“It was only last week that Jim Alling, COO of T-Mobile USA, poured cold water on speculation that his company might finally start selling Apple’s iPhones to its 33 million customers,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune.
“Now Merrill Lynch’s Scott Craig is out with a note reporting that ‘speculation is heightening’ that Deutsche Telecom will announce a deal to bring the iPhone to its U.S. subsidiary at next week’s analysts day (12/6-7),” P.E.D. reports. “Merrill Lynch’s Craig points out that cutting a deal with the fourth largest U.S. carrier would give Apple access to 98% of the U.S. post-paid market and 75% of the country’s total mobile subscribers.”
P.E.D. notes, “T-Mobile would have had the iPhone last year if the U.S. Dept. of Justice hadn’t opposed AT&T proposed acquisition of the company on antitrust grounds.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Judge Bork” and “Rainy Day” for the heads up.]
Probably unlocked, but still a good development
They already have unlocked iPhones, those that belong to my entire family, for instance.
Will the iPhone be operating in their 3G/4g network?
Ours are already operating on 3G with T-Mobile.
T-mobile has a great deal for unlocked phones. 100 min talk unlimited data for $30 month. Catch is they only have a contract deal for $70 mo for nano sim iPone 5. Dudes anyone know of a way to get a nano sim and transfer image from micro sim. Perhaps one can buy the nano sim in Europe. Alt is Virgin Mobile, I guess.
Cut down your micro-sim yourself:
http://www.cultofmac.com/191128/yes-you-can-cut-your-micro-sim-down-into-a-nano-sim-for-your-iphone-5/
Every time they open up new regions to the iPhone, the market share of Google Android phones dies a little more.
I see that I can get a free Android phone when I buy a suit now along with 2 ties, 2 shirts and a 2nd suit. I am looking for the buy an Android device get a 2nd free adds. Got to keep those market shares up at any cost! RIMM did that and they are back one last time with their new Blackberry OS. Another DOA!
Heard about the same deal today from the Jos. A. Bank Chain. I might just get one because my Nehru jacket is a little worn around the cuffs.
LOL
The Nehru jacket doesn’t have cuffs! Maybe you were thinking of your blue Mao jacket. 🙂
“a little worn at the cuffs”, probably thinking Android device, not something wearable.
Eventually, you’ll be able to get an Android smartphone for free in a box of cereal and the Android fanbois will only be bragging that much more how ubiquitous and important Android OS is. Wall Street figures that no one will be willing to spend money on an iPhone if you can get an Android smartphone for free. That might be a sound assessment to those hedge fund managers, but if I have to spend money on a carrier contract for two years, I don’t want an Android smartphone even if it’s for free. I also remember how RIM was BOGO’ing itself to death and Wall Street continued to bet on RIM over Apple. We all see how that turned out. Having the largest market share is never a guarantee of success.
How about buy 3 tires and get a fourth and an Android phone free? Or buy five boxes of Corn Flakes and send in the box tops for a free Android phone? Or . . .
Those were the days. Spending months collecting pieces of cardboard so you could get some piece of crap that took months to be delivered.
iPhone 5 doesn’t support T-Mobile’s 3G spectrum of 1700/AWS, and their 1900 MHz is spotty at best. iPhone 5 on T-Mobile is guaranteed to be a subpar experience. I hope they’ll be happy with the 4S.
Not going to happen! How do I know, I’m on T-Mobile!
T-Mo still has a looonnng way to go to complete its deployment of high-speed data on the 1900 MHz band…
How about… Buy an iPhone and get an Android phone free… I would do that just for the pleasure sending the Android phone back to Samsung/ Google with a note that said…”please shove this POS back up you ass where it belongs… “… Juvenile I know… But oh so satisfying
…
The discussion here seems to revolve quite a lot around the notion that Android phones have been offered “for free”. Let me make sure everyone understands this: NONE of those phones were anywhere near free. All those “free” offers came with a mandatory 2-year contract (to those credit-worthy enough to sign one). Required smartphone monthly plans contain a subsidy portion, which is essentially a loan payment for that phone. So, what you are getting is an installment plan for your $450 phone, but without a downpayment.
An iPhone 5 costs $650 (for base model(. 4S is $550, and 4 is $450. Apple has always been getting the highest subsidy for the iPhones (around $450), which is lower for Androids (around $350 – 400). This is fine, since vast majority of Android makers offer steep discounts to carriers, making the retail price max out at some $450-500 (for the top-of-the-line models), and rapidly dropping to $300 for just slightly older ones. The subsidy comfortably covers the retail price, which is why these appear ‘FREE’ to the consumer.
I am still waiting for a pre-paid carrier to offer a truly free Android phone with a no-commitment monthly plan. Only then can you say that Android phones are offered for free. This likely won’t happen ever (where would they make up the money???)
T-Mobile would have to change their ad campaign. They would go from iPhone hating to loving in an instant.
Verizon did it when they got the iPhone, as did Sprint. And Verizon’s Droid campaign was heavily deriding the iPhone (remember the Island of the Misfit Toys?). People have extremely short memory.
Besides, none of the current iPhone carriers does any iPhone promotion (nor do they love that iPhone all that much, or so it seams). It has been widely reported that if you walk into an AT&T, Sprint or Verizon store, the sales people will do everything in their power to discourage you from buying that iPhone and rope you into buying an Android (for which they presumably receive a nice little kickback). About the only loving iPhone gets is from some very high, C-level people in the carriers’ upper managements. Salespeople apparently find it more lucrative for themselves to plug Android and steer clear of iPhone.