. AND because they are working on something, the employees must think its coming soon. Wait til the LTE is up and then they can all have the same cell radio and Apple doesnt have to produce a ton of devices for every carrier on the planet. I wanna full time job working with the iPhone blog, would be fun to get paid to do what I do sitting at home anyways!
Thanks Rene for your help in keeping me occupied!
May 27th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
i think the vzw rumors stem from another rumor of a chinese cdma version. note that chinese cdma will not work on american cdma because it uses different frequencies.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
CDMA is end-of-life, I can’t see Apple putting an iPhone on Verizon next month. Perhaps when everyone is on LTE, but not now.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Not happening. I call BS. I honestly hope I’m wrong because competition on rate plans would be nice. However I highly doubt this and I think this stems from the Chinese CDMA rumors.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
BTW The LOTR jokes are NOT old. Shut up or GTFO. I mean that in the most friendly way possible.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Market saturation…..? ATT has 76 million customers……. How will opening themselves up to VZW Help them grow? If Apple can’t find customers among 76 million then its not gonna find more in VzWs….
Btw I work for VzW…. There isn’t any training going on and if any were to come out the Techs would be the first to get training on it…
Basically, these rumors are bullshit and VzW has a great reason to do this,,,, Their Flagship “iPhonekiller” is junk and they want everyone to think their network is so great that they can make Apple bend..
VzW may have the “best” network but we they have the shittiest phones
May 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Btw of all carriers VzW is the only one that will fire their employees onsite for having an iPhone…. Its even worse for the Flextronic Techs,,(VzW has no techs, They are all Flextronics techs. The only Techs VzW hirers is their Technical Service Hotline reps.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Does it come with Vcast and the uniform OS required for every crappy Verizon phone? Just kidding. I don’t see it happening. Verizon is one of the most controlling companies in regards to phone development and testing and the autonomy Apple requires would cause Verizon executives to have a nervous breakdown. Besides, they have the ultimate iPhone killer; the Blackberry Storm which has no issues or complaints from anyone. Why don’t people just stop talking about the iPhone and go out and buy a Storm? Just kidding; i do find it funny that networks rush out these “iphone killers” that for some reason…suck.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Why would the iPhone on VZW have to have all of the Verizon **** on it?? RIM doesn’t make the BlackBerry have to carry V-Cast on their products. What makes you think Apple would make the VZW version of the iPhone have V-cast or VZW Navigator? Does AT&T plaster it’s software on the iPhone? I’m really asking here, because as of now, I still don’t have the iPhone…yet.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
There will be no Verizon iPhone until at least 2011 when Verizon puts out their new network called LTE. Trust me.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I Agree with Matt. It seems impractical to redesign the radio set in the iPhone for one specific network when there are plenty more expansion opportunities with ATT. It will be fantastic when US networks commit to the same standard as the rest of the world (LTE Hopefully) and then there will finally be a bit of choice amongst the networks.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Just wondering… Could the next gen iPhone give Apple an “out” on their exclusivity arrangement with AT&T? As in, AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone, but if Apple touts the next gen iPhone as a completely new device (the iCell or something), would that grant them an opportunity to bring it to VZW and AT&T? Anyone know the details of the arrangement?
May 27th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I’m all in favor of Verizon but for one big thing- On CDMA you can’t surf/email while talking on the phone, but you can on GSM. I do this every day on the iPhone. There are lot of positives if the iPhone went to Verizon, but this is one major negative. The Pre on Sprint will have the same limitation, already now confirmed in the Pre manual.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
@Rene, keep the LoTR jokes!
It really doesn’t matter if the iPhone is on Verizon or not too me. Not interested in a CDMA phone be it the iPhone or anything else.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I have several friends that work for Verizon Wireless (a few sales rep and a manager) and they have not seen anything Apple or iPhone related on their Intranet. So this is either a bunch of bull, or only higher ups are privy to the training, which is also unlikely because Verizon normally does training for the reps the same time as the managers. So, I’m going to call BS here. Besides, AT&T’s contract doesn’t expire until next year, so the best thing that verizon COULD get would be an original iPhone, which I guess for them would actually be an iPhone 3G since their entire network is 3G unlike gAyT&T.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Just wait and see what awaits us in June. You will all be surprised!!! You heard it hear first. I can’t divulge anything more.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:35 am
@Insider
B U L L S H I T!!!
