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Verizon's alleged iPhone event happens tomorrow, January 11th at 11AM EST / 8AM PST, and we'll be there live!
We've waited. We've watched. We've wondered. And now, by the grace of Steve Jobs and Lowell Mcadams, we're supposedly going to see a reveal of the mythical Verizon iPhone. Of course, there's always a chance that Verizon just wants to reveal more details on LTE, or talk about the company's commitment to openness and Android... but according to the rumor mill, it's time for Big Red to get some Apple magic. No matter what happens, we'll be there live, reporting on the news as it happens with the best liveblog in the business. Tune in at the times below on Tuesday, January 11th at this URL to see it all go down! 06:00AM - Hawaii 08:00AM - Pacific 09:00AM - Mountain 10:00AM - Central 11:00AM - Eastern 04:00PM - London 05:00PM - Paris 07:00PM - Moscow 12:00AM - Perth (January 12th) 12:00AM - Shenzhen (January 12th) 01:00AM - Tokyo (January 12th) 03:00AM - Sydney (January 12th)
4G at CES 2011: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile make big moves
Traditionally, CES isn't a huge mobile event -- the biggest phone news has historically been saved for MWC in February and CTIA in March -- but that changed in a huge way this week. Looks like 2011 is shaping up to be the year of 4G, and both carriers and manufacturers alike wasted no time jumping on the hype bandwagon with a variety of announcements that promise to make the next few months exciting... and really, really fast. AT&T kicked things off early in the show, but it was just the beginning of a relentless torrent of mobile news that lasted for days and ultimately left us with a pile of devices and network upgrades that should take us at least through the middle of the year. Read on for the recap!
Verizon reportedly ready to offer unlimited data plans on iPhone
Still not believing that Verizon Wireless will introduce a CDMA'd iPhone for its network tomorrow? We can't say we're completely sold either, but it's getting harder and harder to fight off the emotions pointing to "yes." The Wall Street Journal has followed up on its earlier reports by suggesting that not only will VZW soon carry Apple's iPhone 4, but that it will make no changes to its data plans once that happens. Of course, it's not like anyone actually expected Big Red to do such a thing, but it's definitely one more reason for heavy users to consider Verizon Wireless over AT&T. Grandfathered customers notwithstanding, AT&T users who buy a new iPhone 4 are hit with a few tiered data plan options, with the largest ($25 / month) being capped at 2GB. With Verizon, $29.99 per month nets you "unlimited" data, though you could run into issues if you routinely suck down more than 5GB -- a rather typical 'gotcha' in the American cellular space. The real question, however, is this: will the Verizon iPhone be compatible with Verizon's $14.99 / month (150MB) plan, and moreover, will it ever be upgradable to handle the LTE network we heard oh-so-much about just days ago? Bookmark our liveblog and tune in tomorrow to find out!
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...
Verizon iPhone rumored to launch on February 3
Over the past few months, the rumors of a Verizon CDMA-based iPhone have reached a fever pitch. Now the folks over at BGR think that they've come up with the exact date that the fabled VZW iPhone will hit the streets -- February 3, 2011. Why the day after Groundhog Day? Well, they based it on confirmed stories from "sources close to Apple" that retail employees have been told that they cannot take vacation between Thursday, February 3 and Sunday, February 6. This is a usual Apple retail response to the impending release of a new product. We reported on this vacation moratorium yesterday, but the timeframe was vague. Now it's been pinned to a specific four-day period. The Loop is also reporting that there's a Verizon special event planned for 1/11/11 at 11 AM ET. The event, which will be held at Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center (the home of Jazz @ Lincoln Center) in New York City, may or may not be about the Verizon iPhone -- for all we know, it could herald the availability of yet another Android phone. Our sense is that it would be out of character for Apple to let Verizon make the announcement without an Apple-controlled event being held in Cupertino or San Francisco, but there is the contrary notion that outside the US, second or third carriers picking up the iPhone barely merited a press release from Apple HQ. Obviously, AT&T losing its exclusivity is a big deal... but we don't know yet what's happening next Tuesday. Update: Well, if you like reading tea leaves, consider the fact that Gizmodo hasn't yet received an invitation to the Verizon event; that's unusual, considering there's no particular bad blood between the site and the carrier. That's not true for every company out there, obviously, and if it turns out to be an Apple/VZW collaboration then the edited guest list would make a lot of sense. As of Friday afternoon, though, Macworld hadn't gotten an invite either. As BGR points out, the iPhone 4 was launched over a 4-day period (June 24 - 27, 2010) that was also a Thursday to Sunday slot. Verizon also likes to launch new products on Thursdays, and as far as we know right now, Apple has no other big surprises (i.e., iPad 2) to amaze the world with in that timeframe. Personally, I'd love to see a Verizon iPhone that runs on their new 4G network and allows tethering. If that happens, I'll be jumping to VZW faster than you can say "Can you hear me now?" How about you, TUAW reader? Would you drop AT&T for Verizon? Take our poll. %Poll-58361%
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.
