AT&T's bullish earnings report suggests iPhone exclusivity is almost over
By Sean Hollister 
posted August 8th 2010 11:24AM
posted August 8th 2010 11:24AM
posted August 8th 2010 11:24AM
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More rumours, really ? Boooring.
@SarnGate how about an iphone on sprint with 4g
@Nanosman1994
Yay 4G. Where you pay $10 more a month even if you can't use it! And if you've got the coverage, you lose it the second you step indoors! 4G!
@Christopher02 Um, maybe you'd like to look at plans for Sprint, you'll find that they're much cheaper than AT&T anyway, oh, and i have a friend who uses 4G and has zero problems with it indoors.
@SarnGate
the verizon iphone .............. FINALLY !!!
@SarnGate
Actually the language being used makes this a lot more than a rumor. I'd say they already know for a fact the exclusivity deal will be over soon this year. This is it.
I'm glad Android was able to make the best out of this deal... I hope Gingerbread arrives soon enough.
This isn't a rumor. It's about at&t earnings. The article said not to think it means anything.
@Christopher02
IF that problem exists, at least it doesn't happen with the WHOLE network, unlike at&t. I've been in several 4g areas and my coverage was great! You must not know what you're talking about.
@SarnGate
Sprint has terrible coverage in my area. My coworkers lose signal in my lab. It becomes frustrating for me as I cant reach them in the event of an emergency. And as for paying monthly premiums on features I couldn't use, no thanks.
@uhhmoney
http://www.beyond4g.org/overcoming-indoor-coverage-challenge-in-wimax
@Christopher02 Well in that case they're a bit derp for buying a 4G phone in the first place.
@Nanosman1994 Will you be willing to fork out 300/400 for 16g/32g iphones 'cause I don't think Sprint will subsidize iphones as much as ATT did.
@Christopher02 st least you can service if you pick up your
@Christopher02
I have 4G right not in my apartment.
7 stories, 1st floor.
nice try though.
@Christopher02
Is that why I am posting this from Evo 4G while sitting in my living room connected to the 4g network? My gawd, what a lame you are...
Besides, even with the extra 10 dollars per month, its still cheaper than the plan and crappy coverage you get with AT&T.
@SarnGate
iPhone 4 on sprint or verizon, either way I am putting that baby on sprint ASAP if it has a CDMA radio.
AT&T self destruct commencing in 3...2...1 months. Bye, bye, nice knowing you.. Not so much.
@techisme - Vzw next year, then Sprint by the holiday 2011. Tmo is getting it first. HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAAH!
@Christopher02
Like I said above, I had ZERO trouble indoors. Maybe if one was in a fringe coverage area, but then wouldn't one have the sense to switch to wifi? Or at least the 3g coverage is still there... something other carriers stall haven't gotten right. Have you actually used 4g for yourself?
How fast is Sprint's 4G?
@TareG
I know I won't be switching to an iPhone 4 from my Droid. Maybe future versions of iPhones will impress me, but right now there's better hardware out there than the iPhone 4 and a front facing camera is not enough to sway me from features that I actually use everyday like Google Turn by Turn Navigation, Free tethering, Nintendo and Playstation emulators...etc.
If I were Apple, I would be doing everything I could to end the exclusivity. I wouldn't hesitate to guess that iPhone sales will fly once other carriers begin to pick it up.
Of course, if I were Apple, I wouldn't have locked into AT&T in the first place.
@SarnGate
From my view, it's the other way around...
My iPhone 4 with unlimited 3G, texting, and 250minutes costs me $50 a month. Find me a comparable sprint plan.
@SarnGate : Why did I read that as "AT&T's bullSHIT earnings report "?
@Nanosman1994
Or how about a lte iPhone for Verizon in three month's??? If apple didn't want to make a cdma for three years what would compel them to now especially since sprint plans to bring lte to the table eventually
@techisme
Damn, some of you verizon fanboys are worse than apple fanboys.
@fysician Sprint had some great plans years ago - now they are OK but they nickel and dime you to death. If TMobile had better coverage I'd switch to them as they have the best plans IMHO and they have an unlocked network so you can get much more current phones on their network. Since Sprint has a locked network you only get the phones they offer - you can't even get a Verizon phone and use it on a Sprint plan. It seems a shame, Sprint is determined to lose more and more customers each quater but they'll try to spin the news by saying something like - "least customer loss in 3 years or far less customer churn than predicted" In the end they are losing customers while the other 3 are still growing.
@Starfleet Captain Crappy coverage? WTF are you smoking. Remember this: you get what you pay for.
@SarnGate Morerumors.com (brought to you by the folks of macrumors.com)
@SarnGate
Yes, their rates are less, but, look at the COVERAGE map. I'm on the road a lot, and I have better coverage with the deathstar, than I do with any other carrier.
@SarnGate I'm hoping for a the iPhone on multiple platforms. Then everyone will realize that it wasn't AT&T that was causing all the dropped calls, it was the damned iPhone.
@SirMaster You like retention as much as I do by the sounds of it.
@JKooL No you wont. Sprint and VZW will each refuse to activate a phone on their respective network if it does not have the carrier's branding on it. Its not like they look at the phone but they know from the serial/imei number that it is their competition's phone. And therefore will not activate it.
