Rene Ritchie reports for TiPb, “Verizon is having another one of their mandatory face-to-face training sessions for an ‘iconic pre-order,’ this one scheduled for January 25 to February 4, 2011.”
“It jives with reports of Apple employees getting blacked out during a similar period and seriously, the amount of rumors coalescing around early February 2011 sure are interesting,” Ritchie reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Whatever could this be for, Kin 2: The Sequel? Or perhaps for something even a bit more “iconic?”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
That’s it.
Until the source is confirmed, it’s still just a rumor. Not sure why MDN doesn’t put RUMOR: in front of the title on this one.
The omens are compounding. Who is it around here that keeps saying “not until 2012”
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Kin 2! LOL. Maybe Google Supernova POS.
“”It jives with . . . .” Nope. It “jibes.”
Sad when one’s profession is word-smithing and can’t get something this simple right.
Perhaps someone can explain this to me. I thought the CDMA network doesn’t allow simultaneous voice and data. That is why Apple chose ATT. How would a Verizon iPhone get around this? Additionally, as one who travels overseas often, how will a CDMA iPhone connect since most carriers use GSM?
<sarcasm>It’s the next Droid.</sarcasm>
You Jive Turkey…
@David
CDMA doesn’t allow simultaneous voice and data. But, that’s not the reason Apple chose AT&T. Apple actually approached VZ first.
The latest slew of Android smartphones and tablets slated for Verizon looks quite nice, nice enough to at least be nipping at the heels of the iPhone and iPad.
I think Apple needs to look at a fundamental redesign of iOS – spruce it up a bit – so it doesn’t loom so long in the tooth. Android is still crap in my opinion but with the ultra fast iterations it’s closing the gap on iOS at a rapid clip.
Apple makes quantum leaps when innovating new product segments but the rate of development tails off after initial launch. iOS is still reasonably recognizable in its current 4.2 iteration as its 1.0 brethren but Honeycomb seems to be a technological leap forward from Gingerbread.
I think Apple needs to step up the iOS development cycle and bring some pizzazz back to the UI.
@Ballmer’s
Why don’t you email your suggestions on how AAPL should be managing their business to SJ? His email: Steve@Apple.com.
I’m sure him and AAPL needs your 2 cents.
The Verizon iPhone doubters are quiet as ever the past couple days. Where’s Predrag to tell us how this is all smoke and mirrors?
First – at Ballmer’s left nut. Congratulations, your comment is currently in the lead for the most inane comment of the day. Adding a bunch of ‘pizzaz’ doesn’t do anything to actually improve user experience, rather it’s simply a tactic to distract the user from the shortcomings and deficiencies that prevail amongst in Android.
The timing of this event has me skeptical. Sure, it is a foregone conclusion that VZ (and probably other mobile telcos) are going to have iPhones this year. What has me scratching my head though is why now when iPhone 5 is set for June? I mean, if this February deal is in fact iPhone on VZ, who is going to buy in knowing that a new version is a scant 4-5 months away? Maybe Apple is going to bump iPhone 5 up to a March launch, but that seems unlikely.
I guess only time will tell, but Apple is normally pretty predictable with their launch schedule (at least as it relates to iOS devices).
I agree with Willie G – the rumors about 1Q11 as the launch of VZ iPhone never made sense to me either, when most people claim that iPhone5 isn’t due out until late 2Q11, or early 3Q11.
But you’ll notice the article claims the Verizon staff is being trained for an “iconic pre-order”. Maybe Verizon will start taking pre-orders for iPhone5 in March, and deliver the handsets in July along with AT&T …
@Willie G
You may wish to close your eyes and plug your ears and shout, “Na Na Hey Hey, the rest of the world doesn’t exist outside my bubble,” but if you look at what Android brought to the table in CES 2011 you’ll soon realize your outdated views of Android’s backwardness relative to iOS is a chimera.
Speculation is coming from the commenters as if they are on the inside of Apple or Verizon.
The minute Apple can ship phones to Verizon, it will be done. That is accurate and I will stand by that. Apple & Verizon made their decision and the plan is in place & the phones will be delivered on that date.
Everyone knows it, so what is all the debate other than a date? Now with employees vacations nixed and mandatory training, that is as close as we can get & it is pretty good.
The world moves on.
Hey, folks, there’s that flea again.
@ Ballmer’s left nut
Hello again my sterile friend. Look, Android is to iOS as Windows is to Mac OS. Essentially, Apple offers a certain experience that has limited headaches and cutting edge tech with two main caveats:
1) You can’t buy a cheaply made version of the hardware, so you’ll likely pay a bit more.
2) The ecosystem is less “open.” And most people who choose to live with this also quickly appreciate it when their phone/computer/media player actually functions 99.9 percent of time as you would expect it should.
Enjoy Android. It’s a viable platform for the cheap, nerdy and anti-apple crowd. But just know that, in general, you’ll be a year behind on UI and under the hood OS improvements because, just like Microsoft, Google waits to see what Apple does and then emulates it.
Enjoy yesterday’s technology today while I ready my debit card for the next great thing. I mean, my God, look at what cell phones were before Apple broke into the market and look at the rest of us in the eye and call Google/Microsoft/RIM/Nokia (and all their hardware partners) the least bit innovative. You can’t.
What we need as a smoking gun is a photo of an Apple employee training a Verizon store employee, or, somebody start buying VZ store managers and get them drunk in a bar.
@MidWest Mac
You really have to remove your blinders and take your head out of SJ’s posterior.
I’ve always said that iOS as a system gave a superior experience to Android but that the rate at which Android is closing the technological and UI metaphor gap with iOS means that Apple cannot afford to stand still and assume that its superiority will exist into perpetuity.
The most rational step for Apple to take is to increase the rate of iOS releases to keep ahead of Android and plug many of the glaring holes left in iOS of which I will name the notification system in particular.
The very same people who can’t think for themselves, can’t put two clues together, is incapable of forward thinking, can’t take a leap of faith, can’t see the writing on the wall or read between the lines, are going to look at tomorrows headlines about an Apple/Verizon partnership and exclaim, “That’s old news!”.
What is it about Balmer’s genitals that brings out the farting fleas ?
Don’t you call me a jive turkey, you jive turkey!
@Arnold Ziffel
Is that your real name? Because if it is no wonder you’re a dork. It really shows a lack of intelligence or even basic common sense if you associate a nick with the person behind it.
@ Ballmer’s left nut
I’d rather have my head in anyone’s ass than actually be one of Ballmer’s testicles . . . Back to the topic at hand, though, I really sincerely doubt that Apple is resting on its laurels.
I’m not making things up. It’s not like iOS is Apple’s first technological breakthrough. There’s a history of the following happening time and again:
1) Apple makes a solid, forward-thinking product.
2) Some people see it for what’s it is, while others attack the things “it doesn’t have.”
3) Other companies go after the things Apple left out (absurd things like more USB ports that questionably improve the experience) and they underwhelm with the cohesiveness of the software and hardware.
4) Apple continues to improve the product, adding in the things that were “missing” in release 2, 3, 4, etc.
5) The competition promises things tomorrow. Apple continues to deliver today.
It’s happened in desktops, laptops, media players and phones. It’s happening in tablets.