Despite launching on Verizon just this February, one analyst believes Apple could be about to ditch the carrier for a second time and launch its next iPhone with 4G compatibility on AT&T only.
Todd Rethemeier, an analyst at Hudson Square Research, has ignored recent speculation that claims the fifth-generation iPhone will be called the ‘iPhone 4S‘ and will skip 4G wireless support, and claims in his report the next device will instead be called the ‘iPhone 5‘, boasting 4G compatibility and leaving Verizon behind…
Rethemeier writes:
For AT&T iPhone 5 users, this could mean download speeds of 5-10 Mbps, compared to less than 1 Mbps for a Verizon user. Certainly, when an LTE iPhone is introduced AT&T would lose some of its marketing advantage. However, even when that happens, the phone will be backwards compatible, so the AT&T iPhone 6 would be able to roam onto the HSPA+ network when an LTE network is not available, giving AT&T an advantage in suburban and rural areas for several more years, we believe.
Unfortunately Rethemeier gives us no indication of where this information has been sourced from, merely suggesting the scenario is “more likely than not.”
Is this a well-informed, intelligent guess at the route Apple is taking with its next iPhone, or merely the work of an idle-minded analyst who feels the urge to start a new rumor? What do you think? Would Apple really leave Verizon out again?
[via Cult of Mac]