Sprint to Join AT&T and Verizon in Offering iPhone 5 at 'Mid-October' Launch

[deconstruct60]

VM sells the Motorola Triumph for $300 so another $150 isn't an outrageous price.

That is a 50% increase in price. Consumers in the $200-300 budget price range tend not to be that price elastic. If they were so price elastic why are they on Virgin Mobile shaving dollars off their monthly cell bill ?

The Triumph is a huge stretch for most Virgin customers. At $450 that would be would be an even bigger stretch.

Adding an iPhone would only be adding more of a status symbol product to the line up than actually getting significant volume in sales ( plus trade off the short/intermediate term negative impact on parent Sprint and it is non-starter. )

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I agree with Google about to finally compete toe to toe with Apple now that they're about to get into the hardware game, but I don't think Apple is going to have it easy.

There's still a lot of things in Androids favor, especially in the repair options, that consumers just love. Apple reached deep into Google's and Palm's pockets for feature in iOS5, which is a good thing, so I know there's just going to be stiff competition, and a whole lotta good tech for the consumers.

I don't know too many people that buy or don't buy based on repair options, as long as their is one. In fact, the iPhone's repair option is pretty straight forward and Apple is the #4 handset maker in the world with only two current models. So I don't see that as any factor at all.

iPhone's GUI (not feature set) is superior to Android, and that is what really sells phones to non-techies. Up until now Android was the only game in town for those who wanted to stick with Sprint or TMob so they bought into Android. That done's now. Meanwhile Google has to juggle MOTO, an already weakened handset maker now in the hands of company with no hardware design or manufacturing experience, and the other Android partners. That is going to be a much more difficult task than Apple has at the moment growing iPhone market share.

But everyone in the U.S. will now have true choice of iPhone or Android, so it will be good for everyone who loves tech.

 

[deconstruct60]

It would be a colossal mistake on Apple's part to ignore LTE for an additional model year, considering the number of Android phones that will have it in the interim.

colossal is a huge overstatement.

You are overlooking a number of things.

1. ATT's commericals about being able to talk and surf at the same time. The LTE campaign helps blunts that by changing the criteria to raw network speed. All Verizon primiarly has to do is "stop the bleed" and to get folks to stick around a bit longer.


2. Vast majority of Verizon customers are under contract. Most are going to wait until don't have to "buy out" end of contract to get another phone. A significant fraction aren't going to buy a new phone until next year anyway.


3. There is going to be a more affordable phone on Verizon. Leaving more money in the customer's pocket will keep lots more customers than they will loose. It really isn't material to Verizon if they buy a Android or iPhone. They make money. Similarly, Apple makes money on more than just Verizon's network. If selling one version of iPhone 5 to every customer means leaving LTE out right now... they will. ( again more money in their pocket due to reduced component/manufacturing costs and will just compete on other aspects. The phones have a very long feature list. )



iPhone share growth on Verizon may plateau for a year, but it is extremely unlikely to crater and go double digit negative.

Some people were going to select Android over iPhone anyway. If it was LTE it would be something else that Apple is slow on the uptake with.


The bigger mistake would be for the iPad 3. Lacking on speeds for what is primarily an Internet data device is bit more glaring. Starting Janurary 2012 I doubt there will be any other tablets coming to Verizon's network that aren't LTE enabled. All of them that aren't "last year's model" will have it. If iPad is sitting there as the lone slow-poke. It will suffer in sales a bit.

Phones aren't going to be that uniform in 2012. There will still be a few 3G only models rolling out next year on the very low end of the price range.

 

[Aviboy97]

I do not think Verizon will see a drop in iPhone sales anytime soon. People who have been with Verizon will not sacrifice network reliability just to occasionally suft the web and call someone at the same time. Very few people actually do that...

As far as Sprint getting the iPhone, I think it was necessary in order to gain back market share for iOS over Android. The HTC EVO (sold only on Sprint I think?) is the second best selling smart phone, behind the iPhone and having the iPhone on Sprint will steal sales away from Android.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Spring may be unlimited but it goes down to 2G speeds after two gigabytes of use each month.

Sprint doesn't throttle.... no idea where you got that from. That's TMobile who throttles and it's in the fine print.

3 months after Sprint gets the iPhone, expect to see limited data plans.

Sprint has made many comments about this lately in their updates on WiMax. (CNET has had pretty good coverage if you search their site.) They've officially said "they won't rule out a data cap or throttling in the future, but their goal is to avoid doing that." One potential means was to possibly increase the unlimited plan by $10 a month.

