Android’s stellar rise, especially in the US, could miss a step after Apple and Verizon today revealed the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon’s network with a host of innovations, including tethering.
Android recently tied with iOS as the most desired operating system and now has more than 100,000 apps on the Android market and Google’s Andy Rubin said Android phones were activating at a rate of 300,000 a day.
However, today’s news that Apple’s iPhone 4 will be available to Verizon customers from February could mean that this progress could be tripped up in the US, at least.
Verizon is the largest mobile operator in the US with an estimated 93m subscribers.
According to comScore, Android accounted for 26pc of the US smartphone market, compared with iPhone’s 25pc. RIM’s BlackBerry has 33pc of the US market.
Tethering on iPhone 4
The Verizon iPhone 4 is optimised to run on on Verizon’s CDMA EVDO network and will come with an innovative Wi-Fi hotspot tethering feature that will allow up to five people to connect on the iPhone.
“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer.
“We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”
The iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, 10 February, for a suggested retail price of US$199.99 for the 16GB model and US$299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two-year customer agreement.
