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Sprint Commits to Buying $20 Billion Worth of iPhones, To Get Redesigned iPhone 5 Exclusively?

I've been a 13yr Sprint customer so I could never get an iPhone for my primary. I even used the world worst phone (Palm Pre) for the last 2 1/2 years in hopes that the iPhone would come to Sprint some day. But if the "exclusivity" is true then Im worried that 1) Launch day will require camping out and 2) the network gets clogged because Sprint has a great network but it hasnt really been tested in volume.

That said, Im very excited to get a Sprint iPhone and Im ready to sleep on the ground in order to get one at launch.
 
Why is it so far-fetched that Apple would do this? Many other manufacturers, such as RIM and HTC, will put a product out on one carrier first and then others later. Palm did it with the PRE (Sprint first, Verizon 2nd), but it happens with all sorts of other models as well.

Maybe Sprint made Apple a deal that they thought was fair. I mean, lets be honest, if you're a VZN/ATT customer you can either wait 6 months and get it on your current carrier or move to Sprint. Either way Apple still sells an iPhone 5. And with all the hype behind a 5, I highly doubt the "iPhone 5 crazies" are going to say "screw it, I'm going with Android". Apple would sell the thing regardless of carrier exclusivity.

Over the years Apple has moved more and more towards doing business the way all of the other handset makers do business (remember the 1-model-only no subsidy thing for iPhone 1?!?!). This is part of the M.O. of everyone else, why not Apple?
 
I would be so upset. I have AT&T and Verizon coverage all over the area but half the town is a Sprint deadspot, genuinely zero coverage.
 
guch20 said:
As a Sprint customer, nothing would make me happier than this; however, I just don't see Apple committing brand suicide in this way. To offer their best phone on the nation's smallest (of the big 3) network would just serve to piss off a lot of people and probably wouldn't do much for their bottom line.
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Everyone said the same of AT&T but that didn't stop people buying phones for the 3 years of exclusive contract. In addition for WiMax etc etc. it’s only going to work in major cities so forget upgrading to the Sprit iPhone 5 until AT&T bring our their version in the new year.
 
For selfish reasons, the thought that they might delay the "iPhone 5" until next year is not good.

I've been nursing my creaking, old 3G waiting for the successor to the iPhone 4.

Saw the typical refresh date of July come and go, now waiting for tomorrow's announcement.

As much as I want an updated form factor (back to the curved design, hopefully larger screen, etc) I will buy whatever they announce tomorrow.
 
urkel said:
2) the network gets clogged because Sprint has a great network but it hasnt really been tested in volume.
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In my area, either Sprint's network is always clogged it or it just sucks. Thats why I have to stick with AT&T, because otherwise I would consider switching.
 
There is NO way the loose lips of Sprint would have kept this good news to themselves with all of the Iphone talk coming out of their camp for the last month.

Tomorrow is D day and we will All know FACTS! I cant wait to see the hands on clips after the media event.
 
Wow, the only two cell phone providers I have any feelings for are T-Mobile and at&t. I may just have to go with a 4S, unless I want the 5 so bad I will put up with Sprint as my carrier.
 
flux73 said:
Have you seen how much pent-up demand and hype there is for the iPhone 5? You don't think there are enough people who MUST satisfy their need for immediate gratification to simply switch carriers just to get it? I'm a pretty patient person and I'm perfectly willing to switch, esp for unlimited high speed data.

iPhone users will defect carriers, but they won't defect from the iPhone. This is a very low-risk deal for Apple. And Sprint has nothing to lose. Their choice is to either bet the farm or sit on their laurels and suffocate to death. To me, this is one of the most credible rumors about tomorrow (second only to the speech recognition OS rumor). It's makes sense on many many levels.
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no i completely see the hype and pent up demand, I'm one of those demanding ;) but Sprint would not do that... because people would just wait. regardless, they won't be able to sell them all, and god damn you and your slow acting logic!
 
1. Sprint doing this is monumentally risky and supid. For a company that's flirted with bankruptcy for years, this is, I repeat, monumentally stupid and risky.

2. There will be no full 4G iPhone 5 (there's no real 4G anywhere as all are operating way below the specs but that's a separate issue) as the chips aren't available. I repeat, the chips aren't available.

3. Neither Verizon or AT&T have the 4G/LTE network in place to handle it to Apple's liking if they did have the handset hardware to run on it. Oh, and Sprint WiMax? You're joking, they're still trying to find the money to build it and have been since 2007. Maybe they shouldn't have cut Clearwire's budget.
 
Imagine the chorus of boos from the crowd when Apple announces that the iPhone 5 will only be available on Sprint for the next 6 months. I just can't imagine this.
 
btrav13 said:
Why is it so far-fetched that Apple would do this? Many other manufacturers, such as RIM and HTC, will put a product out on one carrier first and then others later. Palm did it with the PRE (Sprint first, Verizon 2nd), but it happens with all sorts of other models as well.

