but I have never ever seen a situation where a company like Nokia (or some Chinese no-name) would release a new phone and then wait 6 months for approval
All handset makers need FCC approval to sell their devices to the public. The only difference is that Apple likes to announce their own products rather than have the FCC do it for them via public filings. I doubt they'd be allowed to drastically change the hardware between now and the release date, but I'm not sure how those details work.
makes me think that iPhone really is a product that does not exist yet, or at least it's not fully implemented
It's certainly not done, but it would have to be a real product in order for the FCC to begin the review process.
by Scott Stevenson — Jan 15
All handset makers need FCC approval to sell their devices to the public. The only difference is that Apple likes to announce their own products rather than have the FCC do it for them via public filings. I doubt they'd be allowed to drastically change the hardware between now and the release date, but I'm not sure how those details work.
makes me think that iPhone really is a product that does not exist yet, or at least it's not fully implemented
It's certainly not done, but it would have to be a real product in order for the FCC to begin the review process.