Rumor: Moscone schedule + "corporate event" = Verizon iPhone?

What if Apple chose to invest some of its cash and buy Sprint? Certainly their technology is an alsoran today and they have huge issues around holding onto their customers. It'd be a very interesting play in my mind to acquire the pipes and this is a cheap way for Apple to do so?

In fact, I feel so strongly about this that I'd love to revisit this posting next June and say "See, I told ya so!"

Marc

Does a Verizon version of the iPhone come with an app to mysteriously charge me $1.99 and without authorization switch my default search site to Bing (for the sole profit of Verizon)?

C'mon, AT&T sucks. So does Verizon. The difference being that when Verizon sucks, you can use your phone to bitch at someone about it as oppose to waiting until you find coverage with AT&T.

It doesn't matter what type of customer abuse it is, it's still customer abuse.

Just which cell provider(s) will be getting the iPhone next is debatable, but AT&T losing exclusivity is hardly so. AT&T service has been a black eye to the iPhone and Apple is surely nothing but anxious to dump their deathstar-esque-logo-bearing business partners. A keynote on the day exclusivity ends is almost a given (in so much as a rumor could ever be a given). Apple certainly can't announce an iPhone on another network until that deal expires, since they'll want to send the happy horde of iPhoniphiles out to sign some new contracts immediately.

I work for one of the upper states in the midwest and last week we had our company meeting. The only reason I am relaying this is because our CIO was speaking and relayed to us that in a meeting with Verizon she was told the iphone would be here the middle of next year. This being important because they do want to switch this state over as far as regarding the contract and they know that is a key point. So, yes, I believe it.

Or maybe when it ends it will just end. Everyone thinks that the end to exclusivity means Apple will move it to another carrier. Maybe they won't move it, but also won't prevent others from selling it which allows T-Mo and Sprint in but not Verizon cause of the radio. I really don't see apple putting the time and effort in to put the cell chip in required by Verizon as they are going to be upgrading the device as well. Seems like too much in too little time.

Have you considered the possibility that Apple will only announce a hardware update?

Seriously I am so tired of this Verizon iPhone rumor. Let it die. The likelihood of it actually happening is so slim. I realize Verizon has a pretty massive customer base in the United States, but it's really not that big when you consider GSM cell tech is utilized by 73% of the cell market. That means Apple will have to develop an entirely new phone for use with CDMA, to only get access to a few markets. It doesn't make any sense at all. I'm sorry but AT&T is going to be the only major carrier in the United States to have the iPhone. Even if Apple announces an end to the exclusivity deal it's more likely that the phone will simply be sold to regional GSM carriers and T-Mobile if they can ever figure out how to build a reasonable cell network.

Plus Verizon sucks. I've been blessed with being able to enjoy a brand spanking new AT&T 3G network in my primary usage areas but Verizon isn't all it's cracked up to be. Everyone whines and complains about AT&T all day long, but at the end of the day AT&T is no different from any other carrier except for the fact that they've had the iPhone for almost 3 years and they've done massive network improvements in that time to cope with the ridiculous amount of data they have to push. Over the damn air to a handheld device that allows you to surf the internet ANYWHERE with cell coverage. For $30 a month. You can't even buy broadband internet through a cable for $30 a month anymore. That's incredible. I'm sorry if you're stuck in an AT&T deadzone, and if that's the case maybe Verizon is for you. But don't hold out for an iPhone because, mark my words, it isn't going to happen.

I'm getting tired of reading the same article and comments about this every day. You guys should make up some new total bs rumor just so we have something different to comment on.

Pre-conference Monday and Keynote Tuesday is not "the way these things normally [go]." WWDC is a full week conference, with the keynote an state of the union addresses on Monday, then sessions on Tuesday to Friday. The 2 + 2 in this article is really stretching it.

I would love to see the iphone on Sprint!!
I had sprint service for years, and never had a problem with it, I only switched for the iphone.
If apple puts the iphone on Sprint, I'll be switching back to them asap!
I'll bet sprint would offer a much more reasonable price for the service as well.