Apple to produce iPhones using Verizon

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Apple, which has limited the iPhone to AT&T, will make it available on Verizon Wireless, a source close to the company said Friday.

The iPhone has been losing market share to smart phones using Google's Android system, which is compatible with Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

Apple and Verizon will begin selling the phone early next year, a source with ties to the company told The New York Times, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Apple and Verizon Wireless declined to comment Friday.

The long-awaited arrival of the iPhone on Verizon could reset the smartphone market in the United States. The iPhone remains the best-selling smartphone, but around the world, many carriers competing with AT&T have been promoting models running on Android.

This week, Nielsen reported that Android accounted for 32 percent of the new smartphones sold in the United States in last six months. The iPhone accounted for only 25 percent.

No product brings Apple as much revenue as the iPhone, and observers say seeing that market threatened may have finally pushed Apple to end its exclusive deal with AT&T.