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Survey Says 6 Percent Will Buy Apple's iPhone
- Thread starter johnee
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"The No. 2 reason cited for not wanting to buy the iPhone related to carrier issues. AT&T (formerly Cingular) has an exclusive six-month contract as the sole provider of the iPhone in the U.S."
I was assuming cingulars exclusivity was a lot longer than that. Interesting.
I was assuming cingulars exclusivity was a lot longer than that. Interesting.
If that's correct, I will buy an iPhone on VZW.
Anyone know if it is hard fact or not?
Same here. I believe the quote from Apple was "multi-year", which I and others had assumed (there's that word again!) to indicate at least the two-year contract length on the initial purchases, or to the end of 2009, something along those lines.
Most successful phones have had a period of exclusivity, with rollouts to other carriers after a six to twelve month timeframe. But, as we've all learned, Apple don't play by the usual rules. Not no way, not no how!
I believe it is longer, as said before, "a multi-year" partership between Apple and Cingular.
This apple press release says "Apple® and Cingular announced that Cingular, the largest wireless carrier in the US, will be Apples exclusive US carrier partner for Apples revolutionary iPhone unveiled today. As part of this multi-year partnership, Apple and Cingular are working together to provide innovative new features to mobile phone users, such as iPhones pioneering and unique Visual Voicemail, a first on any mobile phone in the world."
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/01/09cingular.html
If that's correct, I will buy an iPhone on VZW.
Mmmm... how much of the Verizon network are you going to be able to use that GSM iPhone of yours on?
Now T-Mobile...perhaps.
But for Verizon, you will also need Apple to release an appropriate hardware product.
Maybe that multi-year partnership is a 6 month exclusive to the iPhone and and other generations of iPhones that may be coming out.
could be. depends on how fast they're rolling 'em out.
i'd say since its multi-year... we won't see a huge update (unless they're selling bad or there are issues) until next year. perhaps a preview at MWSF.
I will not purchase an iphone until its available through verizon. Cingular sucks in the areas I frequent.
Clearly, the reporter made a mistake. Multi-year does not mean six months, not on this planet anyway. Come-on--who seriously believes that the iPhone will be available through Verizon, Centennial Wireless, Sprint-Nextel, Alltel, or T-mobile by January 2008? If you do, then please get in touch with me. I have a bridge in Brooklyn and it is priced to move.
lol 6%..... We should all know that that survey is a pretty much worthless. Of those 6% I willing to be that 90+% of them where people saying yes because they think the iPhone is cool but in reality never plan on getting it.
Sorry if any one thinks this survey is worth anything at all then yeah.......
Sorry if any one thinks this survey is worth anything at all then yeah.......
I dont suspect multi year will mean 6 months, but how soon did phones like the razer go from exclusive providers to yo daddy mobile?
I think it will only be a matter of time before you see the price lowered and cingular loose exclusivity.
Untill then, I'll watch on with baited breath and heightened anticipation.
i find it highly unlikely that Apple will make a CDMA version, sorry.
i think the Razr was six months. and yeah it will only be a matter of time before price drops and the like, but remember that Apple already aren't playing by the typical 'rules' of the cell phone markets, so they aren't going to play by past tends from other companies.
Looks like I'll be part of the 94th percentile then. Cingular sucks in Michigan and NY.
I strongly suspect that:
1) The iPhone will be lowered in price significantly within 18 months of initial release
2) The iPhone will be available for other US carriers within 18 months of initial release
3) The iPhone will be available in memory configurations up to at least 16 GB withink 18 months of initial release
3) As Apple stated in their earnings call, it will have many regular software updates over the course of it's lifetime, that both fix bugs as well as add new functionality.
It will take a couple of years for the iPhone to really take off, due to the fact that it's only on Cingular in the beginning, and it's initial launch price is pretty expensive. But give it 2 years down the road, and I think alot of the initial limitations will evaporate.
1) The iPhone will be lowered in price significantly within 18 months of initial release
2) The iPhone will be available for other US carriers within 18 months of initial release
3) The iPhone will be available in memory configurations up to at least 16 GB withink 18 months of initial release
3) As Apple stated in their earnings call, it will have many regular software updates over the course of it's lifetime, that both fix bugs as well as add new functionality.
It will take a couple of years for the iPhone to really take off, due to the fact that it's only on Cingular in the beginning, and it's initial launch price is pretty expensive. But give it 2 years down the road, and I think alot of the initial limitations will evaporate.
Sorry, but I think this is quite wrong, for the simple reason that there's too many millions of customers, and too much money to be made, to completely ignore Sprint and Verizon.
Apple will not ignore the potential to grab up as large a part of US market share as it can, and this can't be done without doing a CDMA device.
The iPod empire was not built in 6 months, it took 3 years to really pick up traction. I think the iPhone will be half that much like you say 18months due to the success of the iPod. It would be hard to argue Apple is taking the iPhone lightly. This is a brand new business unit internally at Apple and they have set themselves up for success, IE the new accounting methods and a focus on shipping a quality embed OS IE leopard delay. I am excited to really be paying attention this time, I missed out on the early days of the iPod. Apple and the street are hoping for 1% by 2008, with a whisper number of 1.5%. These polls are used to promote the polling company.
IIRC, the RAZR was exclusive to Cingular for a lot longer than six months. As for the iPhone's price, that is anybody's guess. However, Apple does not significantly drop the prices of its products, at least not in current dollars. It replaces old models with newer, more capable models at approximately the same price. If I were a betting man, then I would bet that Apple will follow a similar strategy with the iPhone. It did not enter this market to fight a price war.
Six months would be interesting, that's enough time for apple to find out exactly how much demand they garner. After the six months, they can go to all the other carriers, show their fat numbers, and demand a sweet deal.