AT&T preparing for the end of iPhone exclusivity?

Apple Online Store “Who said that the Consumer Electronics Show was just meant to be a showcase for technology and consumer electronics companies? One of this week’s biggest presentations came from none other than dowdy old AT&T,” Eric Jhonsa writes for The Motley Fool.

“Ma iPhone announced its support for a slew of new smartphones that will become available over the course of the year,” Jhonsa reports. “These devices include five Android models, one of which will be Dell’s first North American offering, and two unnamed Palm models.

Jhonsa writes, “AT&T clearly meant for its presentation to be a feel-good event showing its commitment to consumer choice. But for me, at least, it raised more questions than it answered.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: The answer to the headline is: They oughta be. iPhone OS devices will be on carriers other than AT&T in the U.S. this year.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “iSteve” for the heads up.]

28 Comments

  1. Anyone else notice how MDN has become one of those analyst predicting that the iPhone’s fate? I can’t tell whether they like at&t;or dislike them. Report the news and don’t make obscure predictions. State the facts and make fun of Ballmer and other clowns. Don’t get into the “analyst prediction” game. you’re starting to lose me as reader.

  2. I’m sure if Apple really wanted to screw the competition up, they would make the announcement fairly early so all these people don’t get stuck buying wannabe iPhones. I know when they first announced the original, I waited the 6months before upgrading when I stuck it out for a phone with no apps then. but now everyone knows the capability of the iPhone and would wait till july or august for Verizon or Sprint version.

  3. @hmmm….
    The situation is a bit different now than it was three years ago. Apple has a refined iPhone product for sale, and many people have been willing to switch to AT&T to get it. So the impact is not nearly as large as a few years ago when Apple had no smartphone product for sale at all. Besides, Steve Jobs is a perfectionist who is willing to wait until everything comes together. Profits are the end result of this process, and not the driver.

    Apple is generally careful not to burn a bridge before they have constructed and verified the fancy new bridge. We will just have to wait and see what happens during the January event.

  4. MDN is just tooting their own prognostication horn. It may be getting a little old, but it actually shows that they have some nads, especially after the way that MDN has iCal’ed and ridiculed other predictions in the past.

    I prefer the short and sweet MDN Takes with the dry humor. And the Ballmer and Enderle comments seldom fail to humor me a bit.

  5. My wife were in an AT&T;store on Tuesday night to purchase her first iPhone (she liked mine so much she had to have one). The point is, of the 4 people in the store at the time, ALL 4 were buying iPhones amongst the many on display. Im keeping my aapl stock for a long long time.

  6. I also agree with ‘Anyone else notice’ and ‘DWJ’ that MDN is starting to get a bit too much like the Lou Dobbs pontification hour. Please just report the factual news and leave all the other cap out of it.

  7. Apple will not announce anything about the iPhone unless it is an OS upgrade to existing phones or an immediately available 8 GB 3GS taking the place of the 3G at the $99 price point. They do not want to depress sales between now and June/JUly.

  8. Has anyone noticed an increase in anonymous readers lately who feel they can tell a successful online content provider how to run their business?

    How ’bout you guys go back to reading the free Macintosh industry content, click on an ad once in a while, and leave the new media captains sail the ship?

  9. I agree with the folks that are saying MDN is in the prediction game. MDN is starting to fall in the same league as those clowns a year claiming to have a Bigfoot carcass and having a press conference to announce it. I think making fun of your buddy Ballmer is more your guys league ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

  10. Are any of the new ATT phones exclusive?

    If not, then what’s the point of ATT making the announcement?
    If so, then where’s all the people complaining that they can’t get those phones on their network?

  11. @cw107. The future is wimax apple and google r gettin ready for bigger and better more bandwith watch mark my words wimax….. Google already is taking power away from cell phone companies… Think out side the box my friend there is way more than just dumb ass. Verizon or AT&T;wimax!!

  12. You noticed the increase amount of “analyst”(now MDN) lately who feel they can predict a secretive successful multi-billion dollar company how to run their business? Just wondering ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”blank stare” style=”border:0;” />

  13. Boy, a lot of MDN bashing. The fact is that MDN has often made predictions and analytical statements over the years. I don’t know why this one seemed to light the fuse on a few of you. The bottom line is that MDN is most likely correct. I wrote the same thing when when ATT announced the new android phones. ATT knows that their iPhone exclusivity is coming to an end. Whether it was four years or five years, I’m not sure it was officially stated by ATT or Apple. I could be wrong, but I don’t think Apple is going to renege on a contract, and ATT is definitely behaving like a company preparing to fill a huge void. ATT will still have the iPhone, but they are going to see a significant number of their users jump to other carriers when they can.

  14. Though this is not one of MDN’s Trademark™ Takes™, I don’t feel this is really much prognostication by MDN. Is there anyone who thinks MDN’s crystal ball report will NOT happen? In fact, it seems obvious enough that it didn’t serve MDN well at all by even mentioning it. On the other hand, I do hope that MDN is iCal’ing (and reporting) its own guesses on Apple’s, and every other company’s future. I think MDN’s track record will be pretty good, but it would be good to see the numbers anyway.

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