Carrier retracts earlier confident assertion

An earlier claim by SaskTel's CEO, Robert Watson, should not be taken as evidence of a new iPhone coming in June or early July, a carrier spokesperson now says. Watson's response was "not a confirmation of a release of a new version of the iPhone," the spokesperson insists. "The President was commenting on information that has been reported publicly and on the Internet for several months, which has speculated on the timing of a new release," a statement concludes.

In the interview, however, Watson confidently asserted that a SaskTel iPhone was in the works. "The good news is that (Apple) is coming out with a new version of the iPhone in the June timeframe and they're going to put us on that," the executive said, adding that the carrier was "quite excited" about the prospect. It would be unusual for a carrier to claim that it will carry a phone based purely on speculation. The carrier is moreover launching a 3G network on July 1st, and the interview mentioned that the iPhone would become available simultaneously.

Apple has traditionally revealed new iPhones during June's WWDC event, launching them a few weeks later. Such a schedule could be consistent with Watson's statements.

by MacNN Staff