Sprint Nextel customers who were anxiously waiting for a Sprint CDMA iPhone 5 release might be disappointed as a new report indicates that Sprint is actually getting an iPhone 4, and not the iPhone 5. Sprint iPhone 4 release has been rumoured for next month.
The report comes in from TUAW which claims to have heard from a Sprint employee that the company has started briefing its employees about an imminent iPhone 4 launch on Sprint. This report does quash dozens of rumours that we have recently heard about the release of CDMA iPhone 5 on Sprint Nextel.
The sales team has been briefed that Sprint will starting selling the iPhone 4 next month. In the briefing, nothing was said about the iPhone 5 meaning that if this source is legitimate, there is a huge possibility that Apple might not be releasing iPhone 5 on Sprint later next month after all. The sales team was also told that the iPhone 4 will be offered with Sprint's standard data plans which will include a $10 smartphone premium which isn't specific for the CDMA iPhone 4 on Sprint.
A rather far fetched rumour by the same source claims that Sprint will also start selling 4G iPad 2 along with the iPhone 4 next month. It might be true considering the fact that Sprint currently sells a 4G iPad 2 case, but it might also be false because Apple wouldn't make a Wi-Max capable iPad when iPad 3 production has already started.
Sprint is the third largest network in the USA. Earlier this year it was suggested that iPhone 5 will have support for All US carriers and will be a dual-mode phone compatible with GSM / CDMA networks simultaneously. Previously it was reported that Sprint will sell iPhone 5 with unlimited data plan. If the source is legitimate, there's a possibility that there will be no iPhone 5 on Sprint until at least 2012. However, if Sprint does sell the iPhone 5, no matter when, with an unlimited data plan, they will have a huge edge over their competitors will currently sell the iPhone through their retail network, AT&T and Verizon.
Why would Apple add another carrier for selling iPhone 4 when the device is over a year old and pending update? Apple has had phenomenal success with the iPhone 4 but there's really no point in selling iPhone 4 to a new market when the iPhone 5 has been released. What do you think, are these claims a load of bull?