It’s almost guaranteed that Verizon will be landing the Apple iPhone next year but there are still questions about what type of technology will be inside this highly-anticipated device. Well, now we have a (admittedly thin) rumor that the Verizon iPhone will be able to utilize the just-launched 4G LTE service.
MacDailyNews is passing on a rumor from a “source familiar with the matter” which said, among other things, that the Verizon iPhone will be a 4G LTE phone. In fact, one of the main marketing pushes for this device will be that it’s the only “LTE iPhone” in the world.
The rumor also says that the announcement will be made sometime after Christmas and it will be immediately available after the formal introduction. Verizon’s CEO will keynote CES in early January, so that could be a proper time to make the introduction. Apple will also probably have an event near the end of January to introduce the iPad 2, so that could be a natural fit for this announcement.
The rumor also says that the so-called iPhone 5 will be LTE-capable when it’s rolled out in the summer of 2011, as multiple countries and networks have already rolled out this next-generation mobile data network. This all sounds amazing but I’m not too sure I buy it yet.
For all the forward-thinking design that Apple likes to put in its devices, the iPhone lineup hasn’t necessarily been cutting edge when it comes to much of its technology. Remember, the first iPhone launched without 3G service, even though that networks was far more built out than Verizon’s 4G LTE network is.
The Verizon iPhone with 4G LTE capabilities does make me drool but one would think this could also cripple the network with the interest and consumer demand. I think it’s far more likely that an Android device like the HTC Mecha will be the first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone, while Apple will wait a year to see the network and, just as importantly, the supply chain mature.
[Via Apple Insider]