Gene Munster: iPhone on multiple U.S. carriers in 2010

Between Verizon and Sprint, there are ~130 million subscribers. If Apple struck deals with both and sold new CDMA iPhones to only 10% of these people in the next 2 years would it be worth it? In fact how many currently disgusted iPhone users on AT&T would switch immediately to Verizon (or even Sprint)? 1-2 million, or maybe more? So, assuming the margin on each iPhone sold is pretty decent, it would pretty dumb for Apple to leave that money on the table much longer wouldn't it? If HTC and RIM can manufacture CDMA and GSM variants of their phones so easily, surely Apple has the operational smarts to do so too? This doesn't even factor in the potential for CDMA customers in China, Japan, and India.....

Realistic wide LTE deployment is still 2-3 years down the road. What wacky analyst think Apple would jump the gun to put something not used anywhere else in iPhone? Exclusive Verizon Wireless edition? That's not the way Apple does their business. LOL

nothing could move me away from the iPhone faster than them going to the WORST cell provider EVER in verizon (unless of course they go with multiple providers as this article purports, then ill stay with AT&T till someone OTHER than verizon comes along)

All Apple would need to do is switch up the frequencies they use and they have T-Mobile 3G. Right now, they only offer 850, 1900, 2100MHz frequencies over UMTS, but they can get a quad-band UMTS chip in there (if it's not in there already but just forcibly disabled via firmware) and they're ready to roll with T-Mobile's expanding 3G network, as well as with other carriers like Canada's upcoming Wind Mobile (letting Apple get rid of its other atrocious North American carrier, Rogers).
THAT is the simpler solution, THAT is the easy answer. And you know T-Mobile would market "we got the iPhone, suck it" angle night and day to make sure that their market share grows.

R2Dver2 comes with intrinsic dual-PCP receptors that help maximize LIAF transmissions. Paid this with CDMA and GSM and we'd have s lot more acronyms to use.

In Australia the iPhone is now available on every carrier (only one was missing last year with the 3G), so now you can buy it unlocked and outright from the Apple Store online.

The uptake of iPhone in AU has also been massive, with the multiple carriers literally falling over each other to offer the best data deals etc. Well almost all of them are, Telstra doesn't care at all, but then they have the network and the 850Mhz frequency vs the 900Mhz the rest offer, so users on their network can iPhone away nearly anywhere where the rest are generally restricted to the larger population centres.

Verizon? Ugh. Apple, team up with Sprint.

How about if Apple had a CDMA phone ready, we'd all know about it because they'd have to get FCC approval first?

@ben

Last time I checked they were still locking down the GPS's in phones from 3rd party apps in devices like the Storm. They are still very much controlling what goes on in the Phone UI (although so is AT&T with the while MMS debacle)

It also may be worth noting that Verizon REALLY likes to control the software that is on their phone, right down to the look of the UI. I'd be surprised if Apple went ahead and revamped the iPhone UI just for Verizon.

It is possible however and it makes sense for Apple to want more business to come their way. Perhaps we will see several different versions of the iPhone for ALL providers.

By next year however the iPhone may have lost some luster. The phone itself essentially hasn't changed, design wise. Sure software and hardware has changed but not the design itself. Perhaps the iPhone Classic will be on all providers and we can expect something new next year.