Verizon has issued a statement to The New York Times which clarifies what will happen with ‘grandfathered’ unlimited data plans when its new shared data plans roll out. Basically, anyone who currently has an unlimited data plan will be able to keep it, unless they purchase a new device that is subsidized by Verizon.

The full statement that was issued is below:

• Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.
• When we introduce our new shared data plans, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing.
• Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.
• The same pricing and policies will be applied to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones.

The key point here is that if you pay full price for your handset, usually several hundred dollars more than the ’2-year-contract’ subsidized price, you can keep your unlimited data plan. Of course, if you switch to LTE, then you’re going to need to sign up for a new plan so you’ll be forced to move on there too.

So, as long as you buy a full-priced handset, and you’re content to stick around on 3G, you can keep your unlimited plan. But if you want Verizon to foot part of the bill for your new handset, or you want to move up to a new 4G LTE connection, you’ll be forced to give your old plan up.

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Samsung has reportedly been forced to push forward the launch of its new 20-nanometer mobile memory chips to calm shareholder fears it lost a major contract to supply DRAM chips to Apple.

According to various unnamed Samsung executives, speaking with The Korea Times, the new 4GB ultra-thin memory chips are going to be used in Apple devices, despite reports that its rival had shifted part of its supply chain to Japanese company Elpida.

Digitimes claimed that Apple had placed orders for around 50 percent of the Elpida’s output of its Hiroshima factory, forcing Samsung’s share prices down 2 percent to a two-month low in morning trading, stripping more than $10 billion off its market cap.

Samsung’s press release, which hit earlier this morning, is said to have been scheduled for this coming Monday,  but had been brought forward to ease concerns of an Apple-Elpida partnership.

Here’s the key take-away from the article in The Korean Times:

Samsung is increasing the output of mobile DRAMs using a finer 36-nanometer processing technology for Apple as planned. It doesn’t have plans to reduce production of the chips,’’ said another senior Samsung executive in a telephone interview with The Korea Times.
The report from Taiwan is exaggerated. Apple is always looking to diversify its part-sourcing channels. In flat screens and chips, Apple is sourcing parts from various clients that include Samsung, however, that doesn’t mean we are losing our edge as Apple’s top-tier client,’’ said the executive.

The reliability of The Korea Times has been called into question before, with quotes often taken out of context. However, the news outlet does tie official press releases with quotes from what it calls Samsung’s executives, lending a little more credibility to its report.

Apple’s continued reliance on Samsung components is almost certainly down to the Korean company’s reliability and scale. The two companies are currently locked in patent lawsuits around the world but Samsung is one of the only memory makers that is able to fulfil such a large number of semiconductor orders from a large client like Apple.

Elpida may well have secured new orders (it is already an Apple partner), but Samsung isn’t taking any chances. When it comes down to production, Apple will be careful to ensure it can fill its supply chain instead of cutting ties with major partners and threatening the availability of its products.

If true, Samsung’s decision to move forward its launch shows the effect Apple has on the component market. Not even the Korean electronics giant can afford to miss a trick.

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Working with the mindset that an Apple rumour isn’t confirmed until the Wall Street Journal comments on it, a new report from the newspaper has suggested the company will finally increase the display size of its next-generation iPhone to 4 inches.

Update: Reuters has provided its own confirmation: “The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner,” according to its sources.

The WSJ says that the smartphone will be increased from its traditional 3.5-inch design, according to its sources, and will begin production in June with the view to a launch later this year:

Apple Inc., which is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone later this year, has ordered screens from its Asian suppliers that are bigger than the ones used in iPhones since they debuted in 2007, people familiar with the situation said.
Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

Here’s what we believe a bigger iPhone could look like:

The report is somewhat contradictory with its statements that Apple is “trying to make its popular smartphone more appealing amid intensifying competition from rival Samsung.”

Further down the article the WSJ quotes an analyst as saying that a new iPhone with a larger screen “wouldn’t mean that Apple is making changes because of what its rivals are doing.”

We are more inclined to agree with Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Nobuo Kurahashi:

“The smartphone market has become diverse, but the iPhone still sets the agenda,” with the whole industry watching Apple’s every move, he said. He said that the iPhone’s strength lies in the overall experience including its user interface and applications, and the screen’s size wouldn’t be its defining feature.
“If Apple ever released a lower-priced iPhone, that would be more of a sign that the changing market environment is beginning to affect the company,” he added.

Apple’s new displays are set to be supplied by LG, Sharp, and Japan Display (a Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba joint-venture).

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Nokia is moving closer to the launch its Lumia 900 smartphone in China, after the State Radio Regulation Committee (SRRC) cleared the device for use in the country, as reports suggest the device could go on sale in June.

The Lumia 900 was approved for use on domestic GSM and WCDMA networks on April 18, in accordance with Ministry of Information Industry, which is set to issue a network license for the device, providing Nokia with the necessary clearance to list and sell the handset in China.

According to Chinese news portal Sina Tech, the device will first launch in the Phillippines on May 18, with sales set to begin in China in June.

Nokia launched the Lumia 900 in the US with AT&T at the start of April, seeing steady sales across its North American channels.

The Finnish company has since rolled out the device in the UK, hoping to pick up on the 2 million+ Lumia smartphone sales it has enjoyed to date.

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