Verizon CEO has told Apple he wants to offer the iPhone
The chief executive of Verizon said Tuesday he has told Apple his company would like to carry the iPhone, and he even cited a recent report that said Apple is working on a CDMA-capable iPhone.
But Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg did not say whether or not the iPhone is coming to Verizon, or even whether he knows the answer. Seidenberg's comments came before the Council on Foreign Relations, according to The Associated Press.
The executive of Verizon, the largest wireless provider in the U.S., reportedly cited a story printed in late March in The Wall Street Journal that Apple is working on two new iPhones, including one CDMA-capable version that could run on the Verizon network in the U.S. That report alleged that a CDMA iPhone could go into mass production in September, potentially arriving on the Verizon network. However, the CEO declined to confirm the report or give any additional details.
Seidenberg's citation of the Journal seems to suggest that even he does not know whether the iPhone will be made available on his company's network this year. Speculation of a Verizon iPhone has persisted for some time, as AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple is rumored to expire this year.
Talk of a Verizon iPhone cooled in January, after Apple executives made a clear effort to demonstrate they are happy with their partnership with AT&T. The company also aimed to downplay speculation that the iPhone would become available on multiple carriers in the U.S. Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said multi-carrier strategies are not the best option for every country.
Seidenberg's comments come as Apple is prepared to preview its forthcoming iPhone OS 4.0 mobile operating system at a special event scheduled for Thursday. New phones will not likely be introduced until this summer, when the operating system upgrade is formally released to the public.
But Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg did not say whether or not the iPhone is coming to Verizon, or even whether he knows the answer. Seidenberg's comments came before the Council on Foreign Relations, according to The Associated Press.
The executive of Verizon, the largest wireless provider in the U.S., reportedly cited a story printed in late March in The Wall Street Journal that Apple is working on two new iPhones, including one CDMA-capable version that could run on the Verizon network in the U.S. That report alleged that a CDMA iPhone could go into mass production in September, potentially arriving on the Verizon network. However, the CEO declined to confirm the report or give any additional details.
Seidenberg's citation of the Journal seems to suggest that even he does not know whether the iPhone will be made available on his company's network this year. Speculation of a Verizon iPhone has persisted for some time, as AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple is rumored to expire this year.
Talk of a Verizon iPhone cooled in January, after Apple executives made a clear effort to demonstrate they are happy with their partnership with AT&T. The company also aimed to downplay speculation that the iPhone would become available on multiple carriers in the U.S. Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said multi-carrier strategies are not the best option for every country.
Seidenberg's comments come as Apple is prepared to preview its forthcoming iPhone OS 4.0 mobile operating system at a special event scheduled for Thursday. New phones will not likely be introduced until this summer, when the operating system upgrade is formally released to the public.
Comments
Make him beg.
I think this is what Steve was waiting for... kinda a semi public mea culpa from Verizon's Head Honcho for Steve's satisfaction. Verizon will soon be included in the mix.
Make him beg.
In the meantime more people will buy an Android phone. Apple should stop with the delays and go multicarrier as soon as possible.
The iPhone on Verizon will actually be good for Apple and AT&T. Users will be frustrated when they can't surf the web or use web dependant apps while on the phone.
I can only speak from my experience but in all the time I've owned an iPhone I have never once surfed the web or used a web dependent app whilst speaking on the phone. If the feature wasn't there I wouldn't notice.
He'll negotiate. And fold to Apple's demands.
I think this is what Steve was waiting for... kinda a semi public mea culpa from Verizon's Head Honcho for Steve's satisfaction. Verizon will soon be included in the mix.
Given ATT's success with the iPhone, I think Apple would now get everything it wants from Verizon.
Apple would just look at it as the 'cost' of expansion and possibly doubling its sales.
Would the Verizon phone work for the big China provider too? Just asking, don't bite my head off!
Best
In the meantime more people will buy an Android phone. Apple should stop with the delays and go multicarrier as soon as possible.
I can only speak from my experience but in all the time I've owned an iPhone I have never once surfed the web or used a web dependent app whilst speaking on the phone. If the feature wasn't there I wouldn't notice.
I use Cisco Webex App....this allows me to attend a conferance call with visuals and voice at the same time. This has allowed me to increase sales. Verizon could never offer this.
If the CEO of Verizon quoted a rumor from the WSJ that Apple is building a CDMA phone for them, then it's unlikely that the rumor is true.
No - his is a very sensible strategy. Steve hates it when people leak things. By quoting WSJ, Seidenberg neatly avoids leaking anything
No - his is a very sensible strategy. Steve hates it when people leak things. By quoting WSJ, Seidenberg neatly avoids leaking anything
This. Ask that publisher guy who outed the iPad.
This story will run and run and run until Verizon has rolled out LTE and an LTE capable iPhone is in the shops.
Agreed....and Verizon (and the rest of the carriers) won't have a big enough LTE footprint until 2012-2014. At least AT&T can fall back on 3G with the current LTE technology. Verizon can't even fall back on CDMA....CDMA is not backward compatable with LTE.
No - his is a very sensible strategy. Steve hates it when people leak things. By quoting WSJ, Seidenberg neatly avoids leaking anything
I'm sure Steve doesn't hate it when people he has business discussions with talk-up rumors by referring to them.
This story will run and run and run until Verizon has rolled out LTE and an LTE capable iPhone is in the shops.
Even if Verizon rolls out LTE, the phone would still need to support CDMA for areas without LTE.
Thus we need either 2 separate iPhones: 1 that supports LTE/GSM and one that supports LTE/CDMA
Or 1 phone that supports all three: LTE/CDMA/GSM.
Either way, if they are gonna roll out a Verizon iPhone in Sept., I hope that they announce it in the summer. Not sure I can wait to upgrade my 2.3 year old in Sept. Might just get a Palm Pre or a Droid over the summer.
In the meantime more people will buy an Android phone. Apple should stop with the delays and go multicarrier as soon as possible.
I can only speak from my experience but in all the time I've owned an iPhone I have never once surfed the web or used a web dependent app whilst speaking on the phone. If the feature wasn't there I wouldn't notice.
But you have to keep in mind while data is running it can block calls which go to voicemail. most common on streaming video or GPS maps navigation. i also thought i would never use voice and data at the same time. but once its gone you notice it as MMS get held up, your navigation stops downloading maps, no way to quickly check email, weather or movie times. verizon has such a out dated slow technology they just have a lot of it
If someone in the USA wants an IPhone they are willing to switch carriers if Nessessary.
If for some reason they cannot or do not want to, or the area they live in is not in the coverage zone. I would say they are 5 or 10% of the population Max.
Why would Apple spend money developing a CDMA phone for such a small market? The rest of the world uses GSM. It is not worth wasting their time!
It would be cheaper for Apple to give AT&T money to build their network to cover everyone in the USA then charge them for it through Iphone usage!
This story will run and run and run until Verizon has rolled out LTE and an LTE capable iPhone is in the shops.
You do realize that Verizon will still keep CDMA as the voice standard for the rest of this decade, alongside it as a backup for when LTE is not available for data right?
No iPhone for Verizon until 2020? Yeah ok.
I love these pronouncements from people saying that CDMA is dead, and what's the point of making a CDMA iPhone when LTE is just around the corner, all the while knowing absolutely nothing about this all works. CDMA is not going anywhere for a very very long time. And Apple WILL make a CDMA compatible phone even after the LTE rolleout is complete.