“Cingular Wireless is expected to provide wireless service for a new Apple Computer Inc. cellphone, people familiar with the situation say,” Li Yuan and Nick Wingfield report for The Wall Street Journal.
Yuan and Wingfield report, “The launch of the new phone and service is expected to be announced as early as Tuesday, these people say.
“The new product could give Apple access to the huge wireless business, in which nearly a billion handsets are shipped every year, dwarfing the nearly 70 million iPods Apple has sold over the past five years,” Yuan and Wingfield report. “Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment on ‘rumor and speculation’ when asked about the Cingular-Apple phone deal. A Cingular spokesman also declined to comment.”
Full article (subscription required) here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “MadMac” for the heads up.]
The Wall Street Journal is usually quite accurate when it comes to these just-before-the-keynote articles. There is nothing in the article that says the deal with Cingular is exclusive (and, therefore, no exclusivity time frame, either). There is also no information about whether the deal is for an Apple MVNO* or not.
*Mobile Virtual Network Operator: a company that buys network capacity from a network operator to offer its own branded mobile service(s).
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Cingular, huh? Dang. There went my new Apple phone.
looks like I will be paying a ‘early termination fee’ to verizon tomorrow……
Wtf happened to unlocked?
…and I’m due for a new phone on my plan next month.
Timed that right!
-c
MW: ‘brown’ (The Choice Of A New Generation™)
Fortunately, I am on a month to month with Cingular already. So, I could be set for the upgrade. If they release an unlocked version, even better.
If this is true, I hope the phone is available for Verizon eventually!
Cingular sucks, though I have to say that Verizon sucks even more.
Where I live there is a service that gives you unlimited minutes 24/7 for under $40. I know services like this are across the country, but I think that the unwashed masses haven’t revolted yet, and probably won’t. I use Cricket, but there are others that give unlimited options. Cingular ain’t one of ’em.
Oh, well. Unless the iPhone does VoIP or something, I’m going to have to say to heck with it. That would truly suck if it’s linked to one carrier. But, again, Verizon is like Microsoft, so Cingular is the lesser of two evils…and I do mean evils.
I bet it all about the VOIP.
That sucks
MDN Word: Hope, as in I hope it works with Verizon
Lemmie try that again, I bet it‘s all about the VOIP.
And the iChat AV, and the video messaging, and the hey hey hey.
Not particularly revolutionary or earthshattering. Rather unlike Apple to go with the crowd unless they offer an unlocked version at the Apple Stores at the same time. Apple becomes another Nokia or Samsung with its phone lined up alongside all the other phones for the idiots at Best Buy who couldn;t tell you the difference between GSM and DRM.
I have Cingular and am due for a new phone, but I can see Cingular limiting functions and staying with that stupid MediaNet crap they use.
MVNO over Cingular’s network + VOIP would be pretty cool. All data, no minutes.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE UNLOCKED VERSION??
I want unlocked Apple fone.
I want unlocked Apple fone.
I want unlocked Apple fone.
I want unlocked Apple fone.
…and I want it now, Steve.
Do you hear me.
Is there a cellular phone service provider that doesn’t suck? I have 14 months left on my contract with T-Mobile (who I understand uses the same network as Cingular) and I get just about ZERO reception on my phone calls. I rarely call anyone at home, even if I really want to, because it will be such a frustrating experience. I;d pay an early-termination fee if I knew with certainty of a service provider that provided quality service at a reasonable price.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE UNLOCKED VERSION??
———————-
Nothing. It never existed. It was a RUMOR.
@ Caruso
*TOTALLY* agree. I would be very disappointed in Apple if I have to look at MediaNet on that thing.
-c
Sell the damn things unlocked!
I have both Cingular and Sprint. I find Sprint’s quality much better than Cingular when I’m in a Sprint area. Unfortunately, I’m often roaming outside of a Sprint network. Cingular has greater coverage (especially since they took over AT&T’s Alaska network), but the sound quality is worse and people frequently can’t get through when circuits are busy. I am due for two new phones on Sprint and probably one more on Cingular. If Apple’s new phone doesn’t have PDA capabilty, I will probably have to wait for the Treo 750 (Palm) – IF they ever release a Palm version.
Any big launch is welcome. Money makers spread. Cingular may be the start, but it won’t be the only carrier.
Cingular is the obvious choice for the Apple mobile device because of their size and network technology – GSM. Because GSM is the most used mobile network technology in the world right now, Apple can develop a handset that is not only capable of using the largest network in the U.S. but that same handset uses technology that is used in most other countries. By using CDMA (ala Verizon Wireless) Apple would be limiting the phones availability to the U.S., Korea, & China…along with a few other small areas. GSM is available is just about every country that has a wireless communications infrastructure.
I see an unlocked phone with MVNO, VoIP, iChat, and integration with iTV. I want to sit in my living room, have my phone pick up my high speed internet connection, and conduct a video conference on my TV while watching 24.
The whole getting up to answer the phone is a waste of precious calories.
Besides, Apple is not going to carry a billion dollars worth of retail leases and a 50% increase in retail headcount just to hand their device over to BestBuy to screw up.
Lets face it, Apple is controlling about the experience and religeous about the brand. Although I would like to see their retail folks stop wearing sweat pants to work.
Maybe the phone will be unlocked but the mobile music service will be with Cingular?
Apple may use Cingular’s wireless network, but the service may be all Apple’s show. That would be ideal. Apple needs to maintain control of the user experience, as it always does. I don’t think Apple will hand over this revolutionary wireless device for Cingular to sell in its tiny one-person mall kiosks. Apple will charge “full-price” and sell the device at the Apple Store and other retailers (both online and physical), with an online sign-up process for the service (using the device or computer).
Cool! I’m on a month-to-month w/ Cingular right now. This should be easy.
unlocked is whats needed in order to have the biggest impact. I hope the iphone is carrier agnostic