Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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

Interesting - Why wouldn't Apple give a carrier a 90 day exclusive? That doesn't seem like much to give up but imagine how many people Sprint would pick up from the other carriers because they simply can't wait until January. Our ilk is pretty much about instant gratification so you would get a lot of people that either:

* Had a contract coming up
* Was not happy with Verizon or AT&T
* More than a few that could not bare to see others have the 5 ahead of them

I can see some method in this madness. You announce at the same time, but availability for the others is january. Plausible at some level.
 
Last edited:
MacinDoc said:
1. No suitable low power LTE chip available for 2-3 months.

2. Apple wants to advertise iPhone 5 as 4G to compete with similar Android models.

3. Sprint wants in on the game and asks Apple what it would take to built a WiMax model. Apple offers to produce it if Sprint signs a contract for 30 million iPhone 5s. Sprint gets exclusivity, but only because its competitors are LTE, not because Apple guarantees exclusivity. Apple promises that the iPhone 5 will be available on LTE in January, when suitable LTE chips are available.

4. Apple can't continue with the current iPhone 4 as its best offering on all the other carriers, hence the spec-bumped iPhone 4S with HSPA+. This, together with the holiday sales rush and the momentum of the Sprint iPhone 5 carries Apple through the holiday season. Many customers go for the 4S because it can fully utilize iOS 5, having the same internals, it's less expensive than the iP5, and they just can't wait any longer.

5. Low-end iPhone 4 with specs of low-end current model sells for $300 prepaid or free on contract. iOS market share increases. 3GS retired. iPhone 4 leads all smartphones in worldwide sales. Record sales for Apple for October to December with Apple's first iPhone offerings on Sprint, combined with decent sales of the 4S and the "free" or prepaid iP4.

6. Ramp-up of iPhone 5 production less problematic because it's initially only in WiMax, limiting initial sales. Even if there are some bugs to work out, Sprint has already committed to buying 30 million of them, so Apple still sells every unit it can make. By the time the LTE model comes on stream, the kinks are all ironed out, and production has been fully ramped up in China (and maybe Brazil, too). Apple has record revenue for February to April due to the availability of iP5 on additional carriers.
Click to expand...

Definitely sounds plausible. I can imagine Apple going for such a bold plan and easily succeeding with it. We'll see in about 13-14 hours.
 
LOL!! An Apple fanboy forum loaded with Sprint fanboys. :D Talk about apples and oranges. At least the Apple fanboys have good products and service on their side.
 
Well if that second rumor is true there would certainly be long lines at Sprint... complete with pitchforks and torches.
 
30 million iphone 5 in 4 years so is sprint going to get iphone 6,7,8,9 exclusive too? Sprint going to have many iphone 5 leftover.
 
Hing said:
30 million iphone 5 in 4 years so is sprint going to get iphone 6,7,8,9 exclusive too? Sprint going to have many iphone 5 leftover.
Click to expand...

Except the article doesn't say iPhone 5's:

Mr. Hesse told the board the carrier would have to agree to purchase at least 30.5 million iPhones over the next four years
Click to expand...
 
If this rumor is true, I wonder how AT&T and Verizon will react. If I were them, I would come up with better plans ASAP so at the very least any potential switcher to Sprint would have a good reason to wait another 3-4 months to get their hands on the iPhone 5. Hey Verizon, about offering 1GB data for $10 a month, 2GB for $20?
 
I believe this

Gotta make a shout-out to Sprint here - I bought one of their 4G OverDrive Mifis and I love it!

The speed rivals a home internet broadband connection and I get unlimited for a cheap price

A Sprint rep had told me that the bandwidth on 4G is gigantic and its ready to go, nationwide

Sprint would be making a wise decision to bet the farm on the iPhone 5, and btw, this isn't new to Sprint, as they often got the Palm Treos exclusively as well --- I was a loyal Sprint customer during the days of Palm Treos (2000 to 2007) but switched to AT&T for the iPhone and then Verizon

An iPhone 5 with Sprint 4G unlimited? I would DEFINITELY consider that
 
My Dad got off the phone with his usual sprint representative not too long ago. Keep in mind, I am on his business plan with 10+ lines and customer loyalty for about 12 years.

