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How would you change the Verizon iPhone?
It's an iPhone 4... but not the original iPhone 4. Verizon Wireless became the first CDMA carrier in the States to call an Apple smartphone one of its own, and the resulting handset is eerily similar to the AT&T variant in most regards. That said, we're sure that a few of you folks would have done things differently if given the design credentials needed to do so, and this is place for you to vent. Would you have added any features to this guy not already found on the GSM iPhone 4? Offered a Big Red-exclusive color? Thrown an LTE radio in there? Changed up the antenna layout? Included a secondary display, Echo-style? Go on and get creative in comments below -- you never know what suggestions may shape the shape of the iPhone 5! (Or something like that.)
China Telecom awaiting CDMA iPhone 4
Rumors that Apple and China Telecom are close to inking a deal to bring the iPhone 4 to a second wireless carrier in China may be premature. The latest report from Digitimes suggests the deal may be held up by the lack of a SIM card slot in the CDMA iPhone 4. Earlier information from Chinese news site suggest this technical limitation was overcome by China Telecom engineers, but details on this achievement were not provided. Vincent Chih, CEO of Asia Pacific Telecom, claims Apple will need a substantial volume of orders to modify the CDMA iPhone 4 with a SIM card slot. If China Telecom can successfully negotiate a deal with Apple, then APT will be able to offer the iPhone 4 through its close relationship with the Chinese wireless carrier. APT is a Taiwanese cellular carrier that boasts of over 2 million subscribers and operates Taiwan's only CDMA network. China Telecom is China's third largest cellular operator with over 82 million subscribers.
CDMA iPhone 4 may land on China Telecom in June
Chinese news sites are reporting that China Telecom has overcome technical challenges with the CDMA iPhone 4 and is prepared to launch the handset as early as June. Details were sparse, but engineers have reportedly developed a workaround for the lack of a SIM slot in the CDMA iPhone 4. Available from Verizon Wireless, the CDMA iPhone does not support a SIM card because the US wireless carrier does not use the cellular technology in its handsets. China Telecom requires a SIM card, which poses a problem with the CDMA iPhone 4. As proof of their achievement, China Telecom employees in the Guangdong branch have posted pictures of the CDMA iPhone 4 with full 3G signal on China Telecom's network. Previous posting from this Guangdong group boast that the iPhone 4 has made its first official phone call on China's #3 wireless carrier. The Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China, reiterates this report and suggests the CDMA iPhone will be available in June. Much of this information is obtained from unofficial sources, and China Telecom has not commented on these rumors, though the carrier has indicated in the past it is interested in carrying the CDMA iPhone 4. Apple is interested in the Chinese market and is expecting to open up to 25 new stores in China over the next several years. Apple is reportedly looking to open a new store on Shanghai's very popular and very busy Nanjing Road. This retail outlet will become China's fifth Apple store and will be the largest one in China thus far.
China Telecom close to inking deal with Apple for the CDMA iPhone 4
In a research note, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White suggest China Telecom is close to completing a deal with Apple to carry the CDMA iPhone 4. White cites a report on Chinese website NetEase that claims one branch of the wireless operator is already accepting pre-orders for the CDMA iPhone 4. He also refers to a microblog post, reportedly from a China Telecom employee, proclaiming that the first CDMA iPhone call has been placed on its network. "It is unclear how pre-orders are available before an official announcement has been made by the two companies," White writes, "however, the key takeaway is that the relationship between Apple and China Telecom is clearly moving in the right direction, and we believe that a deal will eventually be announced this year." A deal with China Telecom would help Apple break further into China's telecom market, the largest in the world with over 842 million total wireless subscribers. Currently, China Unicom is the sole carrier of the iPhone 4 in China and is the #2 carrier in the Asian country with 167 million wireless subscribers. China Telecom comes in third place with 90 million subscribers. This Asian Pacific market, according to White, accounts for almost 58 percent of the world's estimated 550 million CDMA customers. The remaining carrier, government-controlled China Mobile, has a whopping 584 million subscribers and is rumored to be negotiating with Apple to develop an iPhone compatible with the carrier's future TD-LTE network.
