Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Denies Rumors of Plans to Launch MVNO Carrier Services
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Reason would be a business reason - you do this if you are testing the waters to becoming a network supplier. If you get a big enough uptake you then start to build your own network, and then you have complete autonomy of your own global network and the ability to kill off the competition. the synergy to provide cellular coverage across the world, means Apple could offer flat rate fees (elevated) for travellers to continue to use their network wherever they are in the world, not just on iPhone but across the FULL range of their product range. It's world domination... And the mere fact that Apple would be competing against has never stopped them before...
Right - there's not some conspiracy theory to derive from this.
The appropriate conclusion is simple: One of the following two scenarios. Either:
* The rumors were hurting or risking business relationships - perhaps AT&T or Verizon felt threatened by it and reacted
or
* The rumors were causing investor reaction that could significantly affect the stock value next quarter
Rumors often have a thread of truth and I think this is it.
article said:
God I hope not. I would imagine an Apple branded unlimited service would be $99/month. But I would guess they would include Apple Music and AppleCare. Then on top of that you'd have to finance the phone (or buy it outright).
It's a serious rumor which, if it were true, would mean Apple plans to compete with Verizon, ATT, TMobile, all at once. No wonder the stock went down so much so fast! Not surprised Apple have denied this one. ^_^ Cheers!
Read their quote again. It reads the exact same way all of their denials do. They have no plans and are not currently talking with anyone. That means nothing because they could start talking to ATT tomorrow and planning and they wouldn't be misrepresenting anything.
They rarely deny anything because they rarely comment on anything. That is because they are still working closely with carriers. Apple knows that once carriers stop subsidizing $700 iPhones, Apple's sales will drop like a stone. They cannot rock the boat, at least not until they figure out how to sustain the iPhone business model beyond subsidies and broaden their product line a little.
Apple, and specifically Steve Jobs, denied any plans to enter the mobile phone business before the iPhone came out.
The only thing I see that Apple or anyone else could do here is to create an MVNO that switches between carriers. All others are still on a single network today. If someone could switch between them as they find stronger towers, that would be awesome. First you get better service. Second you get better coverage. Third you get better battery life. Hopefully someone does this at some point -- I could see myself jumping onto a service like that.
Subsidize infers that the carriers absorb some of the cost of the product a bit like my employer subsdizes the cafeteria at our office. Cell phone carriers simply amortize the cost of the handset over the duration of your contract and historically made out when people didn't upgrade and were now paying $30/month more than they should be!
Yes, but when did he say that?
Of course they can always change their mind in the future. The point is that this proves they aren't currently in the process of doing it right now.
I suspect that this Steve phone quote came before any discussions with Cingular had occurred.
Why would Apple deny this? Normally they stay silent on plans, even when people guess. If I say "Apple's going to launch an Android phone!" and it's posted on a ton of websites, will Apple comment "No, we're not"?
Or is this a "We'll never make a video iPod" / "We'll never make a tablet smaller than iPad" / "We'll never make a phone you can barley rap your hand around" / "We'll never let users stream music" type of denial?
Or is this a "We'll never make a video iPod" / "We'll never make a tablet smaller than iPad" / "We'll never make a phone you can barley rap your hand around" / "We'll never let users stream music" type of denial?
Interesting.
So as they haven't denied developing a car, we can presume that they are.
And as they haven't denied recent reports stating that Apple Watch sales are looking awful, we can assume that they are disastrous.
So as they haven't denied developing a car, we can presume that they are.
And as they haven't denied recent reports stating that Apple Watch sales are looking awful, we can assume that they are disastrous.
Because those other fake rumors don't damage their partnerships with the wireless carriers that sell the iPhone.
My guess is they don't want to fuel speculation b/c AAPL would tank. Wall Street doesn't care about two-bit rumors that have marginal effect on earnings. But an MVNO would be a huge hit to earnings and Apple's cash reserves.
I believe it maybe the carriers who need Apple and not the other way round as you may have suggested but better to quash rumours early ......