LOL at myself! Yes, never say never!
I just don't know that Apple is going to want to bake in a radio chip just for Sprint 4G that isn't going to have application in the rest of the world. Not with everyone else going to the LTE 4G protocols.
And as financially fragile as I think Sprint is (and as disgusted as I've been with their customer service in past years), I will say that I'm intrigued by their 4G Overdrive WiFi sharing device.
Of course, it's kind of a moot point for me as
4G won't show up here in flyover country for a few years (not Sprint's or anyone else's).
World phone.
They could even just do it for one year until LTE catches up in order to be relevant in 4G.
Or another solution is one band for voice and another for data much like having 3G and wifi.
There are solutions.
The one I would personally love to see is a dual band world iPhone.
Jobs could say this is the next iPhone and it will run on any wireless network that wants to sell it so long as they meet a list of standards. Things like no telco branding.
The wireless companies would be tripping over themselves to compete and everyone would win. Companies like verizon would also be forced to accept apple standards on things like branding without any negotiations because every single one of their competitors would have iPhone.
This would be a win for consumers due to competition bringing better prices plans and features, good for wireless companies having the hottest most popular smartphone and ultimately for Apple who would sell even millions upon millions more iPhones. Anyone in the world that wants the iPhone could have it on whatever network that meets apples standards.
This is how iPhone can take over the world. I see it as the logical next step in the evolution.
It's all possible. Apple innovates and finds new ways to do things where others have failed. There have been world phones for years just like there have been tablets for years and mp3 players before iPods. There has never been a world phone that is the iPhone.
It would be huge and set competitors back a few years again (they have pretty much finally caught up to iPhone)
It's the perfect time for apple to leap way ahead again.
It would all be cemented further with an in house designed world phone chip that no one else could use.
I expect something huge and radical from Apple this year. This is what I want to see them do. If they disappoint I'll be a little sad and maybe buy an evo or something.
The iPhone is popular enough to set the terms for all carriers while negotiating with none of them.
Apple could toss it out there and they would all knock themselves silly fighting over it. Meet Apple standards or no iPhone for you! With it available to their competitors they would play ball. All with zero negotiations.
The exclusive AT&T deal served it's purpose in launching the iPhone for Apple but it can only hurt themselves, consumers, and Apple at this point.