Apple details call-related differences between CDMA and GSM iPhones
The only thing conspicuously missing here are the differences that actually count.
Verizon iPhone hits the streets, fails to gather crowds (video)
Verizon may have had its best sales day ever with the launch of the CDMA iPhone 4, but you wouldn't be able to tell if you parked outside a retail store this morning. Reuters reports that the usual hordes didn't show up for the Verizon iPhone launch -- San Francisco and New York flagship Apple Store locations boasted as few as forty individuals in line -- and that by afternoon today, the initial shipment of devices were still in stock. Of course, the device had already been on sale for several days -- and face it, it's just a CDMA iPhone 4 -- but it's not often we get to see spectacles like the one on video above, shot at the Mall of America store.
Verizon iPhone now shipping to select customers: 'it begins'
While pre-orders have been halted for the interim, several readers that got their credit card information in on time have been sent an email from Verizon alerting to an CDMA iPhone shipment en route to their residence of choice. FedEx doesn't seem to be tracking any of the orders just yet, but we'll check back tomorrow to be sure. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've seen our first FedEx tracking screen and the estimated delivery date is February 7th, a whole 72 hours before everyone else gets it. Thanks, Richard!
CDMA iPhone 4 production increased to meet anticipated demand
According to the Asian newspaper Digitimes, production of the CDMA iPhone 4 may climb as high as 15 million units for 2011. Pegatron Technology is reportedly delivering its first batch of CDMA iPhone 4 handsets to Apple and has originally projected internally that it would manufacture 10 million units in 2011. This internal estimate has been increased by 2 to 5 million units due to strong demand for this variant of Apple's popular smartphone. The CDMA iPhone 4 is expected to land on Verizon Wireless starting February 10, and it will be available for US$199 with a 2-year customer agreement. Ever since detailed rumors of the CDMA iPhone began surfacing, demand for the iPhone 4 on Verizon has been high. Due to this pent-up demand, analysts project that Verizon could sell up to 16 million units in 2011. According to analyst Charles Wolf of Needham & Company, most of these new iPhone users will be former feature phone owners who will drop their brew phone for the iOS device. Other new iPhone owners may be customers who have left Sprint, T-Mobile or AT&T now that Verizon finally has the iPhone. The CDMA iPhone could also land globally on other carriers, such as China Telecom or India's Reliance Communications, though a launch outside of the US has not been confirmed by Apple. [Via AppleInsider]
Verizon iPhone 4 will have 3G mobile hotspot (update)
It'll probably be subject to an additional fee as usual, but Verizon and Apple have just revealed that the new CDMA iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices. It'll come with an iOS-specific version of the Verizon 3G Mobile Hotspot that folks have been enjoying on their Droids for many moons now. That should allowing for laptops, tablets and the like to get online via iPhone without a pesky cord, and almost certainly make the long-verboten iPhone - iPad tethering connection finally attainable. Joy to the world! Update: Verizon called it an app, but getting hands-on we can see that's not the case at all -- Personal Hotspot is built right into the CDMA iPhone 4's build of iOS 4.2.5. Perhaps we'll see it migrate to other devices as well?
WSJ: Verizon iPhone due out near the end of January
Okay, so the general assumption at this point is that Tuesday's big Verizon announcement will be the oft-rumored CDMA iPhone. But as for when it comes out, well... the Wall Street Journal is saying (by way of its long-standing sources) near the end of the month. Nothing else to go by at this point, but it's definitely not out of the question. At least we won't have to wait long to find out -- say, have you bookmarked our liveblog yet?
Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know
Update: The Verizon iPhone has been announced! Here's our hands-on, and here's a comparison chart with the AT&T version. Below is documentation of the rumoring and the speculation and the historic desperation for this product. You know, for posterity. Ah, the Verizon iPhone. In our bizarre careers as tech journalists, if there's one question we've heard more than "When is Verizon getting the iPhone?" we can't think of it. Also, outside the original rumors for the iPhone and iPad, we can't think of another product so heavily teased by those in the know and those not in the know -- though mostly by those not in the know. But then we heard Verizon is having a little get together on Tuesday, which is particularly odd timing because Verizon has a huge presence and a large amount of announcements at this year's CES. Rumors of the event being a Verizon iPhone announce immediately flared up, but there were still reservations: Apple usually announces its own products at its own corporate campus -- why would Verizon be doing the honors in NY? That's when the Wall Street Journal swooped in with a confirmation: the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday, and WSJ's All Things D even thinks Steve Jobs will be there. So, who is this fly-by-night "Wall Street Journal" publication we speak of? They have one of the best track records on Apple rumors in the business, and they've been leading the Verizon iPhone predictions from day one. Follow after the break as we talk it out.
Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday (Steve Jobs to appear?)
Well, here we are: the Wall Street Journal says Verizon will indeed announce the iPhone at its mysterious Tuesday event, according to "a source familiar with the matter." That's all the info the Journal has, but we'd say that all but seals it at this point -- and you know we'll be there live when it happens. P.S. And just like that, Apple's managed to once again be one of the biggest stories at CES with zero presence here. That's what, five years in a row now? Update: All Things D has it on good authority that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be making an appearance at this here event. Of course, even they can't confirm it 100 percent, but where there's smoke...
Tweaked iPhone 4 parts video pulled from YouTube 'due to a copyright claim from Apple, Inc.'
There's not much more to say here -- that crazy video we saw earlier today of what appeared to be tweaked iPhone 4 parts has been pulled from YouTube "due to a copyright claim by Apple, Inc." Obviously we still have the screenshot above, which tells the whole story, really -- these parts point to a variant of the iPhone that's the same, but different. Exactly why it's different is still up for debate -- the CDMA iPhone for Verizon is obviously everyone's first guess, but until Steve speaks we won't know for sure. P.S.- We suppose it's also possible that Apple wasn't actually responsible for the removal -- someone could have punked YouTube's copyright cops, and there is that odd double-period typo after "Inc." But that seems like someone's playing a particularly insane game, no?
Tweaked iPhone 4 parts discovered: an antenna fix, Verizon's iPhone, or the best KIRF ever?
This is a pretty bizarre video, but we watched the whole thing and we're prepared to comment: this is a pretty bizarre video. The folks at GlobalDirectParts somehow got ahold of iPhone replacement parts (a common story in Apple device leaks), and they've posted an in-depth video that illustrates the differences between this new set and regular iPhone 4 parts. Interestingly, nothing has been majorly tweaked, but there's a huge quantity of minor tweaks, primary in the internal wiring. Most notable are antenna adjustments, that are either an antenna fix, or, more likely, adjustments to optimize the antennas to work with Verizon's CDMA network. Other tweaks are bigger head scratchers, including a SIM slot (which wouldn't be necessary on Verizon, but wouldn't hurt anything either), and the removal of the rear camera hole (perhaps an extra SKU for enterprise use?). GlobalDirectParts isn't the only one to receive the tweaked parts, SmartPhone Medic made a similar score, so at least we know this isn't a one-off prank. We'll keep scratching our heads while you check out the video, located after the break. Update: So apparently Apple's yanked the video off YouTube, which may or may not be an indication for the part's authenticity. Anyhow, we've got you guys a backup video after the break.