They why's behind that shift is that Sprint admitted to losing big on their investment in WiMax (and in Clearwire) and needing to build an LTE network after dropping tons of cash on WiMax. (Though they will have a technology that is dual LTE and WiMax) but they need money to pay for this. I think they realize their unlimited plan is their main (if only) competitive edge in lui of better network coverage. I think if they do move to a tiered plan, they would still be much cheaper than AT&T or Verizon, and possibly keeping an unlimited option priced a bit higher than it currently is.

 

[longofest]

I live very near you and had MUCH better service for the 5 years I had sprint than the past year while on ATT. Crazy how different it can be within just a few miles.

I suppose that's true... My company uses Sprint, and we have been tearing into them recently because the entire area around our corporate HQ is a deadzone (not just the building, but the surrounding area). We've had multiple visits by engineers, etc. I live 2 miles from work, and people come with Sprint and get lousy reception.

Meanwhile, i've been fine with ATT.

Honestly, I really have no complaints with ATT...

 

[Helghast]

I have seen several people say that Sprint will ditch the unlimited plan once they get the iPhone, but I wouldn't count on that, at least not for a few years. What other reason besides unlimited data would make people switch to Sprint? I currently have Verizon and refuse to pay $30/month for 2GB of data, that is just ridiculous. If the price of Sprint were to go up, then I wouldn't even consider switching to them, I am perfectly happy with Verizon's service, and I know Sprints service is only OK in my area at to where Verizon's excellent, so I would never switch to Sprint if they get rid of their unlimited data/raise prices, and I know many would agree.

 

[andy721]

Oh look at this, now everyone wants in on the iPhones. Probably because there's too many Android, HTC crapola phones they can't perfect apple only tried once and succeeded. What does this tell you?

 

[Tiger8]

Oh look at this, now everyone wants in on the iPhones. Probably because there's too many Android, HTC crapola phones they can't perfect apple only tried once and succeeded. What does this tell you?

Everyone **always** wanted an iPhone, but couldn't get it. Look at Verizon, up until Christmas they were mocking the iPhone (remember the 'there's a MAP for that' parody ads?) because they couldn't get it. Once they got it, behold,,, a special ad campain (thank you for waiting) just for the iPhone!

 

[Apollo 13]

lol sprint network will suck even more. I just left from them a few months back because Data speeds went to a crawl and my calls started to drop more often. It was never like that until a few months after the EVO release. I love Verizons network and will never go back to sprint.

 

[JAT]

I have an iPod touch and a dumb phone. I want an iPhone 4/5 without the data plan so I can carry one device instead of 2.

p.s. - was it over 9000?
Image

Well, Sprint and Tmobile do have much better pricing on Unlimited* Everything plans. That might feel like no data plan compared to ATT/VZW. An ATT iPhone can be used on Tmobile, and if this rumor is true, Sprint is available soon. I was in the same position, my company started offering a nice VZW discount, so I switched from Tmobile for the iPhone and better coverage. Down to one device in my pocket.

*You know, sorta Unlimited.

 

[doobs22]

psyched for iPhone on Sprint

I am very psyched about the prospect of getting an iPhone on sprint.

Now I just need to figure out how to get all the contacts information on the Sprint treo phone (running Palm software) onto the iPhone

 

[MacintoshMan]

I suppose that's true... My company uses Sprint, and we have been tearing into them recently because the entire area around our corporate HQ is a deadzone (not just the building, but the surrounding area). We've had multiple visits by engineers, etc. I live 2 miles from work, and people come with Sprint and get lousy reception.

Meanwhile, i've been fine with ATT.

Honestly, I really have no complaints with ATT...

Sprint has amazing reception in California. In the rare event that I don't have reception and Verizon does (when I take trips to family lake house in Alabama) my phone switches to roaming and I am all set.

 

[Maschil]

anyone else agree that this is the end to unlimited data on sprint... and that its the end to legitimate competition for the iphone?

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

the plans will be the same as you can get on Verizon or At&t... Apple will not allow one carrier to undersale the others...bank on Sprints "unlimited" everything plan to not be availiable for their iPhone if they do get it

 

[JAT]

the plans will be the same as you can get on Verizon or At&t... Apple will not allow one carrier to undersale the others...bank on Sprints "unlimited" everything plan to not be availiable for their iPhone if they do get it

IDK, ATT and VZW do not have identical plans. They are similar, but all cell plans are similar. Only hardware pricing will be controlled by Apple.

 

[Jarhead247]

Why would Apple care??

the plans will be the same as you can get on Verizon or At&t... Apple will not allow one carrier to undersale the others...bank on Sprints "unlimited" everything plan to not be availiable for their iPhone if they do get it

Why would Apple care if one carriers plan is cheaper than another's? The carrier buys the phone from Apple and then sells it to the user with a subsidy and recaptures their subsidy with a one or two year contract? How is Apple harmed if Sprint/AT&T/Verizon under cut one another on plan pricing?

