Analyst Jeffrey Fidacaro with Susquehanna Financial Group said in a note to investors — as reported by “AppleInsider” (http://www.appleinsider.com) — that Apple is expected to build its first three million Verizon-compatible CDMA iPhones in December. If true, this underscores rumors that Apple is eyeing an early 2011 launch for a Verizon-compatible CDMA iPhone.
Quoting “contacts in the company’s overseas supply chain,” Fidacaro adds that the device is on track for an early 2011 launch. The analyst puts total GSM and CDMA iPhone production for the quarter at between 21 and 22 million.
If it actually happened, this would be the first time Apple has produced a version of the iPhone for a CDMA wireless network, which is different from AT&T’s GSM technology. In cellular service there are two main competing network technologies: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Both boast “3G” standards, or 3rd generation technologies.
As noted by “wiseGEEK” (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-gsm-and-cdma.htm), EVDO, also known as CDMA2000, is CDMA’s answer to the need for speed with a downstream rate of about 2 megabits per second, though some reports suggest real world speeds are closer to 300-700 kilobits per second (kbps). This is comparable to basic DSL. As of fall 2005, EVDO is in the process of being deployed. It is not available everywhere and requires a phone that is CDMA2000 ready.
GSM’s answer is EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which boasts data rates of up to 384 kbps with real world speeds reported closer to 70-140 kbps. With added technologies still in the works that include UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Standard) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), speeds reportedly increase to about 275 — 380 kbps. This technology is also known as W-CDMA, but is incompatible with CDMA networks.