iPhone 3,2 rumored to be in near-final testing phase, cue the CDMA speculation
Apple's all aglow with its fiscal triumphs, but that's nothing new. Here's something else that follows the Cupertino company like night follows the day: Verizon iPhone rumors. Boy Genius Report claims it's heard from one of its "solid Apple sources" that iPhone 3,2 (seen previously in iOS code) has hit "AP testing phase," which reportedly means final hardware and near-final software. Said source also claims it has a SIM card slot, which would be fine except for BGR's assertion that 3,2 is the oft-rumored CDMA iPhone -- you know, the one that Wall Street Journal is all but certain is coming next year. So how might these two apparently contradictory elements form some tangible paradox machine? One possibility the publication is suggesting is a CDMA / GSM dual-mode "global" phone that'd work on virtually all major carriers. Then again, it could just be a GSM iPhone 4 with some design finagling (antenna revision?). If any of this pans out, that is, but at least you can say you witnessed the Verizon iPhone rumor merging with existing iPhone 4 to form a mythical "carrier Voltron" device. Or something like that.
Rumor: Apple talking with CDMA carriers in India
Adding to the already bloated CDMA iPhone rumor mill, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Apple is in talks with Reliance Communications Ltd and Tata Teliservices Ltd to bring the much-talked-about CDMA equipped iPhone to India. Apparently, talks with Tata Teleservices Ltd have been going on for some 4 to 5 months now. Similarly, this same CDMA iPhone is the one that has been repeatedly rumored to appear on - surprise, surprise - Verizon's network early next year, also according to the Journal. So, Verizon folks, things are looking more and more in your favor, once again -- at least until they don't, once again. If Apple were to introduce a code division multiple access (CDMA) iPhone, it would open Apple's iPhone up to roughly 550 million new customers worldwide, according the latest official figures from the CDMA Development Group. This certainly would expand Apple's iPhone market! In India, one of the world's fastest growing wireless markets, Apple has the potential to get its iPhone into 134 million current CDMA handset users' hands, though Apple Insider suggests that nearly half the country may struggle to afford the phone, with individuals earning an estimated US$1.25 or less a day. If the rumors are to be believed, a CDMA iPhone release early next year is looking more and more likely. As always, nothing is certain until we see it in the cold, hard, light of day. [Via AppleInsider]
CDMA iPhone rumored for India as exclusivities end in Germany and Holland
More fuel for the CDMA iPhone fire today. The Wall Street Journal says that Apple is in talks with both Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices to bring a CDMA version of its iPhone -- the one it again says will be on sale at Verizon early next year -- to India. The discussions have apparently been ongoing for four or five months according to one WSJ source. This comes out as news of iPhone exclusivity arrangements are ending in both Germany and The Netherlands. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom loses its exclusive now that both O2 and Vodafone will be offering Apple's finest before the holidays. In Holland, T-Mobile just lost its exclusive arrangement as both KPN and Vodafone have announced plans to carry the iPhone -- no specific dates were mentioned though, like Germany, in time for the holidays is a pretty good guess.
