Has a Best Buy employee leaked real information on a Sprint iPhone 4G?
May 24, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke
According to a Redmond Pie report published this morning, a Best Buy employee has allegedly confirmed that the electronics store chain is preparing for the arrival of the Apple iPhone 4G. Wait, of course we know a fourth generation iPhone is on the way. We’ve all seen pictures of the whole device and the stripped down parts, right? The detail that makes this rumor an interesting one is that the iPhone 4G in question is to be released for use on the Sprint network.
Back on May 13, 2010, Geek Shui Living reported on the alleged, impending release of a CDMA iPhone for Verizon. Citing the Wall Street Journal and several other sources, we explained why it would actually make sense. With the latest, unconfirmed iPhone/Sprint intelligence, the CDMA portion of the rumor seems to be the only consistent detail in the stories. At the same time, if the information published by Redmond Pie is correct, it actually reaffirms the logic Geek Shui Living followed in our aforementioned iPhone/Verizon post. What’s the whole story behind the latest leak?
Redmond Pie indicates it was the recipient of communications relating to an iPhone post on an unnamed site. Allegedly, a Best Buy employee emailed the site with an explanation that, indeed, the iPhone would be sold for use on the Sprint network very soon. His comments, as originally published by Redmond Pie, included the comments: “I work in an electronics store that has a mobile phone store within it. I can confirm that Sprint will be carrying the iPhone beginning in June. They’ve begun to grease the wheels for advertising. There is no news in regards to a Verizon version however.”
In turn, the site responded, asking for whom the person worked and if they could provide evidence to back up their claim. The source responded, “Best Buy in a Pennsylvania store….Can’t present evidence as it breaks our privacy policy to our clients.” The source also added, “It’s coming though. We expect the shelf display within a week or two.”
Technically, we’re looking at Redmond Pie reporting on an unnamed site, who cites an unnamed source. Unnamed sources are the basis of many a legitimate news story, but when it comes to anything that mentions Apple, the iPhone, or any carrier other than AT&T, the whole story has to be taken at face value. Obviously, if the story were true and the iPhone 4G (or HD) with its brand new OS 4.0, were to be released on Sprint or Verizon, a collective cheer could likely be heard throughout the United States.
It has been widely speculated that Apple will use the WWDC, to be held June 7-11, 2010 in San Francisco, CA, to formally announce the availability of the iPhone 4G. Since much of the surprise has already been ruined by the Gizmodo iPhone 4G scandal and the more recent appearance of an iPhone 4G in Korea, a CDMA version of the iPhone on any network would definitely be a newsworthy event. Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait patiently for WWDC to find out for sure.
Source: 4th-Gen iPhone Also Coming to Sprint, Confirms a Best Buy Employee
