Edible Apple

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Apple is making a version of the iPhone that Verizon Wireless will sell early next year, according to people familiar with the matter. The carrier has been meeting with Apple, adding capacity and testing its networks to prepare for the heavy data load from iPhone users.

The carrier is seeking to avoid the kind of public-relations hit AT&T Inc. took when iPhone users overtaxed its network, especially in New York and San Francisco.

In an interview last week, Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Tony Melone wouldn’t comment on the iPhone. But he said the company’s network would be up to any challenge now that it has withstood the surge of data use on Android smartphones.

“The Android experience gives me confidence we can engineer a great data network,” Mr. Melone said. “We are planning for growth. We build capacity, cushion and contingency.”