Apple is interested in developing an LTE iPhone, according to the Chairman of China Mobile, Wang Jianzhou, but there is no word on when it would be released. 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has been in talks with China Mobile for the past two years and has made it clear to the carrier that ‘they will support TD-LTE’.
The question of an LTE-compatible iPhone was raised several times this month when Apple held a media event to launch the Verizon iPhone 4. Much of the recent Verizon advertising up until that point had touted the virtues of Verizon’s 4G LTE network which is apparently ahead of AT&T’s 4G network in terms of development. When Apple COO Tim Cook was asked why the Apple didn’t make the Verizon iPhone 4 LTE compatible, he said that Apple would have had to make design changes to the iPhone 4 which they weren’t willing to make and that they would much rather have got the iPhone on the Verizon network sooner rather than later.
Apple have been rumored to be working on a 4G iPhone recently but given their previous history of waiting until the 3G network of AT&T was more fleshed out, it’s very unlikely that they will be preparing an LTE compatible iPhone 5, which is expected to launch this summer. According to Verizon, their 4G LTE network won’t have the same coverage as their existing 3G network until the end of 2013 which is almost 3 years from now.
It is more likely that the first Apple LTE device to appear will be the iPad 3 which is expected to launch in Spring 2012. Together with a high resolution retina display, the iPad 3 is anticipated to be a complete redesign rather than the iPad 2 which is thought to be an incremental update to the first generation model.
For a company with a history of perfection, Apple tread a fine line between stability, performance and innovation. It is unlikely that we will see an iPhone with LTE until 4G networks are of the coverage and standard to make a release feasible.
Excellence. No Waiting. 