Engadget Podcast 208 - 08.13.2010
It's the Engadget Podcast....to go! Would you like a little Joanna Stern with that? Easy on the Ziegler, buddy - and 86 the Paul, please. All that plus a special toy for kids ten and under that manage to listen all the way to the end. Update: If you've been unable to download the podcast in iTunes or Zune, it's because we had a naming issue -- it's since been fixed and should download properly once the cache breaks. Sorry for the inconvenience! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel Guests: Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: California Gurls 00:01:30 - The Engadget Show - 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7 00:01:40 - BlackBerry Torch review 00:12:48 - Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone 00:18:38 - Microsoft to open mobile games studio, develop and incubate Windows Phone 7 titles 00:24:42 - Exclusive: Upcoming Apple TV loses 1080p playback, gains apps... and will be renamed iTV 00:36:10 - iPod touch coming in a 'few weeks' with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber 00:39:49 - CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber 00:43:05 - Plastic Logic kills QUE, 'shifts focus' to second-generation ProReader 00:43:56 - Notion Ink Adam delayed, this time investors are to blame (updated!) 01:47:00 - Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499 00:50:20 - Dell Streak on sale August 13 for $300 on AT&T contract, $550 without 00:51:14 - Off-contract Dell Streak is still SIM-locked to AT&T, wrongs still being done in the world 00:52:40 - Exclusive: Dell Thunder prototype rumbles into the wild (video) 00:57:05 - Motorola Droid 2 (and R2-D2 edition!) finally official: Android 2.2, Swype, $200 on contract 00:57:50 - Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing 00:58:30 - Motorola's Droid 2 in the wild, looking as blue as ever 01:04:18 - Motorola's Jha says MOTOBLUR brand will fade from view 01:05:22 - Epic 4G coming August 31st for $249.99 on contract (updated) 01:06:14 - HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation (updated with liveblog!) 01:07:35 - Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $40m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports 01:09:42 - HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011 01:11:20 - Pre designer Peter Skillman latest to leave Palm, entire senior staff now in exodus 01:14:56 - Google and Verizon announcing something policy-related at 1:30PM ET -- we're liveblogging right here 01:16:00 - Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for 'an open internet' 01:17:00 - Google and Verizon's net neutrality proposal explained Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @reckless @engadget @zpower @joannastern
CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber
It's not as cut-and-dry as last night's declaration that a new Retina Display-equipped iPod Touch is due in the next few weeks, but our man John Gruber just put up a lengthy post on the long-rumored CDMA iPhone for Verizon in which he says the mythical handset is codenamed "N92" and has reached "engineering verification test" (EVT) status. According to Gruber, that's just one step below "design verification test," which is what that stolen iPhone 4 prototype was -- meaning the CDMA iPhone is apparently just two hops away from production. Mix in persistent rumors of large CDMA chipset orders these past few weeks and a dash of AT&T hinting that exclusivity might be over, and it's sounding like ol' N92 could well arrive in January as first reported by Bloomberg -- perhaps at Verizon's CES press conference. In Gruber's words, "the CDMA iPhone is no longer a cold storage, keep-it-alive-just-in-case-we-need-it project." Now, Gruber is very careful to say that none of this is a sure thing, and that Apple's CDMA work could have nothing to do with Verizon specifically; it could be for Sprint, or for various international CDMA carriers. What's more, we definitely have our doubts about a CES announcement -- we're expecting to hear a lot about Verizon's LTE plans at the keynote, and it would certainly be an odd capstone to launch an incredibly high-profile CDMA device at the same time. (Not to mention Apple's historic aversion to sharing the spotlight with others at CES.) Even still, we've definitely been hearing noise about a CDMA Verizon iPhone from all manner of sources for months now -- if this is ever going to happen, we'd say this is the last time it's going to make any sense before both Verizon and AT&T start to get serious about 4G.
Verizon iPhone in January, claims Bloomberg
Stop us if you've heard this one before: Bloomberg says Verizon will get the iPhone... sometime in January. Yep, it's another fuzzy rumor sourced from "two people familiar with the plans," and while we really do believe Big Red will eventually get the iPhone in our lifetimes, at this point we're beyond cynical about pieces like this -- chatter about a Verizon iPhone now regularly reaches deafening levels before crashing down in yet another cloud of AT&T-exclusive dust. However, if you must insist on living this impossible dream, Bloomy's latest rumor does at least line up with the piece from the Wall Street Journal in March claiming that CDMA iPhone would begin production in September, giving Apple plenty of time to ramp up for a January launch. Of course, we have to wonder if it's the smartest move to announce the hotly-anticipated Verizon iPhone right after the holiday buying season, and we can't imagine all those iPhone 4 buyers who were just enticed into signing new two-year AT&T contracts are going to be happy to discover they could have waited and escaped the Blue, but we'll have to wait and see -- Apple just told us that they "don't comment on rumors and speculation" when we pinged them and asked for comment. Fingers crossed, we suppose.
