SEATTLE — Apple shares reached an all-time high Tuesday after a newspaper report said the iPhone could find a new U.S. sales outlet through Verizon Wireless.
Since its 2007 launch, the iPhone has been available in the U.S. only to subscribers of AT&T, which uses a cellular- network technology called GSM.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that Apple plans to release an iPhone this year that would work on CDMA networks — technology used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel in the U.S., as well as some carriers overseas.
Apple and Verizon declined to comment on the matter. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said the iPhone will be an important device for the company for quite some time.
AT&T has thrived as the sole U.S. iPhone carrier despite paying a massive subsidy to Apple for the exclusive rights to offer the phone.
At the end of 2009, it was the second- largest wireless carrier behind Verizon Wireless in terms of subscribers.
But the iPhone’s popularity has taxed AT&T’s networks in cities such as Denver, New York and San Francisco, leaving the carrier vulnerable to an aggressive ad campaign from Verizon.
Apple shares rose as high as $237.48 Tuesday, an all-time peak, before pulling back to $235.85, a 1.5 percent gain for the day.
