Apple has been scouting out EVDO and CDMA Engineers for months in their online iPhone job postings. A leading Apple blog posted a rumor that the iPhone — which is currently available in the United States only through AT&T Wireless — could be coming to Verizon, in a form of CDMA/EVDO version, perhaps as early as January 2009.
Apple originally wanted to go with Verizon for the iPhone. Some of the original disagreements included “not carrying the iPhone at Best Buy and hardware reliability. AT&T was a second choice.
Cleve Nettles of 9to5Mac wrote, “We’ve fielded a couple of tips (some more sketchy than others) about EVDO iPhones floating around Cupertino in the past, but today’s tipster seems a little bit more sure of himself. Besides having some Verizon insider credentials, he seems to know way too much about Verizon-Apple politics”.
AT&T is the exclusive US carrier for the iPhone until 2010. If Verizon persuades Apple to make a CDMA iPhone, not only that the AT&T exclusivity will be gone, but the giant GSM carrier will probably lose many customers who are unhappy with its services but have signed a contract agreement only to get an iPhone.
