This Week's Sponsor:

Kolide

Ensure that if a device isn’t secure it can’t access your apps.  It’s Device Trust for Okta.


What Does a CDMA iPhone Mean for Apple? A 500 Million People New Market

Tech pundits, blogs and media have been discussing about a Verizon iPhone for years. Since 2007, actually, when the first iPhone came out. According to the latest rumors we heard earlier this week, though, Apple is not working on a Verizon iPhone: it’s working on a CDMA iPhone that, among others, will support Verizon.

CDMA is a technology that’s deeply used in the US, not that much in Europe (do we have any CDMA providers here, fellow Europeans?) - an awful lot in Asia. Of course a Verizon iPhone would mean another huge round of possibilities and success for Apple in the US (the Verizon iPhone is now some sort of a myth), but what about other countries? If you think about it, it would make perfect sense for Apple to release an updated version of the iPhone 4 in January (together with an iPad 2 announcement, perhaps) to work on all international CDMA carriers, and not just Verizon.

So how big is this market?

Asymco’s Horace Dediu did some research: a CDMA-enabled iPhone would increase Apple’s addressable market by 16 percent. Or, 500 million people.

To be exact, it’s 543 million CDMA subscribers according to Dediu. That’s quite a big market. Think about it again: it makes sense for Apple to release a CDMA iPhone. I think this time we’re really months away from the truth.

Unlock More with Club MacStories

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

Choose the Club plan that’s right for you:

  • Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with app collections, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, a Club-only podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
  • Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus exclusive content like Federico’s Automation Academy and John’s Macintosh Desktop Experience, a powerful web app for searching and exploring over 6 years of content and creating custom RSS feeds of Club content, an active Discord community, and a rotating collection of discounts, and more;
  • Club Premier: Everything in from our other plans and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.