Apple Dismiss Verizon CDMA: Sticking With AT&T For iPhone

As well as taking a swipe at the "junky" state of the netbook playing-field, Apple COO Tim Cook also used the company's triumphant financial conference call to dismiss Verizon's CDMA network and reiterate their support for AT&T.  Asked whether the iPhone would spawn a CDMA version, Cook confirmed that Apple "do not have a plan" to change their relationship with AT&T, and suggested "CDMA doesn't really have a life to it after a point in time".

The reluctance – or at least Apple's public reason – appears to be CDMA's limited international appeal.  While the Verizon network is strong in the US, CDMA hasn't been a popular standard in Europe or Asia, where GSM is the more common format. 

"We chose from the beginning of the iPhone to focus on one phone for the whole world" Tim Cook, COO, Apple

Speculation has continued since the early days of the Apple/AT&T relationship that the sole-provider contract would at some point expire, and the iPhone see a more general release on multiple carriers.  While that could still happen, it doesn't appear to be on the cards for the near future; even if it did, it seems only GSM customers will ever have the chance to use the iPhone.