It's a little silly just how hush-hush this whole
iPhone-AT&T exclusivity agreement has been, but now it sounds like it just might be next century before any of you CDMA loyalists are able to indulge in the App Store. According to a fresh report in
The Wall Street Journal, people "familiar with the matter" have suggested that AT&T is feverishly working to extend its exclusive agreement to carry the iPhone in America until 2011. Last we heard, the deal was stretched out
through 2010, and considering just how many new subscribers are flocking over solely for this phone, can you really blame the guy for wanting another dozen months of bliss? Not surprisingly, an Apple spokeswoman had more to say about her personal life than on these rumors, but if you were really banking on snapping up a Verizon-branded iPhone at the end of next year, you should probably ask someone to blast you with a giant fire hose of reality.
[Via
HotHardware]
posted April 15th 2009 11:39AM
um. wouldnt next century be 2100?
that's probably just exaggeration. or engadget really doesn't know the difference between decade and century.
2101.
If Apple lets all the carriers carry the iPhone, it would be the equivalent of what happened when the iPod software was finally supported on Windows. In other words, the iPhone would go from being a hit to being a MEGA hit. It could possibly take a majority stake of the smartphone market. Forrester Research just released a report saying that Corporate customers are really, really satisfied with the iPhone. This is after Forrester recommended that Enterprises NOT support the iPhone only two years ago.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/04/forrester-research-changes-tune-on-iphone-in-enterprise.ars
Of course, Apple would have to do a few more things, like providing an equivalent of an iPhone Nano, say an iPhone on EDGE, but no Wi-Fi.
@pacman
i would love an iphone on edge. i currently carry a sony w580i and a 2nd gen touch, but i would put em both on craigslist and buy an iphone if i didn't have to pay the stupid data fee for an iphone. i spend 90% of my time either at home or at school where there is really fast wifi so theres no point for 3g. sure i'd pay 300 for a phone up front and another 100 bucks a month for our family plan isnt so bad. but 700+ for something i'll never use, fuck that.
My prediction? iPhone won't show up on Verizon until the deployment of LTE! Watch!
PS I don't believe Apple is interested in making a CDMA iPhone (to costly with limited return). (i.e CDMA networks are only in NA, RU & SK). GSM/UMTS/LTE are the defacto global mobile standards.
@V3xx
You can buy an unlocked 2G iPhone for around 300 and do exactly what you want...
@v3xx
You're right. So maybe Apple needs to just offer the old first generation iPhone with EDGE and Wi-Fi, but with a different look and less flash drive space, say 8 to 16 GB and bump the specs on the 3G iPhone up to 32 GB and 64 GB. And the option to do away with the data plan would be a nice touch, especially if you have Wi-Fi at home and work.
I also think that Apple needs to come out with a gamepad attachment for the iPhone and iPod touch, which works with new slate of premium games and gives an extra battery boost. That would cement their status as a legit gaming platform, which would be a serious contender to the DS and PSP.
Noticed that too. Maybe they're referring to the iPhone 2099, at which time Apple, Inc is under control of Dr. Doom.
We all know he's a big fan of CDMA.
Ryan now wears his shades on his head instead of his "fidel" cap. :)
What's the "Fidel" cap got to do with anything? I like my Fidel cap!!!
@000000
Do you mean the iPhone 3G which is technically the 2G as it was the 2nd iPhone or do you mean the 1st iPhone which was technically iPhone 2.5G, cause that's what EDGE is in network terms, 2.5G.
Pacman,
Your example is not remotely analogous.
The iPod on Windows *had* to happen to get beyond the
Molly Wood nailed it Monday on Buzz Out Loud. The Wall Street Rag is doing nothing more than pimping Apple at this point, when their quarterly report is due out next week. Hence non-stories like "Steve Jobs Still Runs Apple" etc ad nausem.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-11455_1-10218182-10.html
Starts about 11:45 in
Hahaha Ryan looks like a total brobag in that pic.
Awesome. Quarantine the plague and keep it on lockdown! The longer it is contained, the better. I'd be so annoyed if every US phone carrier starts sticking that blasted phone as their "teh sheetz" phone on their websites.
Plague?
Just like the plague of computers, iPods, 3D games, and the internet.
Right?
What do you care? Nobody's making you buy one. And since when is more choice a bad thing? I'm sure a lot of people with an iPhone would like to be on a carrier other than AT&T.
competition is a good thing, when more carriers get the phone they compete with each other for lower prices/more options. And its the interesting stuff that starts to crop up then, like free/included bluetooth tethering which carriers have no need to do on an exclusive phone but could be a deal clincher if they suddenly have 4-5 other carriers offering the same thing for lower prices or similar stuff themselves.