 

[jelew1985]

This is good news for Apple, they will sell 100,000,000 units in the USA alone as that survey found a few weeks ago.

About Sprint, they are the worst carrier. You may think they have cheaper rates, but wait until you get hit with the "premium data surcharge". That's the extra $10 per month fee to use a phone that doesn't suck.

Palm Treo? No surcharge.

Crappy Windows Mobile 6.5 phone? No surcharge.

Android phone? Any android phone? $10 extra per month.

You can count on them charging EVEN MORE for the iPhone. They will call it "deluxe premium data" or some garbage like that, $20 surcharge, and your savings evaporate. And you're stuck on the worst network in the country.

SAY NO TO SPRINT.

Ya this isnt correct. If you have a PalmOS or Windows Mobile on your plan, then you don't pay for the $10 premium data charge. However, if you were to reactivate a PalmOS or Windows Mobile device, then you would need to pay for the $10 premium data charge. This charge is required for ALL smartphones. What Sprint qualifies as a smartphone is any phone that has PalmOS, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Android, WebOS software installed. It also includes the Samsung Instinct series. As another poster mention that the Samsung Replenish didn't require the $10 premium data charge, this was only a promotional period where they didn't require it. It does require it now. How do I know this? I work for Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. I do know the pros and cons of each carrier. All of them equally suck.

 

[Drag'nGT]

Sprint has the best unlimited plan too... I wouldn't mind switching to them for that.

And the service equivalent to a cup on a string.
No thanks.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I don't know too many people that buy or don't buy based on repair options, as long as their is one. In fact, the iPhone's repair option is pretty straight forward and Apple is the #4 handset maker in the world with only two current models. So I don't see that as any factor at all.

iPhone's GUI (not feature set) is superior to Android, and that is what really sells phones to non-techies. Up until now Android was the only game in town for those who wanted to stick with Sprint or TMob so they bought into Android. That done's now. Meanwhile Google has to juggle MOTO, an already weakened handset maker now in the hands of company with no hardware design or manufacturing experience, and the other Android partners. That is going to be a much more difficult task than Apple has at the moment growing iPhone market share.

But everyone in the U.S. will now have true choice of iPhone or Android, so it will be good for everyone who loves tech.

Good points, but all in all you still have to remember that not everyone even in the tech industry considers the iPhone GUI to be superior to Android, even by non-techie standards. Apple really took pages from Android and Palm to get iOS 5 up to snuff with what was moving the market, and what was an obvious progression in mobile device tech. Android really only lags behind Apple in 3rd party apps, many of which are being offered on both platforms.

Google may have it's hands full with Moto, but the other handset makers haven't been, and aren't going to stop developing handsets with both a solid GUI and feature set, something that Apple hasn't done, and doesn't want to do.

Also, the trends that Apple hasn't started are going to continue to pull people away from even the iPhone. Others can say what they like, but it's been shown that everyone's 4G LTE or WiMax is faster than 3G, and non-techies will want to keep up to date with that, as well as other features that they choose.

I think it's going to be an interesting market in the next coming years, esp. now that Jobs has stepped down.

 

[thelead]

Sounds good. Hopefully the competition will actually help the consumer... probably not though

 

[EazyWeazy3]

Jumping ship to Sprint at the end of the year whether iPhone 5 will be available or not.

I never had problems with AT&T until the iPhone came out.

2012 can't come soon enough for me!

 

[John.B]

And the service equivalent to a cup on a string.
No thanks.

From my current and past experience with Sprint, it's not the service you need to worry about, it's the customer service (or lack thereof).

 

[foodog]

I am very psyched about the prospect of getting an iPhone on sprint.

Now I just need to figure out how to get all the contacts information on the Sprint treo phone (running Palm software) onto the iPhone

There are several option to getting your Treo to sync with your computer. Once there it is pretty easy to get them onto the iPhone

 

[mikora7]

Can't wait for people to realize how ****** other providers are other than AT&T and VZW. Sprints coverage is horrid in the Bay Area and Data is slooooooow!

In my area, after talking with lots of neighbors and friends, Sprint gets the best coverage with good speeds. AT&T (which I currently have) is okay but coverage is not consistent. And Verizon you can forget about because the only way I could get reception was to climb inside my kids' treehouse and pray it wasn't too windy! So really your comment is very opinionated (like many others here ~ we all have our opinions) and our nation has lots of spots where Sprint is a good or great choice over the other two.

My family is switching to Sprint soon but what I want to know is if my current iPhone (a 3G) will be usable on their network? The wifi is broken but it still works for the most part. I'd like to be able to offer it to either my dh or my kids...