Techcrunch reports that at least one developer has found evidence that Apple is testing the iPhone 5 against current App Store apps. The logs seem to confirm that the iPhone 5 (running iOS 5) will be a dual-mode device supporting both GSM and CDMA in one phone.
The logs show that the app has been briefly tested by a handful of people using what is almost certainly an iPhone 5, evidently running iOS 5, sporting two distinct sets of mobile network codes (MNC) / mobile country codes (MCC). Those codes can be used to uniquely identify mobile carriers.
Sure enough, some registrations for the app – which the developer also asked not to be named – were logged from a new Apple device, using the MNC/MCC codes from both Verizon and AT&T.
Apple presently produces two different models to support both Verizon and AT&T. It's long been believed that the iPhone 5 will support both standards in a single device.
/article/2011/02/07/160542-verizon_iphone_mdm6600_500.jpg?lossy)
Qualcomm's "world-mode" MDM6600 wireless chip found in CDMA iPhone 4 and iPad 2
(Source: iFixit's Verizon iPhone teardown)
Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 already contains the expected Qualcomm chipset that supports both standards. Verizon CFO has even publicly stated their belief that the next iPhone will be a "global device".
Top Rated Comments
Isnt the speed limit in the US 65mph on most highways anyway? Much lower than the 150mph of which a super car is possible.
I just don't get these complaints that LTE will make you drain your cap much faster - in Oz we have 2GB caps for around $25/month and I never exceed that - even with a faster download speed I wouldnt be exceeding that as I wouldnt be downloading more just more quickly.
Could you share the detail of the weak feature set as I didnt think anyone had a full and accurate feature set to assess as yet.
How about iPhone automatically switching to the best carrier? If you're in the US and you happen to be where AT&T is strongest, your iPhone could switch to AT&T. If Verizon happens to be strongest at the moment, your iPhone could switch to Verizon.
You pay Apple every month instead of any single carrier. Apple forwards payment to AT&T or Verizon (or whatever carriers you happened to use), pro-rated by actual minutes used.
I'd gladly do that. (As long as it isn't *too* much more than just paying just one carrier directly...)