With the new iPad 3 now already announced, all eyes are on the next big iOS device launch – the iPhone 5. Given Apple’s track record, we can be certain the iPhone 5 will launch this year, however whether it will be in summer or the fall will remain open to speculation after last year’s delayed launch.
Verizon indirectly confirms iPhone 5 will feature LTE radios
So what do we know about the iPhone 5 so far? Nothing can be confirmed although the buzz on the web is that it will be LTE capable given that its sibling, the iPad 3, got the same treatment last week.
Simultaneously, a recent statement by Verizon Wireless regarding their plans to increase adoption of 4G LTE among their subscribers dropped another big hint that further concretes the above rumor. According to VZW’s statement, at this time there only 5 percent of their customers are on LTE plans. And now Big Red plans to change this by only unveiling 4G LTE capable smartphones for the rest of the year. That’s right, you read that right – only LTE smartphones in 2012. VZW’s chief technical officer also added that the only state that would be left without LTE this year would be Alaska.
iPhone 5 may have big price advantage on Verizon Wireless
Now given that Verizon Wireless has confirmed it will only be unveiling LTE smartphones in 2012, this indirectly confirms that the Verizon iPhone 5 will have to be LTE capable. Simultaneously, following Apple’s tradition of sticking with the same price points with their upgraded iOS devices, an LTE capable iPhone 5 16GB model would have to launch at $199, which is cheaper than the $299 price point Verizon LTE smartphones typically launch at.
[source: WSJ]
