Verizon plans special event next week - iPhone time!?

verizon_iphone.top.jpg Laurie Segall, staff reporter


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg's Consumer Electronics Show keynote Thursday was a snoozathon, but the company sent an electric jolt through the tech world on Friday with a bright-red invitation to a press event on Tuesday.

Scheduled for early January 11 -- 1/11/11 at 11 a.m., to be precise -- in New York City, the event looks likely to be Verizon's long-awaited, widely leaked but never officially announced unveiling of a Verizon iPhone.

The Wall Street Journal confirmed that late Friday, citing a source "familiar with the matter."

Numerous media outlets, including Fortune, have confirmed with sources that the iPhone would come to Verizon's network in early 2011, but so far Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) have stayed mum about their launch plans and timing.

The move will end AT&T's four-year run as the iPhone's exclusive carrier.

Apple and Verizon have gradually deepened their relationship over the past year and set the stage for an iPhone rollout. In October, Verizon began selling Apple's iPads in its retail stores and offering a wireless plan to let customers use the device on its own network.

So is this doomsday for AT&T (T, Fortune 500), which is infamous for its high levels of customer dissatisfaction, especially among iPhone owners?

Not quite. Don't miss our analysis of why -- counter to the conventional wisdom -- this won't be a disaster for AT&T.  To top of page

Just the hot list include
Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 32,627.97 -234.33 -0.71%
Nasdaq 13,215.24 99.07 0.76%
S&P 500 3,913.10 -2.36 -0.06%
Treasuries 1.73 0.00 0.12%
Data as of 6:29am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Ford Motor Co 8.29 0.05 0.61%
Advanced Micro Devic... 54.59 0.70 1.30%
Cisco Systems Inc 47.49 -2.44 -4.89%
General Electric Co 13.00 -0.16 -1.22%
Kraft Heinz Co 27.84 -2.20 -7.32%
Data as of 2:44pm ET
Sponsors

Sections

Bankrupt toy retailer tells bankruptcy court it is looking at possibly reviving the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands. More

Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford charts her career path, from her first job to becoming the first openly gay CEO at a Fortune 500 company in an interview with CNN's Boss Files. More

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.