May 28th, 2009 at 2:20 am
I plan on switching to AT&T from Verizon in June or July to get the new iphone and I am DREADING it. AT&T is inferior. Every iPhone user I talk to says do NOT get it for the phone service. And I don’t want a baby iPhone either.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
@ insider
hard to believe, “heard it hear first” while still possible. If you were in fact a company insider I would think that you may have the wherewithal to proofread. convince us…
May 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Just a couple of thoughts that I’ve gathered from other Mac, iPhone, and cell blogs and sites…
even if CDMA is end-of-life, LTE will not reach full fruition until late 2010/early 2011 at best. Cell phones typically have a 12-month lifecycle, and Apple released the iPhone, then the iPhone 3G immediately thereafter with a refresh 12 months later. So IF Verizon were to get the iPhone this June/July, it wouldn’t matter whether or not longevity was an issue – we’d see some new and improved iPhone model next summer because that’s simply how Apple rolls.
June 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
i really want the iphone but everyone i know is on verizon so i talked to a verizon rep today who said they are DEFINITElY getting the iphone, the only question is whether it’s in september or october.
i didn’t think they were allowed to give out info like that buuuuut they did.
June 1st, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I am a Blackberry Curve user on Verizon. I agree with all those who are angry with “Big Red” for crippling phones and forcing users to use their software at additional costs, however AT&T as similar policies about “branding” their devices. Granted they don’t shove apps like VZNav down customers throats but most of the menus are not factory.
That being said, the poster above who stated that VZW does not force BB users to use their apps is half right. You can use Google Maps or the built in BB map application but it is somewhat crippled as they prefer you to use VZNav. I do feel however that others are right, VZW got it handed to them when they spat in Jobs’ face 3 years ago and he went to AT&T. I think Apple is in a better position to tell Verizon to leave their phone alone. I am sure they will create some apps for the app store but I doubt they will shove them down users’ throats.
I for one would love to see an iPhone on Verizon sooner than later. I have considered making the switch but it would cost me considerably more since most of my friends and family are on Verizon. I think Apple could easily recover any losses incurred by breaking (or bending) the agreement with AT&T because there are a lot of hungry Verizon customers who just won’t switch because we get superior coverage.
Apple is already having to make CDMA phone to China so that blows the theory that they wanted to stick to GSM networks and not worry with a second radio. At this point why not have three different radios? Perhaps it is just wishful thinking but I think that now would be a good time to release something with Verizon. If not we won’t see it until WWDC 2011 once LTE is rolled out.
June 12th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Went to buy Iphone at local Best Buy, the rep said don’t because Verizon is currently testing Iphone in rochester NY. He said roll out January 2010.
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Hey jim I hope your right because I hate my bbstorm I have at&t’s coverage and thats the only reason why I havent got the iphone yet
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I meant to write ‘hate’
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 am
I am fed up w/ VZW and their ugly A*$ phones. The BBSTORM was a joke and i would very much enjoy not 1 but 2 iphones as soon as they come to BIG RED in 2020!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 25th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
CDMA is an old technology. There have been trials of iPhone prototypes on CDMA and it just simply does not work for large amount of clients. Verizon will need to change to LTE. CDMA has reached end-of-life technology. I am a verizon customer, called them and said I am switching to AT&T and their comments is that an iPhone on Verizon is not in plans….so good bye Verizon…. GSM is the way to go –it can scale up. CDMA cannot. That simple.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Hey miranda how about all that talk that verizon was investing 80 million in lte g4 tech you should be patient I’ve wanted the iphone even wwhen it was unaffordable I think vzw is going to the iphone
August 9th, 2009 at 12:56 am
my friends works for verizon and says she will hold me one…she said it will most likely come out in december or just after. the deal has been made and verizon will have it CANT WAIT!!!
August 28th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I sure hope Verizon gets the Iphone soon. I left ATT to get BB storm & regret it! BB storm is a piece of S***! I did have Iphone 3G, but sold it! Now they came out with 3gs & it looks amazing. But it’s true what some readers stated they will have yet another new & improved iphone by next year & so on! Hopefully Verizon will have an Apple contract by then of their own…
September 4th, 2009 at 12:51 am
VZW employees are not taking trainings on an iphone… We never have, other than how to promote our phones against the iphone. Ive been with the company for quite some time and have yet to see. Everything right now is just smoke and mirrors. If verizon does get the iphone, it wont be till the LTE is up and running. Doesnt make sense for apple to produce a phone for a network that verizon is eventually going to phase out. Granted I think the iphone is an amazing product and I truly like their apps more, I wouldnt get the iphone unless its on big red. ATT has the worst service where I live. In the meantime, Ill get the storm2..So far soo good. It cant be any worse than the 1st gen!