How the Verizon IPhone 4 Will Affect Apple's Release Schedule

Apple fans everywhere are celebrating the release of the iPhone 4 on Verizon's network. They claim that Verizon offers better coverage, faster speeds, and better support than AT&T, which has ruled the iPhone up until this point. It's hard to argue the point that competition will be very good for the iPhone. In the coming months, we can expect to see lower prices and better service from both companies, along with some very vicious advertising efforts.

However, there's one aspect of the Verizon iPhone that a lot of people haven't considered: it's going to affect Apple's release schedule.

Here's why the new Verizon iPhone could mean fewer new iPhones in the coming years.

The Big Release - Every year, Apple has introduced a new version of the iPhone because, well, they're pretty much expected to. It's been a major source of revenue for Apple-they can upgrade their phone and get a large percentage of their established user base to switch to the new product. They did the same thing with the iPod for years before the iPhone took precedence.

The problem is that the Verizon iPhone throws off the Apple release schedule. It's an iPhone 4, and it's virtually the same product as the AT&T iPhone 4. If Apple were to come out with an iPhone 5 or an iPhone 4G in the next month, they'd be treating one of their providers-and the customers of that provider---very unfairly.

This means that we're probably not going to see a new Apple iPhone this summer. A new iPhone might be introduced in the fall or even later, depending on what improvements Apple's going to make and how much time they want to wait to see how the new Verizon iPhone is accepted by consumers. Early reports are that it's doing well, so my bet would be on a new iPhone within the next year.

Other Products For Development - Maybe Apple's going to start throwing its development power behind other products. The iPhone is an engineering masterpiece, and it may not need to be updated on an annual basis. Apple might start to spend more time on the iPad, which had a somewhat lackluster initial reaction. The iPad 2 will be coming out soon, and it may end up foreshadowing some of the changes that we'll see in the next generation of iPhone for both AT&T and Verizon.

One thing's for sure: Apple's release schedule is going to be very different in this post-Verizon world, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for fans of the company. The best products and improvements come when engineering teams are given time to work, so here's to hoping for a great new iPhone sometime this fall or in 2012.

How do you think Apple's release schedule will change due to the Verizon iPhone? Post below.