Rumours that the Apple iPhone is headed to Verizon have surfaced again. This time, TechCrunch sources are reporting that Apple has ordered “millions of units of Qualcomm CDMA chipsets” in preparation for a production run in December. Sources go on to confirm that this latest iPhone would be nearly identical to the current iPhone 4.
This would set the stage for a Verizon launch as early as January 2011.
While Apple once called CDMA a “dead technology,” it likely also sees the value in broadening its US customer base with the addition of a new carrier (Verizon just happens to be the largest) to counter Google Android’s explosive growth. Apple could wait for Verizon to launch its LTE network but this would put a launch out further into the future. Another option would be an iPhone packing both CDMA and LTE connectivity.
Considering that Verizon’s CEO is delivering the CES 2011 keynote, an announcement could be made then.