AppleInsider StaffComments from Brian Marshall with Broadpoint AmTech generated interest on the Web Thursday, as the analyst suggested a Verizon-compatible iPhone wouldn't be released until 2011. Marshall's speculative comments came out of a report from Computerworld, in which he suggested AT&T and Apple may have extended their exclusive agreement by six months. Headlines elsewhere incorrectly declared that Marshall was offering inside information of a formal deal between the two companies.
"[It was] speculation only," Marshall said in an e-mail to AppleInsider. "I think [AT&T] had to get something in return (i.e., 6 month extension on iPhone exclusivity)."
Marshall said he believes it's likely AT&T had to get something in return for offering "such attractive 3G data pricing." AT&T's $30-per-month unlimited data-only plan is half the price of its competitors.
Marshall told Computerworld, and said he believes AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension for the iPhone.
It's a change of tune for Marshall, who had previously predicted that Apple would turn to Verizon this year. The Broadpoint AmTech analyst also said before the iPad was announced that it was "a certainty" that Apple's tablet would be available through Verizon.
Marshall said he was "floored" when the iPad was announced as AT&T 3G only in the U.S. He said AT&T's competitively priced plans are likely what cut Verizon out of the picture.
Apple's iPad with 3G connectivity carries a $130 premium over the Wi-Fi-only model. Users can access unlimited data on the device through AT&T for $30 a month, or use up to 250MB for $15 per month. Both plans do not come with a contract and can be canceled at any time.
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27 Comments
Was there any news here, or was it so subtle (or perhaps I am so dense) that I missed it altogether!?
Never mind competitors - $30 a month is half of what AT&T is charging me for my unlimited data PC card - which I only need because they do not offer tethering on the iPhone and the tethering I had on my old Treo 650 under Verizon was only good enough for emergencies.
Speculation is one thing - speculation by someone who actually knows what they are talking about can be more useful.
I would speculate that the low rate is partly due to an expectation that the majority of users will not be using it most of the time. I only use my 3G card when I travel and the local Wi-Fi isn't free or fast enough. Or maybe they figured that most folks would either be AT&T customers already or that such a low price would not prohibit someone who was not ready to switch to AT&T for phone service to go ahead and get AT&T for 3G data service.
If I were an AT&T competitor I would probably either want to make darn sure my network was as bullet proof as possible before going after the iDevice market to avoid the backlash that AT&T has suffered or wait until the 4G/LTE converged standard is pervasive enough to make a single devise able to be sold in all markets without needing multiple antennas etc.
But then I am not privy to all the parameters that go into corporate contracts of that level and what the various technical and market arms of each organization is up to in those arenas.
Please move on Apple. Make AT&T part of a painful past. I'm sick and tired of all the dropped calls.
THINK OF ALL THE FUTURE SUBSCRIBERS WAITING IN THE WINGS FOR AN IPHONE WITH A DECENT CONNECTION. MANY PEOPLE WON'T BUY AN IPHONE BECAUSE IT'S TIED TO AT&T.
I wanna buy an iPhone already......! And not for AT&T!
My wish was that Apple/AT&T would have a subsidized option for the 3G iPad. This would allow the price of the 3G hardware to be several hundred dollars less that it currently is (say $$399 for the 16GB version). Because I'm already an AT&T customer, I wouldn't really mind signing up for a 2 year contract.
Marshall said he was "floored" when the iPad was announced as AT&T 3G only in the U.S.
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He's not the only one. I really wanted to get one, but after two years of AT&T service, I just can't. With great regret, I intend to abandon my iPhone as soon as my contract is up next month. My iPhone is a part of me and I don't know how I lived without it, but I can't function with AT&T's service. I just can't complete a phone call in my area.
Having exclusivity in the phone space may be justifiable because of all this CMDA GSM business. As for the iPad, for Apple to make another product that forces customers to do business with this one telecom is just wrong IMHO. What's next? A new MacBook with a built in antenna that only works with AT&T?
If this isn't what antitrust laws were created for, I don't know what is.