He was talking to him about using one of the line upgrades for myself to purchase the iPhone. The rep went over all the details pretty confidently. He said that it would be fine if we used that new 2 year upgrade on a separate line and then switched over to my phone after. My dad also asked about the mail-in-rebate and the rep told him there would be none, it would start at $199 flat with a two new year contract. He basically talked with him about purchasing three new iPhones when it is released and the rep answered all questions. At the end of the conversation, the rep said, "well, you know this is hypothetical, right?" My dad laughed and said of course and ended the conversation.

I know sprint reps don't usually know much, but this guy seemed pretty solid about his information. What does this mean about exclusivity? Absolutely nothing! It means I am excited to get the iPhone 4S/5 (whatever it's called) no matter what. A redesign would be great, but I honestly don't care anymore.

I faith in Apple, redesign or not, disappointment will be the last thing on my mind.
 
I really don't understand

I really have a hard time understanding all the Sprint hate. I don't understand why people who are not customers want to hate Sprint and talk about how bad they are. How can you make any comments about a company or service you don't deal with? That just doesn't make sense to me. I have absolutely no reason to lie about my satisfaction with their service and customer support. If I wasn't happy with them why would I stay for twelve years?

I read all the time on different blog coments how people hate their Verizon or AT&T service. How Verizon and AT&T took away unlimited plans and how they are throttling bandwidth and yet its Sprint that sucks?? Sprint even has known that over the past year or so people were using rooted phones to tether their devices and until recently let that go without any threats like AT&T. But Sprint sucks.

I just don't get it. I know that I'm thrilled that I'll have an iPhone shortly and that I'll enjoy my unlimited bandwidth and not worry about any limits. So bash I'm happy as can be. On top of all the Giants won this weekend and I got to spend time with my granddaughter. Life is good :)
 
MacOG728893 said:
My Dad got off the phone with his usual sprint representative not too long ago. Keep in mind, I am on his business plan with 10+ lines and customer loyalty for about 12 years.

He was talking to him about using one of the line upgrades for myself to purchase the iPhone. The rep went over all the details pretty confidently. He said that it would be fine if we used that new 2 year upgrade on a separate line and then switched over to my phone after. My dad also asked about the mail-in-rebate and the rep told him there would be none, it would start at $199 flat with a two new year contract. He basically talked with him about purchasing three new iPhones when it is released and the rep answered all questions. At the end of the conversation, the rep said, "well, you know this is hypothetical, right?" My dad laughed and said of course and ended the conversation.

I know sprint reps don't usually know much, but this guy seemed pretty solid about his information. What does this mean about exclusivity? Absolutely nothing! It means I am excited to get the iPhone 4S/5 (whatever it's called) no matter what. A redesign would be great, but I honestly don't care anymore.

I faith in Apple, redesign or not, disappointment will be the last thing on my mind.
Click to expand...
Sprint will be the only one who has the phone, its more of a limited exclusivity. If this is what will happen. We will have to wait and see less then 12 hours away :D
 
rocknblogger said:
I get real tired of people saying Sprint sucks. Look, I've been with them for almost twelve years. I would have left long ago if they sucked. Their service is excellent and they have vastly improved customer service over the years. And yes it is a fact that they lose a percentage of customers every year because they didn't have the iPhone.

Just stop talking out of your ass if you don't know what you're talking about. Yeah they made some bad business decisions but that has nothing to do with how good or bad their service and support is. In case you haven't heard iPhone is the best selling handset on the market and it stands to reason people would jump carriers to get it. I'm sure that if I said something to the effect that no one leaves Sprint just for the iPhone you would be the first one to jump in and prove how wrong I was.
Click to expand...

Whether or not a carrier sucks is primarily a factor of where you are. Different carriers are stronger in different places. I live in an area where Sprint's service is absolutely horrendous.

That said, on a nationwide scale, Sprint and T-Mobile are both extremely weak. The lack of the iPhone is hardly what's hurt Sprint; although Sprint has been losing contact customers, they gain more prepaid customers for every contract customer they lose (however, this is actually a terrible situation to be in since prepaid customers can leave whenever they so please). Furthermore, Verizon's lack of the iPhone until earlier this year didn't hurt them, either. It's not a fact that Sprint has been losing customers because of their lack of the iPhone; it's misplaced blame.

