Slash LaneVerizon CEO says Apple interested in LTE
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Verizon Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said his company's building of a 4G network caught the interest of Apple. It was those talks that led to the iPad being sold through Verizon when bundled with a MiFi mobile hotspot.
"Mr. Seidenberg said his embrace of LTE has drawn the interest of Apple Inc., and helped Verizon get the iPad," the report said. But he didn't comment on when Verizon might get the iPhone."
Unsurprisingly, Seidenberg declined to confirm whether the iPhone is coming to his network. Numerous mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, have independently reported that a CDMA iPhone will become available for Verizon customers in early 2011.
"If the iPhone comes to us, it's because Apple thinks it's time," he said. "Our interests are beginning to come together more but they have to take steps to align their technology with ours."
Apple reaches agreement with China Mobile - report
On Thursday the Chengdu Chinese Commercial News reported that China Mobile has entered into a "cooperation agreement" with Apple. Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities issued a note to investors in which he noted the news.
White noted that the language noting a "cooperation agreement" is vague, but he added that any relationship with China Mobile is an incremental positive for Apple's business.
China Mobile has more than 570 million mobile subscribers. It has reportedly been in talks with Apple to support the iPhone for some time, though a deal has not come to be.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal noted that China Mobile had set up a new website in which it helps users trim their SIM card to fit inside the iPhone 4, which requires a microSIM. The carrier said it was "working hard" to make microSIM cards, and would have them available in its stores soon.
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20 Comments
What's keeping Apple from creating a "global" iPhone, like various Blackberry models and the newer Droid 2 Global? It has a CDMA radio in it, but also has a separate GSM radio in it as well. If battery life is a concern, I'm sure Apple could figure out how to completely kill the radio that's not currently in use. I still fail to see the technical hurdle, other than the fact that it might add a couple tenths of a millimeter to the thickness.
China Mobile has entered into a "cooperation agreement" with China Mobile? :-)
This story can be boiled down to just two words:
Buy stock.
What's keeping Apple from creating a "global" iPhone, like various Blackberry models and the newer Droid 2 Global? It has a CDMA radio in it, but also has a separate GSM radio in it as well. If battery life is a concern, I'm sure Apple could figure out how to completely kill the radio that's not currently in use. I still fail to see the technical hurdle, other than the fact that it might add a couple tenths of a millimeter to the thickness.
So far every ?world mode? has been poorly named. For instance, the BB?s on Verizon only allow users on N. American GSM networks, no UMTS bands. In fact, they typically only have one UMTS band for most of Europe, that?s it.
Apple currently uses the standard four GSM bands and has five UMTS bands in the iPhone 4. On top of that, the iPhone is the smallest high-end smartphone available, whilst these ?world mode? phones are typically larger due to the additional HW, so for Apple to support all their current radios and add CDMA/EV-DO for various carriers would probably make it impossible to keep the current size.
Even if they could keep it as small, there are outrageous patent fees for Qualcomm for simply including that tech (the reason why W-CDMA was created in the first place), even if they go unused. Then there are power costs.
But all that is inconsequential to the important question that people seem to miss: If making one handset to work for all carriers would lower costs and be easier for vendors then why aren?t all phones made with concept in mind? The fact that they don?t means there are huge downsides to this.
Even if they could keep it as small, there are outrageous patent fees for Qualcomm for simply including that tech (the reason why W-CDMA was created in the first place), even if they go unused. Then there are power costs.
The GSM world has their so-called patent troll as well --- it's Interdigital.
http://news.cnet.com/Nokia-loses-pat...3-6013449.html