To listen to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu, you’d think Verizon has developed a schoolgirl crush on the iPhone. According to his sources, the carrier is very excited about a 2011 launch for the handset, to the point that it’s anticipating those iPhone sales more than the continued sales from its other smartphone platforms.

Wu reports that Verizon sees its Android sales growth on the downswing, and is looking to the iPhone as the major draw it needs to keep revenues up. We’ve been expecting a Verizon iPhone in the new year for some time, and while there’s still no confirmation from either Verizon or Apple, reports like this one, siting sources inside the companies, continue to emerge and point to a release sometime in the first half of 2011.

While Verizon may be laser-focused on the iPhone, that may not be the only previously-exclusive smartphone transitioning over to the company’s network. Wu’s got his ear to the BlackBerry tracks as well, and thinks that Verizon could also snag the Torch from AT&T by springtime. If that doesn’t turn out to be the case, it will likely be a new Torch-like BlackBerry model instead.

Source: Wall Street Journal, BB Leaks

Via: Electronista