The iPhone will make its debut on Verizon in the first quarter of 2011, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The report is light on specifications, and sourced anonymously - needless to say, neither Apple or Verizon is going to stay anything about this until they're ready to make a formal announcement - but the gist is this: mass-production of a Verizon-compatible iPhone will ramp up towards the end of this year, and the model will go on sale early next year.
The move would end AT&T's exclusive hold on the iPhone.
No word on pricing, or whether Apple/Verizon have solved the problem of Verizon phones not being able to make calls and use data at the same time.
There are a couple of points for existing iPhone customer interested in Verizon to consider:
- You'll have to buy a new iPhone to go to Verizon. Because Verizon uses a different network technology than AT&T, existing iPhones won't work on it. That's why Apple needs to make an iPhone that is compatible with Verizon, rather than just offering the same model.
- AT&T has most iPhone users locked into two-year contracts. Switching to Verizon will require a heft early termination fee (ETF).
Assuming this is true - and it seems reasonable that it is - how are you feeling about it?
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