Anecdotal evidence in support of the long-held belief that Apple's next iPhone will support both GSM and CDMA networks has emerged in the form of an anonymous developer who reports that a new dual-mode device has appeared in app usage logs.
Apple could see as much as $6 billion from sales of the CDMA-version of the iPhone on Verizon, and another $3 billion in CDMA iPhone sales overseas in 2012, says one analyst.
Korean carrier SK Telecom announced earlier this week that it will launch Apple's iPhone 4 on March 16, though reports vary on whether the company will offer the CDMA or GSM version of the handset.
With Monday's release of iOS 4.2.6 for the Verizon CDMA iPhone, one hacker claims to have confirmation that Apple went with Qualcomm for the CDMA baseband. Also, Netgear CEO Patrick Lo has apologized for comments he made about Steve Jobs, and Apple job listings reveal that the iPhone maker continues to look for engineers with LTE experience, possibly in preparation for a 4G LTE iPhone.
Apple's iPad 2 will feature a better quality display, faster chips, separate CDMA and GSM versions, iPod touch-like dual cameras, and vendors will produce 4.5 to 5 million units in the first quarter, according to a new report from Taiwan.
Qualcomm shares were up more than 6 percent after it said it would post new revenue and earnings growth as demand for its chips accelerate. Apple's iPhone 4 on Verizon, as well as the next generation of iPhone and iPad, are all expected to use Qualcomm's baseband chips.
The chairman of carrier China Mobile said on Wednesday that Apple has "made it clear" that the company intends to support high-speed long-term evolution 4G wireless technology in a future update to the iPhone.
A hacker claims to have discovered evidence pointing to an upcoming Qualcomm cellular baseband inside the code for Apple's iTunes software, possibly indicating that the iPhone maker plans to incorporate the CDMA giant's baseband into the next generation of iOS devices.
Apple announced that in addition to its new non-exclusive agreement with Verizon, it had signed a new non-exclusive agreement with AT&T that brings to a close all carrier-exclusive iPhone contracts worldwide.
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Josh Ong
AppleInsider Staff
Daniel Eran Dilger
Katie Marsal
