iFixit Teardown Shows Verizon iPhone as Dual CDMA/GSM

(Image courtesy of Cult of Mac)
What fun is a new gadget from Apple if you can't take it apart right? Well, you don't have to worry about doing that to your new Verizon iPhone as iFixit has taken the liberty of doing that for you. What treasures did they find? Apparently a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip. Why is that important? Oh just the fact that it's dual-mode GSM and CDMA compatible!
While not an entirely new chip, as it's also a part of the Motorola Droid Pro, it does add further fuel to the fire of the iPhone 5 being a dual-mode device, which would give Apple a chance to ship one iPhone for both Verizon and AT&T, as well as practically every other carrier in the U.S.
You can check out a full rundown of iFixit's teardown here, but some of the highlights are:
-Apple has taken off the visual warning about not throwing your iPhone in the garbage can.
-Apple has changed the model number from A1322 to A1349.
-There is not really much in the way of differences from the external standpoint.
-The SIM slot is now gone.
-It came with tiny Pentalobe screws.
-While the back covers are similar, they aren't interchangeable.
-The Wi-Fi antenna did not receive a re-do, and the antenna is practically the same as the one in the GSM iPhone 4.
-The kicker? It's the same chipset as the Droid Pro world phone, supporting both GSM and CDMA.
-The vibrating function was also redone. The test showed that it was quieter, had a softer feel, and made a less noisy sound when placed on a table.
Regardless, summer will certainly be here before we know it, and we can find out for sure whether or not the iPhone 5 (should that be the name), will be dual-supported!
via Cult of Mac
Follow this article's author, Matthew Tilmann on Twitter
davidr32
February 08, 2011 at 1:39pm
So, does this in any way open the possibility for a "software" fix that would allow the Verizon phone to work on GSM networks?
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