Rumors have been swirling throughout the telecommunications industry for some time now that Verizon Wireless would finally have the iPhone. According to an Apple Insider report, the buzz within Apple is that a product launch is scheduled for Feb. 3.
The Boy Genius Report cited a source close to Apple that suggested the company recently narrowed its blackout dates for employee vacation requests. The blackout is set for Feb. 3 through 6.
The report also referenced a recent exclusive scoop in the Apple Insider that Apple has also prohibited vacation days for key retail employees in a three-week span that covers the last week of January and the first two weeks in February.
Apple may be in favor of Thursday releases as it released the iPhone 4 on Thursday, June 24, 2010. While the reports said they have not been able to confirm that the Verizon iPhone will launch on Feb. 3, the rumored blackout dates suggest the likelihood of the event.
Rumors that the iPhone would come to the Verizon network have circulated for years, although a number of suspected dates for launch have come and gone. It will take us nearly a month to determine if this latest date estimation will pan out.
At present, the iPhone is still a product exclusive to AT&T. Last June, however, Bloomberg reported that the smartphone would in fact debut on Verizon in January of 2011.
The story has been a prime topic for a number of publications and independent confirmations of an early 2011 launch timeframe have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Fortune.
Photos and a video of a redesigned stainless steel frame claiming to be for a forthcoming iPhone were released online last week. Apple filed a legal complaint and the video showing the part of the suggested iPhone was removed from YouTube.Apple will hold a press conference to discuss the iPhone 4, at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Officials have yet to disclose more details about the event, but many are wondering whether it will address recent signal issues that have been experienced by users.
In other Apple news, TechZone360 recently reported that a number of schools throughout the nation are embracing the iPad as a promising tool to teach using Jeopardy-like games. New York City public schools are investing in iPads, spending $1.3 million on 2,000 devices. More than 200 Chicago public schools have applied for 23 district-financed iPad grants, and the Virginia Department of Education has launched a $150,000 iPad initiative.