Verizon iPhone to launch after CES, says BusinessWeek
It's beginning to look a lot like the week after Christmas, when East Coast denizens dig out from their snow cover, and the incoming emails from vendors exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show (which starts January 6 in Las Vegas) form a digital blizzard of their own. One product that everyone would like to see at CES, for better or worse, is the Verizon version of the iPhone -- but it's highly unlikely that it will put in an appearance. Despite the out-there rumor floated earlier this month that the VZW iPhone would debut immediately after Christmas, there's no sign of the device yet. The latest suggestion of a whisper of an actual introduction date, however, comes courtesy of sources to BusinessWeek's Peter Burrows. In an article today addressing the conventional wisdom about winners and losers when a Verizon iPhone hits the market, he passed along a tidbit from a person "familiar with Apple's plans who is not authorized to discuss them publicly." The source told Burrows that "Apple's introduction of an iPhone for use on Verizon's network will come sometime after the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January." The story's lead paragraph says the CW is that the iPhone on Verizon could come by Valentine's Day, but there's no particular sourcing for that date. Of course, "sometime after CES" could technically include any date from January 10 of 2011 up until the start of the following CES in 2012. If you asked me to predict a date, with no inside information... well, let's look at the calendar. CES wraps up on January 9th; Macworld Expo kicks off on the 26th. Put your finger on the Tuesday in between the two and you get January 18. There's a problem with the 18th, though; Apple has already said that it will announce quarterly earnings on that day. Looking at the past year, there were two major product introductions that happened two days after a quarterly earnings report. The most recent was the "Back to the Mac" event on October 20, with the earnings report on 10/18; before that, back in January, the earnings call on the 25th was followed two days later by a magical and revolutionary product launch on the 27th. Attention tech journalists and industry analysts: if you weren't expecting to be in San Francisco on January 20, 2011, maybe you should set up a fare alert and keep an eye on your mailbox, ... you know, just in case. [via MacRumors]
Rumor: Apple field testing revised iPhone 4
With all of the hoopla about the alleged Verizon iPhone now being stirred up by such illustrious sources as the Wall Street Journal, it's surprising that we haven't seen much physical proof of the device turning up. Usually there are a few good leaked photos, devices are left in bars, and excited engineers spilling the beans to blogger friends. Boy Genius Report (BGR) is quoting a "solid Apple source" as saying that iPhone model 3,2 is ready for field testing. This is widely expected to be the CDMA version of the iPhone 4, and has reached the last testing stage ("AP") before retail release with finalized hardware and software that just needs minimal tweaking. The identifier 3,2 refers to a revised iPhone 4, as iPhone model 3,1 is the current iPhone 4. BGR's source stated that the new iPhone contains a SIM card, which indicates that the phone can run on GSM standard systems. Rumors earlier this month implied that the Verizon iPhone could use a dual-mode baseband chip from Qualcomm that would enable it to run on both CDMA and GSM networks. There's also speculation in the BGR post that the new model could include a fix for the "antennagate" issue. The site is also saying that the iPhone 5 (model 4,1) is now in Engineering Verification Testing for a release sometime next year. As AppleInsider pointed out, BGR has been wildly incorrect with some previous rumors. They asserted that iTunes 9 would include support for Blu-Ray, and were slapped upside the head by Apple PR after they published a set of emails allegedly sent between Steve Jobs and an unhappy customer. In other words, if you have salt, sprinkle it liberally on this rumor. [via AppleInsider]
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]
iPhone 5 in the rumor mill
