The winds of change are blowing. Constantly.

Apple Press Event on 1/27/10

There’s a great deal of speculation about what is going to be revealed at Apple’s press event on Wednesday 27-Jan-10.  I saw an interesting article early this morning, and wasn’t quite sure how to take it.  I started poking around the internet a little and found other articles supporting it and still other articles mentioning it.  While that certainly doesn’t make the article either news or the truth, it certainly is reason to scratch your head.

Most everyone knows that AT&T’s time with the iPhone is nearing an end. Its been reported as early as last summer. In fact, its been widely reported that June 2010 was an end date for the exclusivity deal heard ’round the world.

I caught wind of an interesting article today indicating that the Apple Press Event scheduled for this Wednesday would do more than announce the rumored tablet PC.  It is also rumored that Apple will end their iPhone exclusivity with AT&T at that event as well.

Interesting…

BUT before you start getting excited and thinking that “there’s a map for that,” here are also some key (and very interesting facts) regarding 3G here in The States:

• The iPhone (and AT&T) supports 3G on 1900 and 2100mHz
• T-Mobile has 3G on 1700mHz
• Support for 1700mHz will require a new chipset and not just a radio ROM upgrade
• In order to support a CDMA radio and EV-DO, the iPhone would have to be completely redesigned (CDMA radios are bigger than GSM radios)
• CDMA technology is only used in the US and in some parts of Korea, Japan, and other small markets in Asia (and on a different frequency range, too; I think)
• On a whole, those world-wide CDMA users don’t even come close to being a quarter of the number of world-wide GSM users; and most importantly,
• Apple ending their exclusivity with AT&T on Wednesday is pure RUMOR at this point.

What do I think will happen?  Glad you asked.  Here are my iPhone related predictions for Wednesday 27-Jan-10

• Apple will announce iPhone OS 4
• Apple will announce the end of the AT&T exclusivity agreement, effective that day. (AT&T is busy gearing up for a number of Android releases; and is sick and tired of hearing how the iPhone is clogging and screwing up their network (look below the graphic).)
• Apple will announce the next generation iPhone, available in July 2010, carrier agreements still pending. It will support AT&T’s network, but NOT be exclusive to AT&T

Why haven’t I mentioned anything related to a tablet?  I’m not entirely certain WHAT Apple will introduce to us on Wednesday, and just don’t want to fan the rumor fires more than I already have in this article. However, I do think that Apple has EVERYONE’S attention, especially after their earnings call today.

What do YOU think will happen with the iPhone?  Will Apple call it quits with AT&T on Wednesday?  Will Apple and VzW sign an agreement?  Will they announce a new iPhone?  Why not join us in the discussion below, and let us know what YOU think?

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