The Verizon version of the iPhone is starting to look more and more like a reality for 2011. Image courtesy of Apple.
The saga continues with the rumors surrounding Apple releasing a version of the iPhone compatible with the Verizon Wireless network. Verizon CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, indicated back in September that the iPhone was still a ways off from making it’s way to Verizon. He said they would need to earn the iPhone, and they hadn’t yet.
Based on the evidence so far, it’s just a matter of “when” the Verizon iPhone will be released, no longer “if.” The rumor started taking on the shape of a solid case when the Wall Street Journal reported a “leak” from a source within Apple that the iPhone was coming to Verizon. Things started to gain momentum with recent AT&T filings with the SEC that indicate it’s preparation for life after the exclusive agreement it has had with Apple to carry the iPhone.
One thing is for sure, Verizon stands to benefit much more than Apple does from a relationship with the iPhone at the center. Analysts estimate that a Verizon iPhone could sell as many as 20 million units in 2011, depending on when it’s made available to consumers. Conservative estimates seem to be around 9 million devices.
Most have settled on the first quarter as the release time frame with February being the earliest realistic date. That’s out of the norm for Apple, as previous iPhone announcements have come later in the year.