It seems like only yesterday that the iPhone 4 was released, but how time flies when you're having fun. With the whole antennagate issue mostly behind us, most folks are just settling down to getting the best out of their shiny new iPhone. After all, its only been around four months since it was released. So, with that in mind, it's hard to believe that talk of the next iPhone is already in circulation. Believe it or not, the rumor mill is once again churning out talk of Apple's next iteration of the iPhone - the enigma that is affectionately dubbed the iPhone 5. TechRadar has compiled a roundup of some of the hottest rumored features that we may see in the iPhone 5. Here's a brief summary of what they report, but remember, it's only speculation. Kicking us off, the iPhone 5 release is expected to be in June / July of 2011 because that's the time cycle that other iPhone releases have followed. However, iLounge has guessed that the next iPhone could be with us as early as January of next year (even they admit this is "hard to believe."). The reason for a January 2010 release of the next iPhone, simply put, would be to resolve, with new hardware, the now mostly blown over antennagate issue. Next up, there's been talk of the iPhone 5 being equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, essentially turning the iPhone 5 into a digital wallet (allowing you to make credit / debit card like payments with the phone). Apple has released a patent demonstrating such technology, but this was some time ago, so it's unclear as to whether Apple is planning this for deployment in the iPhone 5. Furthermore, the next iPhone is rumored to be evolutionary as apposed to revolutionary. Similar to the design shift from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 5 will be akin to the iPhone 4, but a beefed up version. Rumored specs are of a faster processor (1.2GHz), more memory and larger storage, and a 3.7' screen (as apposed to the current 3.5' one on the iPhone 4). The iPhone 5 may also be made of a new material, perhaps some kind of alloy. Oh, and of course, a revamped antenna! And, a big one here (note the sarcasm in my words), there's talk of the Verizon iPhone. TechRadar reports sources that have handled Verizon iPhone prototypes, though, according to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, that's not likely to happen. Verizon fans, let's hope you don't get let down again Finally, TechRadar reports that at least one analyst believes the iPhone 5 will support LTE super fast mobile broadband (in the U.S. anyway), which will make the iPhone 5 a 4G phone. Of course, this is all pure speculation and could amount to nothing more than a big whoosh of hot air. But then again, the next version of the iPhone is coming. Let the countdown begin.
WSJ: Verizon to sell iPhone in 2011, fifth generation iPhone is in the works (updated)
We've been to this rodeo before (a few times, actually), but the smoke that leads to fire is getting far harder to ignore. Following a Bloomberg report in June that a Verizon iPhone was on track for a January 2011 release as well as independent confirmation from John Gruber, Yukari Iwatani Kane from The Wall Street Journal is now sounding mighty confident that the aforementioned plans are true. According to various people "briefed by Apple," Jobs and Company will begin "mass producing a new iPhone by the end of 2010 that would allow Verizon Wireless to sell the smartphone early next year." It'll rely on a key Qualcomm chip as well as a CDMA radio, but curiously enough, there's nary of a mention of LTE in this report. In closely related news, it's bruited that Apple is also developing a separate iPhone model, though it's unclear how soon VZW will be able to grab the fifth generation edition. 'Course, it's not exactly the shocker of the year to hear that Apple's toiling on a new iPhone without a dubious antenna design, but the real question is this: will the Verizon iPhone beat AT&T's elusive white iPhone 4 to market? Inquiring minds would love to know. Update: The WSJ udated the story to be more clear, "Apple Inc. is making a version of its iPhone that Verizon Wireless will sell early next year." So it's not just a generic CDMA iPhone that may or may not end up on Verizon Wireless. The WSJ also added that the CDMA iPhone 4 variant will be built by Pegatron and would only work on a CDMA network (i.e., it's not a dual-mode GSM/CDMA device). Also, according to one source, VZW has been working with Apple to test its network and is adding additional capacity to avoid being overwhelmed a la AT&T.
