Verizon iPhone Coming in Q3 2010? Report Suggests that Hybrid UMTS/CDMA iPhone Is in the Making

As you are already aware today, is a Droid day and the subject can t be
avoided. Even when talking about the competition s intentions and
actions these days everything seems to be related to the Droid, at least
in the USA.
AT T is rumored to launch an 8GB iPhone 3GS, T-Mobile is announcing
Samsung Behold II announcements, Sprint promises Android 2.0 for the
Hero, but what is Apple doing? Does Cupertino really care that much
about the Droid or is the company going about its business undisturbed
by all the Droid-related buzz in the air?
It would definitely be a mistake for Apple to ignore the Droid. If
Motorola s second Android handset is now the Android flagship phone for
now, better Android smartphones will follow soon. That means the iPhone
will have better and better adversaries. What would be Apple s next move
in this giant back-and-forth chess game that the mobile business can be?
Apple has to continue upgrading its iPhone and launch a more and more
competitive version every year. There s no other alternative as Apple
doesn t have any other phones to sell.
And it looks like the next logical step is launching a hybrid UMTS/CDMA
iPhone which could be sold by both AT T and Verizon in the USA. Reports
are coming in saying that Apple is definitely going to launch the
Verizon iPhone in the third quarter of 2010. That s consistent with what
we heard before about the rumored iPhone LTE tested under Verizon colors.
The hybrid chip will come from Qualcomm and the iPhone will be
compatible with both CDMA networks and with current UMTS 3G networks.
The new builder of the Verizon iPhone seems to be Pegatron, an Asustek
subsidiary.
The Verizon iPhone is reported to be a smaller version of the current
iPhone 3GS which is pretty disturbing. The 2.8-inch iPhone will remind
us about all the iPhone Mini talk we ve seen earlier this year but one
thing is certain. We definitely don t want smaller iPhones, do we?
Everyone else out there is making bigger and bigger touchscreen phones
which would let us better enjoy surfing the web, using various apps and
games, not to mention watching movies while on the go. Other features
haven t been leaked at this point so we re looking forward to see what
lies ahead.
These rumors have neither bee confirmed nor denied by Cupertino and we
don t expect Apple to reveal anything. But everything seems to be
consistent with what s happening around the world. iPhone exclusivities
are being terminated and Apple is looking to other carriers to sell the
iPhone for them. It s the only possible approach if Apple wants to keep
staying atop the smartphone business. Otherwise newcomers like the Droid
could simply sweep us of our feet and make us choose the Android side.