According to “a person who is in direct contact with Apple,” the gadget company is adapting the iPhone 4 handset to work with Verizon’s wireless network so Verizon customers can have access to the iPhone beginning early next year.The source is cited by The New York Times, adding further credibility to a rumor that began (at least in its current form) with a Wall Street Journal report earlier this week.
Two months ago, TechCrunch contributor Steve Cheney wrote that the chipsets necessary for a Verizon-connected iPhone will arrive this December, just in time for a January launch. Even earlier this year, Bloomberg also reported on a January launch window.
Analysts predicted that a rumored five-year exclusivity deal between Apple and AT&T, and Verizon’s gradual shift to 4G technology would hold off a Verizon iPhone until 2012, but that iPhone sales could double when the handset becomes available on more networks.
Apple might be expediting its multi-carrier plans to respond to increasing threat from Google’s Androidfamily of smart phones. According to market research data from comScore, Android phones gained 5% market share in the period from April to July 2010 while Apple lost 1.3%.
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