(Newser)
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After plenty of waiting and speculation, the Verizon iPhone is officially (almost) here. Verizon president Lowell McAdam made the announcement as anticipated today, telling the assembled press that "the iPhone 4 will be available early next month." The Wall Street Journal and Engadget live-blogged the event; both noted that the various execs in attendance (no, Steve Jobs was not there) made sure to emphasize how prepared Verizon is for the "unprecedented volume" of iPhone users. (Unlike, say, AT&T?)
McAdam also hinted at more to come from Verizon's partnership with Apple, including video and 4G. Existing Verizon customers can pre-order the iPhone starting Feb. 3; ordering will be opened to the general public on Feb. 10. Like AT&T's version, a 16GB model will cost $199 and a 32GB will cost $299 with a two-year contract. Unlike AT&T's version, that pesky antenna should actually work: "We had to make changes to work on the CDMA network," says Apple COO Tim Cook. "It's going to work great." (Gossipy aside: John Oliver was in attendance, apparently taping a Daily Show bit in which he must be reacting to the announcement, shouting "F*** yeah! Thank you! Oh thank God! Thank you!")