Maybe Sprint made Apple a deal that they thought was fair. I mean, lets be honest, if you're a VZN/ATT customer you can either wait 6 months and get it on your current carrier or move to Sprint. Either way Apple still sells an iPhone 5. And with all the hype behind a 5, I highly doubt the "iPhone 5 crazies" are going to say "screw it, I'm going with Android". Apple would sell the thing regardless of carrier exclusivity.Over the years Apple has moved more and more towards doing business the way all of the other handset makers do business (remember the 1-model-only no subsidy thing for iPhone 1?!?!). This is part of the M.O. of everyone else, why not Apple?
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exactly what i have been saying in this thread! +1
 
guch20 said:
As a Sprint customer, nothing would make me happier than this; however, I just don't see Apple committing brand suicide in this way. To offer their best phone on the nation's smallest (of the big 3) network would just serve to piss off a lot of people and probably wouldn't do much for their bottom line.
Click to expand...

Apple would not commit product and customer suicide, not for $ as this would not be a bright idea especially for Tim Cook's first run as CEO.
 
liddil101 said:
really? so where does it say "Sprint Commits to Buying $20 Billion Worth of iPhones, To Get Redesigned iPhone 5 Exclusively"


show me where it says that. thanks
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Not confirming and denying are two different things....
 
rkw0211 said:
You are a good example of why the rest of the world hates us (Americans). I assure you, most of us are not this ignorant. :rolleyes:
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LOL

Apple's announcement is at 10 A.M. Pacific Time, why does his local time matter to anyone in the group? oh, that's right. it doesn't...
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5313e Safari/7534.48.3)

Ok listen closely, don't panic.

1. Sprint will be the only carrier in the US to sell ip5 for a period of some months. If you want a subsidized ip5 then you will have to switch to Sprint or wait a few months.

2. If you are willing to pay full retail, good news - ip5 will be available unsubsidised from Apple, unlocked and ready to work on AT&T or Verizon. Price will be the usual 649 USD. It will be available from day 1.

SO if you want ip5 at launch, just pay full price. No need to whine and cry.
 
Herdfan said:
Tomorrow might just be about the 4S.

Might get to do this all over again for the 5. :)
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Except after the Iphone 5 announcement we won't have 200 pages of "OMG - that's all" comments.

Ummm, never mind - we'll still get 200 pages of OMG comments regardless of what Apple does.


toddybody said:
I think I speak on behalf of all AT&T/Verizon customers in saying...

PLEASE NO iPHONE 5 EXCLUSIVITY!
Click to expand...

You are wrong.

This Verizon customer is trying to decide when to replace his WinMo 6 phone - and whether to go with WP7/WP8 or Android (my husband's Thunderbolt is really, really sweet).

The problem is that I use my mobile phone to make and take telephone calls - and my old Samsung WinMo is a much better *telephone* than any Iphone on AT&T. So, I don't see the value in upgrading.

Shouldn't a smartphone be a good "phone" above all else?

Apple's never figured that out. Apple values "pretty" and "thin" above "useful".

Apple Big Mac said:
"There is no iPhone 5. Stop being stupid."

"There positively will be no iPhone 5 launched this year. Fail."

"Apple took 16 months and all we got was an iPhone 4S???"

That's all we heard from a large number of posters on this forum this weekend. Where are all those people now? This rumor cycle has been absolutely epic, and as an interested spectator I've really enjoyed it.
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Yes, many sachets of Orville Redenbacher died for this event - nuke another one or two for tomorrow.
 
I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but it's probably Sprint is getting the iPhone 5 for their network + wimax, because Apple won't have alot of units to sell with WiMax so Sprint had to agree to buy $20 billion worth to make the phone profitable for Apple because they would have to develop drivers and custom things for it.

Apple just wanted a guaranteed profit, incase they don't sell many WiMax iPhone 5's.
 
$20 Billion isn't chump change here and I don't care how rich Apple is. It takes money to make money. That money can be useful for all the lawyer fees.

Google paid $13.5 Billion to buy Motorola Mobility.
 
WoW if this is true ... for once i am happy to be with sprint ...

cant wait to rub my iphone 5 to my family who all have AT&T and loved rubbing it in my face all these years ... haha
 
PaulieORF said:
Imagine the chorus of boos from the crowd when Apple announces that the iPhone 5 will only be available on Sprint for the next 6 months. I just can't imagine this.
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Versus the chorus of Boos if they told everyone that no one is getting an iPhone 5 until the LTE chips are ready for a world-band phone?

I'd rather get an iPhone 5 on Sprint (with promise of future iPhone5 on other carriers) than some crap spec bumped iP4S tomorrow.
 
Savor said:
When everybody in the party is GREEDY and ARROGANT, what can you do? Both carriers had their chance to please a high-maintenance girlfriend like Apple. AT&T still gets a bad rep for their dropped calls and Verizon used to attack Apple in ads with their Droid phones. Now another one wants to court Apple and pay them alot for it.
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You make Apple sound like a gold digging whore who provides "special favors" to those who pay up... oh wait... :p






And before anyone gets their undies in a twist, it's a joke.
 
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