Boy Genius Report is saying that Apple is now testing a version of the iPhone with LTE network support. BGR apparently obtained a special iOS build from a carrier.
That's fantastic and all but what does this mean about release dates?
Personally, I am gamed for an LTE version of the iPhone on Verizon's network. But I'm not hopeful that we'll see it happen this year. If Apple becomes more flexible about iPhone release schedules instead of the annual releases it's been adhered to, then we might see the LTE version early in 2012 rather than late 2012.
I know that many of you are hoping against reality: that Apple will not have a LTE iPhone in a matter of weeks. I like to say that I hope to be wrong but that simply will not be the case. LTE chips are still power hungry and Apple doesn't want to release a product that is crippled by the battery life.
The Thunderbolt from HTC, the first LTE device on Verizon's 4G network, simply could not handle the power requirement and battery issues as a constant problem for mobile warriors.
It's good to know that Apple is expanding testing on more than one carrier. But let's not get too excited about this just yet. We're still a long way off, me thinks. It conceivable flooding the market with the next iPhone after a few months, Apple will unleash a similar iPhone but this time with LTE support to act as a one-two punch against competitors.
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