Did Apple *really* offer the iPhone to Verizon first?

[wildonrio]

I've been hearing this rumor for over a year now and I was wondering if anyone can confirm it as 100% fact, with a quote or reference to go along with it.

If it's true, does anyone else know how Verizon is feeling right and if they regret it, seeing all the hype and how the iPhone could have finally boosted them above AT&T as the carrier with the most subscribers? Thanks.

[psylichon]

Even moreso, could you imaging how complicated Apple's worldwide rollout of 3G would be if they were locked to a CDMA network? I bet they're thinking "phew!" as much as Verizon's thinking "damn!" if it really went down like that. I don't know.

[jjvaldez]

im not sure that this was an option, i think that they where going with att the entire time, i think this because they had already launched the Motorola rokr [i think that is what it is called ...

just my thought..

[dwp1975]

Even moreso, could you imaging how complicated Apple's worldwide rollout of 3G would be if they were locked to a CDMA network? I bet they're thinking "phew!" as much as Verizon's thinking "damn!" if it really went down like that. I don't know.

maybe they would of launched a GSM version on Vodafone's network so that they weren't just tied to a U.S. launch.