@Nanosman1994 People seem to forget that Apple barely changes their products every iteration. They add some killer features to the new iPhones each year, and they convince current owners to get the new one. Why would Apple release an LTE iPhone on Verizon this year (or next) when they could come out with a 3G one and sell the LTE one to everyone later. It already happened before.
@Starfleet Captain This confuses the hell out of me. I just checked Wirefly, and for two lines I found:
AT&T: $60 / voice + ($25/data) * 2 = $110
Sprint: $70 / voice + ($30/data + $10/4G) * 2 = $150
Granted, that's for less data on a network that's "only" 3G, but here in central Washington State, speeds between AT&T 3G and Sprint 4G are almost identical, and I only find myself using around 1GB/mo anyway. According to AT&T's statistics, 97% of their customers with data plans used less than 2GB anyway. Maybe if you need a "cadillac" plan Sprint is cheaper, but for the "budget" end of the spectrum AT&T comes out on top.
@VictorBush
That exclusivity agreement was genius to begin with. We forget that handset manufacturers had zero say pre iPhone, but Jobs got 30 unlimited specifically for one product. Sucks now, but when it hit no one was complaining.
@Ghengis Wirefly has it all messed up. That $70 for Sprint *includes* data (and SMS, and unlimted calling to any network). There's not an extra $30.
@Ghengis
Yeah, your info is wrong. Check Sprint's web site. It's 69.99 includes 450 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited calls to and from any cell phone anytime, unlimited txts, and unlimited data, mms, and gps. For the Evo, its an extra 10 bucks. Now find me a comparable AT&T plan that's cheaper or similarly priced.
@anotherworld
Been with Sprint for quite a few years. I'm quite satisfied. my data works well right now and I travel from southern states to states all over the Midwest frequently.
@VictorBush As much trouble they are having producing phones now, I doubt they really need/want more sales at this point.
@SirMaster I got my wife an Evo 4G on Sprint, and with my corp discount, she has 450 peak minutes, unlimited texts, email, internet, for $51 a month. Suck it.
@Ghengis
Even if those numbers were right (which they're not) whoever originally posted them fails horribly at math.
How does $60 + $25 * 2 = $110 ???
WTF, lol
@Plazmic Flame I think they meant 60+ (25x2)= 110
@Sliderocket21
That makes more sense, but even still, why only multiply the data by 2 and not the voice?
@Ghengis
The calculation is all wrong did you bother to even read the fine print. Sprint is cheaper even tHough they don't have a big map. It works in NJ & NY so I'm happy with it.
Here are the numbers correct numbers with the AT&T base plan.
Family Talk 550 ($59.99/mo) + Unl Fam Text ($30/mo), 2GB Data ($25 * 2= $50) is $140/mo and that's with their lowest plan. I used to pay $250/mo with my AT&T employee discount. I had 2 iPhones, 1 BB & a dumb phone.
@dan828 I had the iPhone 3gs on T-Mobile and I DIDN'T get as many dropped calls as I did when I was on AT&T.
@Ghengis You have some really bizarro math going on, but regardless you're comparing a Sprint plan that comes with unlimited text messages, unlimited 4G data, and unlimited minutes to cell phones against what appears to be a plan with no text messages at all and 2GB of 3G data.
In addition, a Sprint family plan is a much better deal with more lines because adding a line with all those features is $20 (including data, text, etc) and you'd still have a hard time running out of minutes because of having unlimited minutes to any mobile phone, and 1500 landline minutes to share. The AT&T plan you seem to be comparing to is 550 minutes total to non-AT&T cell phones and landlines which makes it quite easy for 2 people to overage on let alone 3 people.
On AT&T each additional line is $9.99 plus $25 for data or $35 per person versus $20 on Sprint. At least you only have to pay for one $30 family text plan, but even then it's very clear that with 3 lines Sprint is providing the better deal with way more minutes.
If you have a lot of people on a family plan the prices skew WAY more in favor of Sprint. For example, to get a reasonable 5 person iPhone plan you're looking at the $89.99/month 1400 minute (and even then you're probably going to have overages) plan, plus $30 for 3 extra lines, plus $30 for text, plus $25*5 for data. This totals $275 per month.
On Sprint, five 4G data capable smartphones would cost you $130 for the base plan, plus $60 for 3 extra lines, plus $50 for 4G on all the phones. That totals $240 and gives you far, far, far more minutes per month to split. So you're saving $35 per month (or $840 over a 2 year contract) even if everyone is buying a 4G phone (they do carry 3G smartphones that are $10 cheaper per month).
But anybody who wants a better deal on Sprint can just go and visit their exec's blog at http://mcguireslaw.com/ and sign up for EPRP instead, which makes their family plan $109.99 for 1600 landline minutes and unlimited mobile minutes, data, unlimited text, etc and makes additional lines only $14.99 each. So then a 5 person plan is becomes only $155 for 3G smartphones, and $205 for all 4G phones.
@JKooL Sprint has a locked network so even if Verizon carries it, if Sprint doesn't carry it then you have to go to verizon (which isn't a bad thing since they have better customer service, a larger selection of phones and when they roll out 4G, it will be a more universal 4G and available in far more places) Verizon on the other hand has an unlocked network so if you want to put a CDMA device on their network you can as long as it works on their network.
@TareG ...and Jobs said a couple of months ago that they have an ATT and a Verizon tower on their campus.
Darn. I just went Verizon to seek a less overstuffed network!
@Ghengis IPhone plans on AT&T are separate and different from regular AT&T plans.