Apple fans, your long, frequently interrupted AT&T nightmare may be over. After reports that a Taiwanese manufacturer, Pegatron, is producing iPhones that are only compatible with rival carriers, tech bloggers are speculating that a Verizon Wireless-compatible version of Apple's iPhone 4 could start shipping by the end of 2010. The news follows serious problems with AT&T's online iPhone ordering system, and a massive security breach that left customers feeling exposed. Is this just another rumor — or is Apple finally expanding its horizons? (Watch a CNN report about Apple's AT&T dilemma)
Goodbye, AT&T: "Simply put, the tea leaves point to an iPhone coming to Verizon," says Larry Dignan in ZDNet. AT&T's "extremely generous" decision to allow customers to upgrade to iPhone 4 before the end of their contract "indicates that the telecom provider is trying to lock up as many customers as possible before exclusivity disappears." I doubt "Apple would torch AT&T" before the holiday season, but expect a Verizon iPhone by early next year.
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