Today we learned that Verizon would be holding a 4G Android-only event at CES next month, smashing many peoples' hope that the mythical Verizon iPhone would make its debut at the conference. I speculated earlier that Apple would hold its own event after CES to reveal the CDMA iPhone, and it seems that one source speaking to Businessweek agrees. According to the "person familiar with the matter," Apple is currently planning to present the VZW iPhone sometime after CES, although the tipster didn't know exactly when the unveiling will take place. Businessweek thinks that it'll happen some time before February 14th, although there doesn't seem to be any reasoning to support their speculation.
The possibility that we'll see a Verizon iPhone before the middle of February seems to make sense, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was introduced even sooner. I'm sure Apple and VZW would like to get the device into the hands of their customers as soon as possible, meaning the Apple event could take place some time in the middle or end of January. Businessweek's article also explains that the Verizon iPhone may not have as negative an impact on AT&T as many think thanks to the costs associated with switching carriers. Charles S. Golvin, analyst with Forrester Research, believes that most people are happy enough with AT&T to not go through the hassle of jumping ship to Big Red, plus there's the fact that those that do switch will end up paying AT&T's early termination fees, as has been pointed out before. What do you all think? Will AT&T's customers migrate to Verizon en masse for the CDMA iPhone, or will most people stick with ATT, at least until their contracts are up?
Via MacRumors, Businessweek
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