Apple will be among a slew of manufacturers launching their first LTE-capable smartphones next year. Apple, RIM, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are all expected to “join the LTE club," sources told Taiwan-based Digitimes this week.
Those same sources also spilled details on Sprint’s coming LTE network, which CEO Dan Hesse previously said would debut in a handful of markets in mid-2012 and reach 275 million people by 2014. America’s third-largest carrier will reportedly launch 15 LTE devices – a combination of smartphones, tablets, data cards, etc. – at the time or shortly after the network is up and running.
There are now 35 LTE networks around the world, and that number is expected to be in the triple-digits by the end of next year as carriers race to meet consumers’ needs for speed.
News that Apple will finally produce an LTE-capable iPhone next year can’t come as a big surprise, but it’s certainly something that fans of the device have been waiting for. Insiders have said that up until now, Apple hasn’t felt any urgent need to jump on the 4G bandwagon since a large percentage of smartphone owners either don’t know what it is or can’t define it. But the time seems right as Verizon Wireless will have the lion’s share of the U.S. covered with its LTE network next year, AT&T’s will grow to reach tens of millions of potential customers, and Sprint’s will make its debut.
While Digitimes isn’t always on the mark with its long-term predictions, this forecast backs up what China Mobile’s chairman said in an interview with Reuters earlier this week. He said his company is in talks with Apple about an iPhone based on TD-LTE, China’s homegrown 4G technology.
So when we exactly will we see an LTE iPhone? Some analysts are already predicting it will be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next June, but it’s simply too early to tell; however, odds on sometime in 2012 are looking pretty good.
