RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky has said CDMA iPhone production has been cut by a third in order to focus on iPads for the holidays. That means Verizon is still supposedly getting the iPhone, but only 20 (rather than 30) million of ’em. iPad production is said to be at around 40 million for 2011.
The iPad’s success has been palpable and continues to spread internationally, so it’s not too surprising to see a Verizon iPhone take the back-burner. After all, the CDMA adaptation is one Apple is making pretty specifically for the U.S., and won’t be usable elsewhere. Still, iPhone owners who have been dealing with AT&T’s shoddy network performance for the last couple of years have been starving for an alternative, and if they end up looking at Verizon, odds are good they’re looking at an Android phone. If Apple wants to retain those fans through the poor service experience, they’ll need to roll with Verizon, even if that means their handset looks less appealing when surrounded on all sides by beefy Android phones.
Anyway, all Verizon iPhone rumours are to be taken tentatively, especially since VZW’s CEO said the ball’s entirely in Apple’s court. Maybe the launch of their 4G network would be the perfect occasion for Apple to out an LTE-capable phone…?
[via AppleInsider]