Josh OngJon Gruber of Daring Fireball said Wednesday that "a few little birdies" told him that a CDMA variant of the iPhone is just two steps away from production. According to the report, the device is in the EVT (engineering verification test) phase, one step below DVT (device verification test).
DVT status, which takes place right before production, is best known as the status of the iPhone 4 test unit that was "lost" in a bar by an Apple engineer in April.
In addition to Gruber's unidentified sources, the report cites several suppliers that have added to recent rumors of a CDMA iPhone. One rumor claimed Qualcomm is set to manufacture millions of CDMA chips for a Verizon iPhone in December. Another report points to Pegatron as a supplier for the CDMA iPhone.
While a CDMA iPhone could work on a number of networks, Verizon, which is the largest wireless provider in the U.S., seems the most likely candidate. A June report by Bloomberg mentioned January 2011 as the target for a Verizon-compatible iPhone launch. According to Gruber, a product currently in EVT would be on track for a January 2011 release.
On Monday, AT&T warned that some of its smartphone exclusivity agreements will soon expire. The news, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, set off a fresh round of speculation about the expansion of the iPhone to other U.S. carriers. Steven Fox, an analyst with CLSA, cites the new exclusivity references as evidence that Apple could add Verizon as a U.S. carrier by early 2011.
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62 Comments
This cannot come soon enough. I'm going to be hitting the bars around Cupertino! Just to "borrow" it, not take it permanently. I'll use my roommates computer so they can't trace it back to me.
"Jon Gruber of Daring Fireball"
Why is this guy always quoted? I looked him up.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber
and what has he done to get quoted so much? He has barely done anything in the world of IT/Tech besides his blog that is nothing but a daily rant on stuff he likes.
I mean I could sit around and make predictions about when the next iMac, iPhone, iLife is going to come out and be right 50% of the time which is probably better than him.
"Jon Gruber of Daring Fireball"
Why is this guy always quoted? I looked him up.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber
and what has he done to get quoted so much? He has barely done anything in the world of IT/Tech besides his blog that is nothing but a daily rant on stuff he likes.
I mean I could sit around and make predictions about when the next iMac, iPhone, iLife is going to come out and be right 50% of the time which is probably better than him.
No, he tends to be right a lot. Much more than the idiot "analysts" that get quoted, and more than 50%. And I don't think random guessing would net you a 50% rate, probably closer to 10 or 15.
Gordon
"Jon Gruber of Daring Fireball"
Why is this guy always quoted? I looked him up.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber
and what has he done to get quoted so much? He has barely done anything in the world of IT/Tech besides his blog that is nothing but a daily rant on stuff he likes.
I mean I could sit around and make predictions about when the next iMac, iPhone, iLife is going to come out and be right 50% of the time which is probably better than him.
Read his site: daringfireball.net. It is always interesting.
As much as has been speculated here about how angered SJ was by Verizon's initial iPhone rejection, I can only imagine what they must have had to agree to for Steve to exact his revenge. I am, however, hopeful that this will happen, at least to prove that SJ is not cutting off his nose to spite his face and is now thinking like a CEO in charge of maximizing profit for the shareholders instead of the usual egomaniacal ranting we usually get from him.
Not that the stock hasn't done well, it is just that a Verizon phone will be huge, except that it reportedly can't do data and voice simultaneously. I'm sticking with AT&T anyway.