Report: Apple plans Verizon iPhone

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has ordered a CDMA version of its popular smart phone. Could this mean a Verizon iPhone?

Like the Loch Ness Monster, a Verizon iPhone has been a creature of myth. Reports of sightings and rough details have surfaced since before the original Apple iPhone appeared in 2007. But this Nessie just got a very reputable witness: The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reported Monday that Apple has ordered a second version of its popular smart phone. This new edition will work on CDMA networks, the cellular technology used by Verizon, Sprint, and a few foreign carriers. Currently, the iPhone only works on the more common GSM mobile standard, used by Apple's exclusive US partner, AT&T, and most carriers around the world. Learn more about the differences in this quick explainer on cellphone tech.

Today's new information, provided by anonymous sources, suggests that this CDMA iPhone will be ready in September, though Apple may wait months or maybe years before revealing such a device to the public. The popular narrative about AT&T's secret, exclusive deal with Apple says that their partnership lasts through 2010. The phone company, which has gained considerable cachet from the iPhone, has pushed to expand the agreement into 2011.

"The people briefed on the matter said one of the new iPhones is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which produced Apple's previous iPhones," reports the Journal. "The model that has CDMA capability, used by Verizon Wireless, is being manufactured by Pegatron Technology Corp., the contract manufacturing subsidiary of Taiwan's ASUSTeK Computer Inc., said these people."

Many blame AT&T for dragging down the iPhone. Reports of dropped calls, delayed texts, and dead zones – particularly in San Francisco and New York City, the twin peaks of the tech press – have many itching for a second option. Apple has publicly expressed nothing by satisfaction with AT&T. In fact, it picked the phone company as the exclusive carrier of the iPad tablet, which comes out this weekend.