Verizon Executive Potentially Hints at iPhone Launch in Fourth Quarter 2012

As noted by CNET, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo made a comment during today's earnings release conference call that many are interpreting as a hint that the next-generation iPhone will be launching in the fourth quarter of this year.

Apple's next iteration of the iPhone could drop in the fourth quarter.

That's according to Verizon CFO Fran Shammo, who hinted at the possible timing during the company's quarterly conference call today with a vague reference to a major phone the carrier expects to launch in the fourth quarter.

Shammo's exact statement was captured by The Verge:

When asked what might have held customers back from upgrading their devices in Q2, Shammo said that "of course there's always that, uh, rumor mill out there with a new phone coming out there in the fourth quarter, so people may be waiting." While there's a chance that he was referring to the next Nexus phone, this felt more like a thinly-veiled reference to the oft-rumored "new iPhone."

Rumors have been pegging the launch of the next-generation iPhone for the September/October timeframe, but with Verizon's fourth quarter not starting until October 1, Shammo's comment would point toward the latter half of the rumored timeframe.

iphone51
Rendering of next-generation iPhone based on leaked parts and rumors

Shammo could pass his comments off as simply an acknowledgment of the circulating rumors with no inside information coloring his perspective, but observers searching for any hints of Apple's plans are clearly wondering whether the timeframe mentioned by Shammo was indeed based on Apple's schedule.

Last year, Shammo spoke out several times on Apple's iPhone plans, confirming that what became the iPhone 4S would be a world-mode phone capable of operating on both GSM and CDMA networks and noting that Verizon would launch the device simultaneously with AT&T despite Verizon having launched the iPhone 4 midway through its lifecycle.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
maxresdefault

Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Report: Apple to Skip 'iPhone 19' Name for 'iPhone 20'

Thursday October 23, 2025 4:28 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia. Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...

Top Rated Comments

x-evil-x Avatar
173 months ago
Can we please stop calling it the iPhone 5? It's either the iPhone 6, iPhone 4GS, iPhone 4ST (T = Tall) or iPhone XL. iPhone 5 makes NO sense and would just cause all kinds of confusion.

give it up...
who really cares
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darrensk8 Avatar
173 months ago
Can we please stop calling it the iPhone 5? It's either the iPhone 6, iPhone 4GS, iPhone 4ST (T = Tall) or iPhone XL. iPhone 5 makes NO sense and would just cause all kinds of confusion.

Can we please stop turning these threads into a naming battle :(
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FakeWozniak Avatar
173 months ago
Year after year, there has always been a new iPhone. It's inevitable. I just hope to see the iPhone 5 before the Mayan calendar ends.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidLeblond Avatar
173 months ago
Can we please stop calling it the iPhone 5? It's either the iPhone 6, iPhone 4GS, iPhone 4ST (T = Tall) or iPhone XL. iPhone 5 makes NO sense and would just cause all kinds of confusion.

My money is on it being called "iPhone"
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nick_elt Avatar
173 months ago
Can we please stop calling it the iPhone 5? It's either the iPhone 6, iPhone 4GS, iPhone 4ST (T = Tall) or iPhone XL. iPhone 5 makes NO sense and would just cause all kinds of confusion.

I would love to downvote this. Build a bridge. And get over it.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Raftysworld Avatar
173 months ago
Can we please stop calling it the iPhone 5? It's either the iPhone 6, iPhone 4GS, iPhone 4ST (T = Tall) or iPhone XL. iPhone 5 makes NO sense and would just cause all kinds of confusion.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)