iOS Devices

The NYPost’s sources say that Verizon will be a carrier of the tablet and may in fact be announced as an iPhone partner on Wednesday, though might not be available as a carrier until the exclusivity agreement ends in June.

Apple is expected to name Verizon Wireless as one of its carriers with its anticipated unveiling of a new tablet device on Wednesday, sources told The Post. That means Apple head Steve Jobs will probably introduce a Verizon iPhone, ending AT&T’s exclusive hold on the hot smartphone. “It’s almost a certainty,” said telecom consultant Dunston Almeida. “AT&T losing iPhone is the worst-kept secret on Wall Street. The only question is whether Apple announces a Verizon iPhone this week.”

They went on to add what everyone has known since forever:

Apple has been “extremely frustrated” with AT&T’s iPhone service, which regularly drops customers’ calls, especially in high-traffic New York and San Francisco, said a source close to AT&T.

Don’t get your party hats and streamers out just yet.  You’ll have to wait until June.

AT&T’s exclusive deal with Apple ends in June, sources said.

Then there is poor AT&T who’ve apparently been unable to gain customer growth outside of iPhone users.  What will they do when iPhone users have other carrier options?  Drop prices?  Improve service?

Apple likes to have big launch partners for their product launch events.  The New York Times, according to the LA Times, is one such partner for the tablet launch.  They’ve been sending a team out to Apple to work on this product for the past month.

A team from the New York Times has been working in Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters in recent weeks, developing a large-screen version of the newspaper’s iPhone application that incorporates video for the yet-to-be-unveiled device, according to one person with knowledge of the matter. A Times spokeswoman declined to comment.

We’re likely to see such a product at launch.  The New York Times has been tied to the tablet on numerous occasions.  When asked about the tablet, NY Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger declined to comment, saying only

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDHMoku5eyU&w=560&h=340]

Battle between Apple and Google for the mobile space seems set to become fierce, with the latest IDC report claiming Android will beat Apple

Flurry, an analytics company that tracks iPhone apps, says that over the weekend they started seeing Apple Tablets (no rez proof is published) which are running the iPhone OS 3.2 (not 4.0?).  The tablets are running a variety of iPhone apps but seem to be leaning towards Games, Entertainment, News & Books and Lifestyle apps.  

Update: I’ve gotten word from Flurry VP of Marketing, Peter Farago on the specifics below.

Hi Seth,  
  
This is a fair question. We feel confident that we are looking at the tablet device for two main reasons, that I can share with you. Also note that, as a company, we have experience tracking new Apple hardware devices in the past.  
  
1) If this were an iPhone we were looking at, the hardware would tell us when we ask it (via the software). So we can rule out that this is an iPhone. Also, we already see verified iPhone devices testing OS 4.0 and these leave (Apple’s Cupertino, CA) campus, whereas this device does not. This makes sense given the secrecy around the new tablet device as the launch event nears.  
2) The apps being tested match up to what the devices is supposed to feature (e.g., news, books, etc.). We cannot share further detail here due to Terms of Service agreements we have with customers that use our service, but feel that if you were able to see the data we see, at the level of granularity, it would be clear to you as well.  
  
Of course the truth will be revealed on Wednesday, but we wouldn’t publish such a report without a high level of confidence.  
  
Flurry is not interested in building a business on rumor, but rather authority, credibility and accuracy.  
  
Thanks,  
  
Peter Farago  
VP Marketing  
Flurry, Inc.

According to TechCrunch he said that very thing to various different sources — that they’ve heard from second hand.  

Jeez, like expectations weren’t high enough already.  In any case, here’s a video from awhile ago…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjxacrSCYRE&w=600&h=385]

That would also be a bummer for his wife and kids…

HotHardware reports that AT&T’s exclusivity on the iPhone is a mere three days from being over.   That would mean the announcement on Wednesday might not only be about Tabletmania, it might also be the ushering in of new mobile carrier partner(s) in the US.  The report stopped short of naming Verizon, but it did mention that AT&T was sick of having the iPhone “hurt its image”:

Inside of AT&T, we are hearing that the iPhone is causing more trouble than ever before. On some level, having the iPhone is hurting AT&T’s image. Because they are the only company to carry it, and it’s such a data hog, it’s largely to blame for AT&T’s network troubles. We don’t remember hearing about AT&T’s “horrible network” before the iPhone–do you? The iPhone itself doesn’t really handle the switch from 3G to EDGE very well, so calls that are in-progress tend to fail whenever the 3G bands aren’t optimal and the phone attempts to step down to EDGE. It seems that AT&T is tired of taking the heat for this, and at this point, they may be smart to just let another carrier take some of those customers who are most inclined to complain.

Obviously, if Verizon or Sprint get the iPhone you won’t be able to just take your business over there.  You’ll need a new CDMA iPhone as part of the deal and likely pay a hefty early termination fee to leave AT&T.  Even on Tmobile, you won’t be able to get beyond EDGE speed on your current iPhone because of the difference in 3G radio frequency.  

If true, the January 27th date may also prove to be the reason Apple chose to have its event then, instead of its usual Tuesday announcements.