A new report relays a quote from Verizon CFO Fran Shammo which intimates, yet again, that the next-gen iPhone will be a "worldmode" phone with a dual mode GSM/CDMA chip. Also of note is Shammo'sstatement that Apple's next iPhone will launch simulatenously on both AT&T and Verizon.
A new report from Reuters relays a quote from Verizon CFO Fran Shammo which intimates, yet again, that the next-gen iPhone will be a “worldmode” phone with a dual mode GSM/CDMA chip. Specifically, Shammo said the next iteration of the iPhone will “work in as many countries as AT&T’s iPhone.” Hint hint.
Also of note is Shammo’s statement that Apple’s next iPhone will launch simulatenously on both AT&T and Verizon.
Some customers held off on buying the first Verizon iPhone because they were waiting for a model that supports Verizon’s high-speed wireless service, which runs on a new technology called Long Term Evolution (LTE).
Shammo said that even if the next iPhone does not support LTE, Verizon will have enough high-speed alternatives to sell.
“I think it’s a bigger issue for Apple than it is for us,” he said. “Depending on where Apple plays, that’s where we’ll sell.”
While Apple is of course keen on LTE, don’t expect LTE support until 2012. Apple COO Tim Cook recently stated during an earnings conference call that current LTE chipsets would necessitate Apple making design compromises it’s not comfortable making.
As for the current clip of iPhone sales on Verizon, Shammo said that he’s been pleased with sales thus far, despite reports that sales have been somewhat below expectations. At the same time, people should keep in mind that the iPhone, by the time it launched on Verizon, was a device that had already been out on the market for over 6 months. If anything, it stands to reason that initial iPhone sales estimates on Verizon were unreasonably high. We imagine things will be markedly different once Verizon starts selling a new model later this Fall.
