ViPhone 4 has dual mode chip-like Droid Pro

Repair firm iFixyouri has started taking apart the Verizon iPhone and 9 to 5 Mac notes that the device carries a Qualcomm "Gobi" MDM6600 wireless chip inside it, technically offering "world-mode" compatibility with both CDMA and GSM networks.

Same chip as Droid Pro


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It would have seemed logical to bring a world phone to Verizon. But the number of world customers Verizon has is pretty small, so I guess it made financial sense to met the majority of the market first.

It appears that in June/July the iPhone 5 refresh will be for both carriers. It would hit the market for the global business user, but not affect the local customer too badly. I suppose this way customers buying the iPhone 4 will not feel terribly short changed.

Or they will stay separate and this is just a smart mgfr move by Apple to keeps costs down. Same guts, just a different shell.

 

My guess is that Verizon had a heavy hand in that decision, more than Apple. It is a mixture of marketing and manufacturing.

The fact that any manufacturer can pump out a new phone, no manner how little we think the change, in 6 months and have 10-14 millions phones available is quite remarkable. There is so much testing that needs to take place, along with legal documents, etc, before things can even go into production.

There are so many phones that Verizon could make world phones, but they haven't and probably will not.

Shoot, big guy Nokia nearly still refuses to pump out one phone for the US and Eur centric markets. This is why I will no longer look back to Nokia. I hope they fire all the management there.

 

Yes the emphasis is on the word 'few'. It is really pathetic and tells me that the choice is limited because it is not a big business for them.

I would have bet my pension that the first ViPhone would have been a world (GSM/CDMA/UTMS) phone. It only made sense to me. But I lost that one. I know that you are more than willing to direct all blame to Apple :browani: but those that buy now will be locked in for 2 years, so there is no gain there for Verizon nor Apple. And Apple certainly, unlike Nokia, made the ATT iPhone a world phone from day one. Verizon, on the other hand, is well known for weird practices: crippling BT on phones that other carriers do not and not offering any BB with Wi-Fi until very recently. Very unlike ATT.

But we will never know. I never understood Nokia either. I have many friends that want a Verizon world phone but are unhappy with the current selection. The Droid2 was interesting, but they tell me the reviews on the audio quality is holding them back.

Apple doesn't like duplicate inventory or retooling. There have been leaks of the current ViPhone antenna configuration along with the SIM slot, which BTW is pretty cool. the current SIM carrier made from solid SS metal, instead of plastic. Great build quality. I also predict that by end of year or next, unlocking will be 'officially' allowed.

I'm just going to guess and say that they weren't ready quite yet to go out on that limb and Apple and Verizon didn't want to let customers, the majority of who do not care about a 'world phone' wait any longer. Doing so would have been a much bigger loss of business and money.

 

The Blackberry 8820 on ATT had wifi in 2007, way before the Bold 9650. As did the 8320 Curve in 2008. This is old material, covered long ago on WA forums. Same with BT. It's Verizon's history, and one of the listed reasons they passed or were passed over for the first iPhone.

The fact that now Verizon is allowing itunes is to the credit of the competition from Apple and ATT.

Is it to be once again that a simple factual news story turns into how evil the Apple Empire is?:wink: LOL.

 

Well, I would never call Verizon an 'evil walled garden' or any carrier or phone mgfr for that matter.

It is just difficult to understand their motivations sometimes, since we have no inside information. But I'm open to giving any of the above the benefit of doubt and accept that some decisions are not planned, but just can't happen as quickly as we would like. Not all intentions are evil or market driven.

I would have had the ViPhone ready for Xmas, or at least announce around Xmas that is was clearly coming. But perhaps it was not possible to do.

Anyhow, I don't understand all the concerns or interest here in speculating. Time to move on...