A new report says Apple Inc is getting ready to manufacture a new iPhone that works on cellular networks based on CDMA technology, a move that would allow the phones to be used by more carriers, including Verizon Wireless.
It has long been rumored that Verizon Wireless will eventually start selling the iPhone. However, Lowell McAdam, the head of Verizon Wireless, on Wednesday downplayed the possibility of an iPhone on Verizon’s current 3G network. Verizon expects one to come later for Verizon’s newer, faster 4G network, McAdam said at a wireless conference in San Francisco, echoing comments the company’s CEO made last month.
A version of the iPhone that uses the CDMA network technology wouldn’t necessarily be for Verizon Wireless. Sprint Nextel Corp uses the same technology, as do some Chinese and Korean carriers.
Sprint and Apple declined comment.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people briefed by Apple Inc, said on Wednesday that the company would start mass-producing the new iPhones by year’s end. They could go on sale early next year.
Current iPhones only work on GSM networks, including that of the iPhone’s exclusive US carrier, AT&T Inc.
The Journal also said Apple is developing a fifth-generation iPhone that looks different from the ones on sale today. New iPhone designs, including ones with smaller and larger screens than the existing models, have also long been rumored to be in the works.
Apple has been releasing a new model each June.
Shaw Wu, an analyst for Kaufman Bros, wrote in a research note on Wednesday that “in our checks with industry and supply chain sources, we have picked up indication of development and progress on new form factor iPhones.”
Meanwhile, Motorola Inc filed complaints against Apple on Wednesday alleging that the iPhone, iPad and other products infringe its patents.
The Motorola complaints allege that Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and certain Macintosh computers infringe 18 patents “which relate to early-stage innovations developed by Motorola in key technology areas.”
Motorola said its subsidiary, handset division Motorola Mobility, has filed complaints with the US International Trade Commission and courts in Illinois, where the company has its headquarters, and Florida.
The patents relate to antenna design, wireless email, proximity sensing, software application management, location-based services and multi-device synchronization, Motorola said in a statement.
Motorola asked the Washington-based ITC to launch an investigation into Apple’s alleged use of Motorola patents and bar the importation and sale of infringing products in the US.
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