IphoneExclusivity
Latest
AT&T: 'We are much bigger than' iPhone exclusivity
We're expecting to see the Verizon iPhone finally make its debut in just about a half hour now, but it looks like AT&T is doing some pre-show damage control -- in an interview with the Wall Street Journal this morning, Ralph de la Vega said "we're ready" to lose exclusivity because "we are much bigger than this." That definitely sounds like someone just got spurned by their biggest partner, but don't think AT&T's just going to ignore Verizon -- it's planning an ad blitz that will highlight the iPhone's better data speeds and simultaneous voice / data capabilities when used on its network. Sounds like things are going to get even more heated between the two largest carriers -- and honestly, we can't wait.
AT&T trains retail staff on non-iPhone smartphones
When the iPhone burst upon the world three and a half years ago, the smartphone landscape was very different from the one we see today. Palm Treos, Blackberries and Windows Mobile were the dominant players; they were mainly selected by geeks and people that needed them for business. In the intervening period, the staff at AT&T stores have focused on selling and supporting Apple's super-phone, but that's beginning to change as it appears ever more likely that iPhones will soon be available from other American cell carriers. Bloomberg reports that after dipping its toe into the Android pool in the past six months, AT&T is about to dive into the deep end with three more Motorola Android phones plus three Windows Phone 7 handsets -- all in anticipation of losing exclusivity on the iPhone. Consultant Craig Johnson warns that AT&T may risk turning off customers by offering too many new choices at once after focusing on a single device and user interface since 2007. Given the tight grip that Microsoft is maintaining on the Win7 interface and the consistent Motoblur skin that Motorola is applying to its phones, that might not be so much of a problem. The main choice that customers will have to make is the desired form factor and features on the individual phones. While AT&T plans to keep selling iPhones for the foreseeable future even if Verizon gets a version come 2011, it has already begun refreshing its stores and training its 25,000 retail employees to sell and support all of the new handsets. Staff in urban areas will get four hour in-store classes while those in rural stores will participate via live video streams. Sales staff will also be incentivized to move the new phones with an offer of a free handset for being among the first to sell four of the new phones.
AT&T's bullish earnings report suggests iPhone exclusivity is almost over
You can tell a product ranks high in the public consciousness when something like this is news: AT&T's quarterly earnings report makes it sound like the telecom may finally lose its iPhone exclusivity deal. While a class-action lawsuit recently confirmed the handset was originally locked to AT&T / Cingular for a full five years, the company's Q2 SEC filing has the company making a considerable number of familiar excuses why AT&T's cellular business will thrive even "as these exclusivity arrangements end." While the iPhone isn't mentioned by name, it's hard to imagine sentences like "We believe offering a wide variety of handsets reduces dependence on any single handset" could refer to anything else -- but before you start defecting to Team Red, know there's nothing in there that suggests a date, much less proof of the fabled CDMA iPhone.
Ralph de la Vega 'laughs' when asked about AT&T iPhone exclusivity expiration date, says most customers will stay
We still have no idea what's going on with Apple, Verizon, and the iPhone, but it sounds like AT&T isn't sweating it -- speaking at a J.P. Morgan conference today, Ralph De La Vega reportedly "just laughed" when asked when Ma Bell's iPhone exclusivity would run out, and indicated he wasn't worried about other carriers potentially getting the phone. According to Ralph, some 80 percent of AT&T iPhone customers are on family or business plans, and they're generally less likely to switch, so AT&T thinks it can hang onto them if Apple's phone hits another carrier. That certainly sounds like AT&T's been giving the issue some thought -- another piece of kindling for our ever-smoldering Verizon iPhone Rumor Fire, or just tough talk to keep Apple in line? We might never know -- but we do know that it'll be much harder to keep those iPhone customers if AT&T's service quality continues to suffer, and Ralph acknowledged the troubles, saying that AT&T's biggest issue right now is simply getting enough equipment built in China and put into place. We'll see what happens -- we're not going to believe that a Verizon iPhone is real until Steve asks if we can hear him now. Update: AT&T just sent us a tiny snippet of de la Vega's comments: Having said that, all the improvements that we have seen are not just driven by the iPhone. The non-iPhone customer churn has seen the same reductions as the overall total postpaid customer churn improvement levels. So we've seen improvements in churn that are driven by the iPhone and by non-iPhone customers. And so we view that having a great portfolio of devices and services has been the key to our success and will continue to be. And I think the iPhone will be a part of our portfolio. And I think that customers are still going to come to us, like they've done in the past, looking for great choices, great devices and great services. Interesting -- it certainly doesn't sound like he's betting too heavily on keeping the iPhone exclusive, but we'd like some more context here. We're looking for the full transcript (or better yet, video), so stay tuned. Update 2: And here's the followup question specifically regarding exclusivity: Q: I thought you might share with us the exclusivity end date, Ralph. A: No, I don't think I'm going to be able to do that, Mike. (laughs) Pithy!
AT&T Mobility CEO suggests iPhone exclusivity will end... sometime
Well, it's not much, but AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega doesn't exactly have to go too far out on a limb to attract attention when he's talking about something as big as an end to iPhone exclusivity. His latest, and seemingly most extensive ruminations on the matter came during a conference call with analysts this week, where he reportedly said that AT&T has a "legacy of having a great portfolio...that will continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us," and that he thinks AT&T's ability to drive results "will continue after the iPhone." He did seem to dial things back a bit later in the call, however, switching to langauge like "even if we lose exclusivity" instead of "after the iPhone," and going on to extol the virtues of the iPhone, noting that "others will try to emulate them [Apple], but that device by far is the best in terms of ease of use."
T-Mobile set to be Europe's exclusive iPhone carrier?
With the Apple iPhone set for release in the U.S. next month (with AT&T), which non-U.S. mobile carriers will be the first to get some Apple mobile lovin'? According to the churning rumor mill, T-Mobile has secured a pretty solid seat in the running to be the first European carrier for the iPhone, but Vodafone is in hot pursuit as well. T-Mobile may have the leg up, according to Gartner research, since the iPhone's iTunes would possibly clash with Vodafone's Live! portal. The bigger question is whether Apple wants to limit itself to one initial carrier in Europe, since that market and the U.S. wireless market are completely different beasts. We're sure to see something before this autumn's European iPhone release.[Via Tech Digest]
