Shaw Wu, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers, says that Verizon sees iPhone as “essential to its future success,” even though AT&T isn’t all that bothered about losing exclusivity. Wu also says that BlackBerry 6-enabled devices will be landing between January and March, which he speculates could be a CDMA version of the BlackBerry Torch (though I’m tempted to think it could just be an OS upgrade to the Bold 9650 and Curve 9330).
We’ve already heard more rumours about a Verizon iPhone than any sane human could possibly stomach over the course of the last year, but a bit of insight into how the company itself feels about Apple’s popular smartphone is telling. They’ve has spent a lot of time, money, and effort promoting Android, and has seen significant success as a result, but even then, they see iPhone as a must-have? Getting the iPhone would certainly obliterate any competitive advantage AT&T had, but Verizon still has a head start in other areas. What do you guys think – could Verizon compete indefinitely on a strictly Android diet, or do they need iPhone to keep the lead in the long run?
As for a CDMA BlackBerry Torch, it doesn’t seem altogether impossible, but I think that Verizon would spend more time getting an LTE Storm 3 out the door before anything. There’s also the Curve 3G and the Bold that are due for an OS 6 upgrade soon, though that could just as easily roll out in addition to a Storm and Torch release.
[via Barron’s]