Competition drives innovation and lowers prices, and since the fate of the mobile market seems inextricably linked to the iPhone the more innovation and competition that gets the better for the rest of the industry and hopefully its hardware competitors.
@The people above:
You guys -are- aware that I posted what I posted just to annoy people who would actually take my post seriously, right?
Cheers!
wow su u have serious hate for the revolutionary.Im guessing ur credit didnt pass or att rejected u.,or maybe are a winmo fanboy or bb fanboy.,.,either way u need cell phone therapy.,
dee dee deee!!!!!!!!!11
There's a reason why EVERY cellphone carrier wants that phone!
If you wouldn't be that ass-tight you would see the reason too.
@PoisonWolf
That is the very definition of a troll. Good job.
@Justin
It's rather funny to see how butthurt all you people get over the internet. Take it easy, you don't have to act like you can't jizz anymore if someone disses your iPhone love. Good job guys.
Cheers.
I liked the dissection of the Nintendo DSi:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/nintendo-dsi-torn-asunder-sized-up-against-ds-lites-innards/
???
I think you're confused.
I think he's trying to enter one of the contests where you had to name your favourite engadget post.
I think is just talked about JMMD as if he was a kid in a zoo...
"carry the iPhone in America until 2011."
No..
Just..
Please.
No.
Aha! They're only keeping it until 2011, because we all -know- what's coming in 2012!
The End!
The Olympics.
considering all of the talk about a new iphone or whatever the hell apple is making ... it makes sense for them to try and keep that exclusivity.
ill be sticking with verizon, and using my 3 year old phone that does all the same shit
Hmm... "Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak..."
You can't jail break the iPhone for use on a CDMA network. It don't work like that homie.
No der, Captain Obvious. I don't think that's what he was saying. ;)
Good, gives other carriers more incentive to start selling more Android phones.
engadeget has a little problem with numbers..and centuries
I'm fairly certain that was an exageration.
good news for android then
I like the idea as it will help push AT&T to push network upgrades harder....since they are conservative and lazy at 3g deployment and operations otherwise.
For what it's worth, I just noticed I got a speed boost up to 2 Mbps from 1.2 Mbps on 3G HSDPA with my iPhone. Has anyone else noticed this?
check out the basket on that guy! ouch!
I think this is great for AT&T, the agreement would let them carry the best smartphone on the market today and the future. The deal will continue to make them the leading provider of telecommunication providers following Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.
A good deal depends on 1 thing... the price.
If ATT has to pay too much to keep it exclusive it's not a good deal.
The bottom line is that without alternatives the customer ultimately loses. There are millions of people who are stuck on their current provider for more reasons than a 2 year contract and it wouldn't matter if the iPhone came with a personal assistant who watched your kids and picked up your dry cleaning they wouldn't be able to switch.
Apple doesn't care what network it's on as long as they get their $$$. It has nothing to do with the BS they keep talking about as the 'user experience'.
ok another bottom line comment .,
say every single cell carrier in usa starts selling iphone tomorrow.,.,sprint,verizon,att,tmobil,heklio,boost,virgin,metropcs,cricket,etc.,seriously think about this.,what would happen to windowsmoblie,bb,nokia,lg,htc,samsung handsets here in america.,?answer
they would cease to exist.plain n simple.,.,so do it apple kill every major handset manufacturer here in america.,do it steve pull the trigger.,drop the bomb on these muthas.,they asking for it.SHANK THEM
im glad i have always been on att, forget having to worry about unlocks and what not, anyways att is not that bad. but i still think it would be very interesting to see what other companies would have done with it. who knows maybe android is really apple ;) its the tmobile version of the iphone and the pre was really made by them too which is sprints version LOL anyways im gonna get down voted for that one im sure. it was a joke guys really........... anyways i don't blame att for trying to keep a phone that goings to keep them afloat during these "rough times".
With a name like Pubeless, and a comment like that, I'm gonna guess you haven't even hit double digit ages yet.
Do I win a prize?
Verizon would probably NEVER get the iPhone. iTunes directly competes with it's own VCast offerings and neither VZW or Apple will budge. The best VZW will do, is attempt more iPhone "killers".
In-deed.
verizon already could have had it and chose not to because they are a bunch of dumb stubborn assholes
screw them, their loss