Verizon CEO talks (more) about iPhone: 'we have to earn it'
So, Apple's talked about putting the iPhone on Verizon, Verizon wants the phone... why can't we get these two crazy kids together? Well, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg touched on that topic in a talk to investors at the Goldman Sachs conference today. "We don't feel like we have an iPhone deficit. We would love to carry it when we get there, but we have to earn it," Seidenberg said, walking a fine line between complimenting the phone and making it clear that Verizon still has a good lineup. Ivan also mixed in a basketball analogy to sweeten the deal: "This is like the Knicks getting Carmelo Anthony. Like it would be very good if the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony. But they have to play the game whether they get Carmelo Anthony, right?" Ivan hinted heavily that Verizon's forthcoming 4G LTE network could be the golden ticket, and while this isn't a new theory, it's unclear (and a little disconcerting) if he's just as in the dark as we are as to whether or not Apple will come around once LTE is up and running. Still, he put on a brave face: "At some point, Apple will get with the program." Our suggestion? Bake Steve a cake. Couldn't hurt!
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 website shows FiOS Mobile Remote app coming to iPhone 'soon'
Hey, look at that. It's an iPhone -- on Verizon. Well, not quite. It's an iPhone on Verizon's FiOS TV support page, demonstrating that the FiOS Mobile Remote app released earlier this year isn't just for Android and Windows Mobile, but is also coming to iPhone OS at an unspecified date. That means that when it does, the lucky few who happen to have Verizon's fiber optic service will be able to control their TV box via the Apple handset. That does not mean, however, that Verizon's necessarily getting the iPhone. To infer that would be a mistake, as Verizon doesn't sell the Nexus One immediately to its left. Still... Verizon, you're such a tease. [Thanks, Gomar]
WSJ: Apple 'developing new iPhone,' plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?)
You heard right, folks -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently "developing a new iPhone to debut this summer," and as if that weren't enough, it's also "working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless." As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it's not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we're just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There's also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of 'em happening during the run-up to the iPad's launch. Update: We're now learning that the "next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry," which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That's according to "people briefed on the matter" and sourced by the WSJ. It's also stated that the world's first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA's Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it's hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn't say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: "There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven't seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur." On a week that couldn't possibly get any bigger for Apple, that's exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There's also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation's largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can't help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone -- will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now... there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans. Update 2: Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we're still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox. Update 3: John Gruber's just weighed in with some more tidbits, in his characteristically polite way. Gruber says the next model will have an A4-class SoC, a 960 x 640 display, a front-facing camera, and that iPhone OS 4.0 will enable third-party multitasking. A pretty safe set of predictions, in all, but Gruber's done pretty well in the past, so we'll just have to wait and see. [Thanks, Chris]
Analyst noise: Apple tablet in March for $1k, publishers on-board, Verizon iPhone coming too
If you've been following mainstream news today, then it's likely you've seen the story doing the rounds on new Apple tablet rumors, spurred by a note sent to clients from Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner. Never heard of him? That's not surprising, since he has no real connection to Apple, and his job mainly consists of telling people how to move their money around -- a Master of the Universe gear-cranker, you might say. Anyhow, Yair is sure that Apple will be releasing its 10.1-inch, multitouch tablet around March or April, with a ramp-up on production sometime in February. He also notes that the device will sell for $1,000 (so far we've heard rumored price points from $699 all the way up to $2,000), but ultimately Reiner seems most concerned with how it will impact Amazon, the Kindle, and book and media publishers. According to the note, Apple has been in talks with publishers concerning a "very attractive proposal" in which the company will split revenue with publishing houses 70 / 30, as they do with iTunes and App Store sales (just as we speculated in our post on the Time Inc. digimag). What's most disconcerting about the report is that it seems more interested in disrupting or dismissing what Amazon is doing (particularly noteworthy as the company is in the midst of its biggest season for Kindle sales ever). When financial analysts start squawking in this manner, we like to approach with caution. As of right now, we have zero solid evidence that Apple is even producing a tablet, let alone ready to drop one for a G come March. We have heard plenty of other rumors that corroborate much of this, but if the above is the plan, you can expect a big reveal from Cupertino around the time of Macworld or CES, so you won't have to wait long to know the truth. For now, keep your BS detectors set to "stun." P.S.: See what we mean? Now a Piper Jaffray analyst is 70 percent certain (70 percent!) that Apple will introduce an iPhone for Verizon in 2010. Hold onto your hats folks, we've only just begun.
