iPhone 4G Exclusivity with AT&T, Has Apple Made a Big Mistake?
Apple will probably be unveiling the next generation iPhone, the so called iPhone 4G during WWDC 2010 on June the 7th; at least it is expected to happen. Apple has also extended the exclusivity over the iPhone with AT&T which will probably mean AT&T will have exclusivity over the iPhone 4G when it finally makes an appearance.
However, given that many customers with the Big Blue network aren’t all that happy with the way things are going with AT&T, and the large calls for Apple to deliver a Verizon iPhone or even a Sprint iPhone, has Apple made a big mistake by allowing AT&T to keep iPhone exclusivity?
The iPhone is a hugely popular smartphone, no one can deny that, but there are other smartphones coming onto the market that set a challenge to the iconic iPhone. One such smartphone is the HTC EVO 4G, the first device to run on a 4G network.
Currently according to a popularity poll we have been running, the HTC EVO 4G is vastly more popular than the upcoming new iPhone 4G, why? Well I’ve been going through some of the customer comments and what is apparent other than most thing the HTC EVO 4G offers more advanced tech, features, and the Android platform, one of the reasons seems to be AT&T’s appalling network.
So in allowing AT&T to extend exclusivity over the iPhone and thus the iPhone 4G has Apple made one big mistake that could damage sales and the popularity of the next generation device and put the HTC EVO 4G in the position of becoming the much sort after “iPhone killer?”
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9 thoughts on “iPhone 4G Exclusivity with AT&T, Has Apple Made a Big Mistake?”
I have seen and red so many reviews and videos about the HTC EVO 4G and the speed demonstrations, it truely is a beast, much superior than any iphone or any phone out there.
Thanks for all the reviews, it's very informative. Can't wait to get one.
Yep…BIG MISTAKE. Many people I know in addition to myself wanted an iPhone but would never go to AT$T so I and others recently got the ne Droid Incredible and am more than happy with it. Would have loved to get an iPhone, but now, from many of us have decided that it was no longer worth the constant waiting and got something else. Before now, an iPhone was the only phone to have, but now there are a lot that was just as good or in the case of my Incredible…better. People tend to stay with the phone they like, and by Apple locking in to AT$T, they lost a great deal of potential customers who are just sick of how they have been treated by Apple as well as Apple's very restrictive policies. I think I will stay with Droid since I like Open Source products.
Nope, because Verizon or Sprint don't use GSM technology. And GSM is the worldwide standard, while CDMA is just the North American standard.
As for the HTC Evo over the iPhone 4G, the Evo is reported with a craptacular batter, a too big screen, and the big camera can't do nearly as much as the current iPhone camera software. The current Android OS is worse than the current iPhone OS, and the new OS for Andriod is cancelled out by Flash, and we don't even know how fast the A4 iPhone will be. Sometimes, tech specs don't say everything, as the camera software for the iPhone's 3 megapixel camera is way better than the 8 megapixel software, you can take better and faster pictures with it, without pulling your teeth out. How much better will the 5 megapixel camera (possibly with HD capturing ability) exceed the androids?
This is looking like fun, but right now I still see Apple as winning my dollar, and my privacy.
GSM is not the same here as it is in Europe so it is not a "Standardized" format. CDMA has far superior handling and data capabilities. Also when upgrading a CDMA tower you simply slide a card or PC case size unit onto the tower. To upgrade GSM towers you have to add power (3G is very power hungry) and a refrigerator sized box to upgrade the tower to 3G. This is why Verizon and other CDMA systems are able to expand their networks far faster and cheaper than AT&T! I do have an iPhone but would like to see the iPhone on other markets such as Sprint or Verizon.
No mistake. If AT&T were the only deciding factor, the iPhone would have sunk by now. There will eventually be multiple carriers in the USA to lure people to and back to the iPhone. Remember there were many MP3 players before the iPod and many after. But while other makers were throwing darts at the wall by putting every conceivable gadget or design in their players, Apple stuck to it’s sleek, modern design and won. The same is and will be true with the iPhone. It’s not for everybody, but it’s for enough people to make AAPL skyrocket.
not chance
Having been an AT&T customer for 7 years now. I haven't jumped on the iPhone wagon as of yet. I have been strictly running WinMo devices. My contract ended in January, so I have been researching for quite a long time and gone back and forth on devices/platforms. This is what I have found:
There is a lot of hype over the new iPhone 4g, from what the rumors seem to be saying, the new iPhone seems to be a great machine. BUT I have seen a TON of hype over the new HTC devices, mainly the Desire, more hype over this device than any other(IMO).
Where I feel AT&T has made a massive error, is they appear to be banking it all on the iphone, and have put crap effort into the Android devices, which I feel will very soon topple the iPhone reign. If AT&T does not get a damn impressive Android device, they will loose a huge client base who really want a great Android phone. The Backflip and the Dell Aero I have heard are garbage when stacked against N1, Desire, Incredible, and the list continues to grow, and are NOT AT&T!
I'm waiting to see if AT&T can get the Desire, there doesn't seem to be a lot of confidence in that happening. So I may be forced to get the iPhone 4g, not because it's the one I really, really want. It would be because there isn't anything better offered without getting a device off plan
Apple probably is giving up a lot more sales by staying exclusive to AT&T, but I still don't get why the iPhone is so popular. How can anyone say their OS is better than Android?? It's just a bunch of ugly square icons! Every iPhone I've ever seen looks exactly the same, and it's boring. I want a phone that I can customize to my liking without any restrictions. I don't want my phone manufacturer to tell me what I can and cannot have… or what tools developers can use to write apps. It's funny how Microsoft got sued for antitrust because they bundled a browser with Windows.. even though they didn't prevent anyone from installing any other browser at all… but Apple can get away with flat out blocking apps that companies have spent a lot of time and money developing and testing? How can they get away with that and why does Apple's "fan base" allow them to do this? Hopefully more people open their eyes and realize how evil Apple really is. All you have to do is read their user license agreement. Of course it's never going to happen, and people will keep on shelling out cash for iProducts. Ugh… makes me sick.
All I wanted was for AT&T to offer a nice Android device that is up to date and not crippled.. but I've given up. They've proven that they don't want a phone that can compete with iPhones by choosing not to subsidize the Nexus One. Their main focus is keeping Apple happy so they can keep their exclusive deal for iPhones. Well I've had enough… I'm paying the ETF and I'm picking up my new Sprint Evo 4g Friday morning. Good riddance AT&T.. Thank god I won't have to share a network with all you iPhone toting bandwidth hogging jerks anymore!
If you have ever seen a "jail broke" phone you will see a lot of the features like folders and other options like program backgrounding etc with the new OS version. The OS is very sleek and works extremely well with the hardware. The problem with Android is that the OS is just that an OS. It is like Windows, you put an OS out there that is not optimized for the hardware it is running on. This is where Apple makes a very big difference with the way their equipment works! Android has its place and will be a strong competitor with the iPhone. It is definitely NOT an iPhone killer. Here is the numbers… 30+ models world wide running Android.. 1 phone running Apple OS! I sure hope Androids numbers are better and not as close as they currently are for the number of phones it is running on…! Little off path but oh well I like to hear myself talk!