Verizon iPhone Announcement Coming January 11: Wall Street Journal

***UPDATE 1/8*** The Wall Street Journal reports that Verizon has landed the iPhone and will make the announcement at an event on Tuesday:

The move will for the first time let U.S. consumers choose the network that carries their iPhone and perhaps give them additional pricing options that could affect their monthly bills.

It will also upend the balance of power in the industry, ending Verizon rival AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold on the device and leaving smaller players like Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA facing two well-capitalized competitors offering the world's most popular smartphone.

--

On Friday, John Paczkowski of All Things D leaked an invitation to attend a Verizon Wireless announcement event on Tuesday, January 11 at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Paczkowski writes that "sources close to the company" say that this January 11 event will be the day that a Verizon iPhone is announced.

Currently, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest annual tech show, is taking place in Las Vegas. Apple is not in attendance. Verizon, on the other hand, has unveiled several new products this week at CES but has made narry a peep about a possible partnership with Apple.

However, Paczkowski notes that if a Verizon iPhone is announced on January 11, it will most likely not be an announcement for a next-generation iPhone. "If it were more (e.g., a hardware announcement)," writes Paczkowski, "you can bet the event would be in Cupertino or San Francisco." What is more likely is that Verizon will begin carrying last's year's iPhone 4 model.

Whatever the announcement, you can bet we'll be tuning in on January 11 at 11 a.m. Eastern, when Verizon president and COO Lowell McAdam takes the stage.

Check out the invitation (below), and read more about Verizon iPhone rumors here and here.

LOOK:

Comments

[Michael Durwin]

09:52 AM on 01/11/2011

I wonder if this guy will not be allowed to attend since it clearly says "This invitation... should not be posted or shared"

[qwertyfish11]

07:37 PM on 01/10/2011

I live, like, right next to an AT&T tower. As in, I can see it from my window.

Thanks, but I'm gonna stay with AT&T....

[7tsgirl]

11:11 AM on 01/10/2011

9to5 Mac reports that Apple will drop its 10 percent restocking fees on January 11th. We've confirmed with our own sources that this is true. January 11th happens to be the day that Verizon will hold a mysterious event in New York City, presumably for the Verizon iPhone. While this certainly isn't incontrovertible evidence that the Verizon event is actually more of an Apple event, this definitely adds some tinder to the flaming rumor mill. Then again, Apple could merely be following Best Buy's lead, with the 1.11.11 date pure coincidence. Either way, we're fans of open return policies for expensive products, so if you ask us, it's more of a good thing.

[Ramon Moreno]

04:57 AM on 01/10/2011

She's pretty.

[keramos]

01:04 AM on 01/10/2011

Here's a way to make your iPhart useful - http://www.squareconnect.com/index.html

If it's not crashing, it can now be used as the interface for a remote control.  Only another $200!

[fatbuckel]

01:21 PM on 01/10/2011

Mine has never crashed. It works flawlessly.

[keramos]

06:04 PM on 01/10/2011

Score one for Steve Jobs in the remote control showdown

[Jean Carlos Gonzalez]

12:14 AM on 01/10/2011

Thank you Verizon for all the users you will take from ATT, I just hope they are enough to lessen the load on the 3G network (sarcasm). I have been with ATT for 6 years, never had any problem with it, ever!!! I am not planning to leave it any time soon with my iPhone account... Better yet, this might even drop the prices of future iPhones!! :D

[BruntLIVE]

09:02 PM on 01/09/2011

Dimple woman

[tleb]

07:47 PM on 01/09/2011

Who cares, Apple waited so long to expand to other carriers I have found that I enjoy Android devices and will purchase another Android device from Sprint next month.

[Cynth]

05:00 PM on 01/09/2011

On the invitation: "This invitation...should not be posted or shared."

Oops.

[Linda swell]

03:46 PM on 01/09/2011

Would you rather have a less expensive 4G HTC Droid comming to Verizon in Fed or an expensive 3G iPhone? :http://firenews.us/verizon-iphone-4g.html

[tleb]

07:47 PM on 01/09/2011

Droid!

[JP1493]

08:23 PM on 01/09/2011

iPhone! Hands down.

[fatbuckel]

01:22 PM on 01/10/2011

Would you rather buy a cheap phone five times or a well built phone once?

[Shaun Dawson]

02:32 PM on 01/09/2011

Verizon has a whole host of LTE phones about to hit the market. Why does it need the iPhone as well? Even if I were interested in buying one (and I am not) why would I buy last year's iPhone on Verizon when all the new Android phones are about to be released?

What am I missing here....

[Spinman]

10:46 PM on 01/09/2011

How do you know it won't be an LTE iPhone?

[Shaun Dawson]

11:37 PM on 01/09/2011

Because if it were an LTE phone then Apple would certainly be the one to announce it. That would be huge for them but I don't see the iPhone as being a big seller for Verizon. They have much better stuff coming.

[cadillacactor]

12:34 PM on 01/09/2011

I like how the invite says that it's not to be posted or shared. LOL

[Scorpioqueen]

11:48 AM on 01/09/2011

If you are afraid of technology and unwilling to learn something new then the iphone is for you.

If you do not like choice and variety then the iphone is for you.

If you want to be stuck with overpriced outdated technology then by all means get an iphone.

If you want the latest technology, removable batteries, faster processors, flash player, better cameras, cut and paste and a customizable user experience then the Android platform is for you.

[Matthew Name]

02:51 PM on 01/09/2011

Iphone has had cut and paste for years. The Android didn't exists until the iPhone came out. You don't need a removable battery if you have a good battery. My iPhone battery is still going strong after more than three years. 6 months ago I took it in to Apple to have it tested and asked what I would have to do if it was going bad. They said they would just swap the unit with a similar one. Good luck with your Android.

Oh and yes your Android is faster than my three year old iPhone... However the new iPhone has better battery and faster processor so make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Oh wait you don't have an apple. As far as price, Androids seem to be more expensive than the iPhones.

[Jean Carlos Gonzalez]

12:05 AM on 01/10/2011

I learn something new from my iPhone every day

There are over 300,000 apps for the iPhone, all of them work great unlike many droid apps

The iPhone is of cutting edge technology while android is trying to get ahead, or better yet, keep up... my iPhone won't freeze as do my parents Android phones every 3 hours

Why would I want a better battery? I don't need it... The iPhone had the fastest processor until the EVO matched it at 1Ghz. My 2ng gen iPod had cut and paste since it was new (2 years ago) and my iPhone's camera is unmatched (by a lot) by those of my parents Android phones (proved it with 3 identical shots)
Bottom line? Get informed and use both platforms before trying to compare them... :)

[Jimmy Boy]

10:58 AM on 01/09/2011

I am glad iPhone could be comming to Verizon.

Still.....

Would you rather have a less expensive 4G HTC Droid comming to Verizon in Fed or an expensive 3G iPhone?

[Jean Carlos Gonzalez]

12:09 AM on 01/10/2011

Maybe in a year 4G will be running smoothly but I have a feeling that in its first year (at least) it will slow down just as often as the 3G did when it first came out. Verizon's network might be great now but they better be prepared once all those new 4G phones enter the network at once, they should have started with less to test the network...

[arrgh]

09:11 AM on 01/09/2011

If you like Verizon good for you, but I had awful customer service and no better coverage than ATT. I'll keep my iPhone on ATT and watch my Apple stock double again.