4G iPhone To End AT&T Exclusivity?
30 Mar 2010 | Apple , Rumors , att | 1 comment
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple is getting ready to launch a new iPhone that will most likely end AT&T's exclusivity over the device.
Apple's fourth-generation iPhone is expected to be CDMA-enabled, which could be the main reason to end the exclusivity, seeing that AT&T uses GSM technology.
For AT&T, the exclusivity with Apple has been very profitable, helping the carrier climb to first place at smartphone market share. According to comScore stats, AT&T has over 43% of all US smartphone customers, while Verizon has only 23%.
The new iPhone is also expected to be thinner, have a faster processor and to launch this summer.
~ 1 comment ~
Sorry Verizon fanboy, this old rumor has been run in the ground every year since the iPhone came out in 2007. The 5 year contract with AT&T does not end until 2011. Verizon is in the process of upgrading to a LTE 4G network (so is AT&T). Why would Apple make an outdated CDMA device just for Verizon. This year's iPhone will be a 4G as in the 4th iPhone model, but not 4G as in 4th gen. wireless LTE. It is also more likely that a crossover model would be using the GSM with EDGE/HSPA/LTE since they are in the same family of global wireless standards than two very different technologies in a CDMA/LTE iPhone. You are just going to have to wait another year for the 2011 iPhone LTE. Of course it may be longer since it will take the wireless carriers several years to have good LTE coverage.