Sprint's current poor state is a result of their investment into WiMAX, a technology that is not only not intended for cellular technology but also is inferior to the HSPA/HSPA+ in addition to being rather limited in nationwide coverage despite Sprint's "head start" in the 4G race, and their acquisition of Nextel, which had hurt Sprint's operating costs and contributed to Sprint's sever decline in value.
 
First of all, Sprint needs the iPhone because up until the SGSII, their lineup of Android phones sucked. They also have a very fundamental problem. Their service sucks compared to the big boys, so the only way they can compete is with Virgin and Boost, which aren't as profitable as postpaid. I think this is going to the wrong way for Sprint. They shouldn't try to compete with the big boys, they should try to undercut them. And Android the platform for that.

I think we'll see ONE iPhone 5, that's tri-band HSPA+ and dual-band CDMA/EVDO Rev.A. Thus, AT&T would have the exclusive on Faux-G, and no one would get 4G. But we'll see.
 
rocknblogger said:
I really have a hard time understanding all the Sprint hate. I don't understand why people who are not customers want to hate Sprint and talk about how bad they are. How can you make any comments about a company or service you don't deal with? That just doesn't make sense to me. I have absolutely no reason to lie about my satisfaction with their service and customer support. If I wasn't happy with them why would I stay for twelve years?

I read all the time on different blog coments how people hate their Verizon or AT&T service. How Verizon and AT&T took away unlimited plans and how they are throttling bandwidth and yet its Sprint that sucks?? Sprint even has known that over the past year or so people were using rooted phones to tether their devices and until recently let that go without any threats like AT&T. But Sprint sucks.

I just don't get it. I know that I'm thrilled that I'll have an iPhone shortly and that I'll enjoy my unlimited bandwidth and not worry about any limits. So bash I'm happy as can be. On top of all the Giants won this weekend and I got to spend time with my granddaughter. Life is good :)
Click to expand...


My thoughts exactly. I've been with Sprint for 15 years with very few problems. Not every carrier is perfect. Sprint is in a financial mess because of the nextel purchase but they'll soon be out of it hopefully.
 
BTW, Sprint lovers, reality check. For a single user, 450 minutes, Sprint is $80, AT&T is $85, Verizon is $90. T-Mobile with 500 minutes is $70. Not much savings going on around there. May as well get the AT&T or Verizon coverage with those prices.
 
rocknblogger said:
I really have a hard time understanding all the Sprint hate. I don't understand why people who are not customers want to hate Sprint and talk about how bad they are. How can you make any comments about a company or service you don't deal with? That just doesn't make sense to me. I have absolutely no reason to lie about my satisfaction with their service and customer support. If I wasn't happy with them why would I stay for twelve years?

I read all the time on different blog coments how people hate their Verizon or AT&T service. How Verizon and AT&T took away unlimited plans and how they are throttling bandwidth and yet its Sprint that sucks??
Click to expand...
There is an explanation. Within the Apple worshipers camp there is a large population of immature people. Those who rely on bashing or hating in order to bolster their egos. Those who are eager to act like experts and seek the attention lavished on their hero Steve Jobs. Some people take ages to grow up.
 
The price Apple is getting from carriers is absurd. They could easily sell a device like that to consumers for $300 unsubsidized, but yet they are tacking on an extra $350 of pure profit from the carriers? No wonder rates are so high. Hey, maybe Apple will sell the iPhone 4 for $250 for Virgin Mobile. Probably not.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
Then how did Verizon overtake AT&T in total customers even though AT&T bought Cingular and had a 3 year exclusive on the iPhone? This argument holds no water at all.
Click to expand...

They were ahead before the iPhone already. That's why Apple went to them first.
 
vitzr said:
There is an explanation. Within the Apple worshipers camp there is a large population of immature people. Those who rely on bashing or hating in order to bolster their egos. Those who are eager to act like experts and seek the attention lavished on their hero Steve Jobs. Some people take ages to grow up.
Click to expand...
Yeah I guess you're right. I'm just not going to get into it. I've said my piece and I'll continue being a gentleman about it ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back