Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone • Hacker News Board

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#41

Post by jfoutz » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:38 PM UTC

flamingbuffalo wrote: post #33

joe_the_user wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I remember numerous friends describing the original iPhone as having terrible reception. An old boss switched to skype for phone calls so he could keep using his iPhone for its apps (or something). It seems more like the iPhone combines generally good-but-not-fabulous engineering with the continued irrational loyalty of "Apple Fanboys". Edit: But this too may indeed be a competitive advantage that's hard to…

There are over a hundred million "Apple Fanboys"?

Yes. That's how mac works. The instant anyone ever purchases an apple product, they are irrevocably an apple zealot.

Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't organized into a massive armed malita, given the amount of hatred and bigotry apple fanboys bring to a discussion. It seems like the complete solidarity of everyone to ever pass a credit card to Apple would make them a formidable force.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#42

Post by Lewisham » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:39 PM UTC

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

I can believe this story. Apple spins it that Sprint is ready now, AT&T and Verizon need to get their LTE networks ready. It'll be a very public push. Apple has never shied away from telling their "partners" exactly how annoyed they are at [X] facet of their business.

If this did happen, I'm not sure what the knock-on effect for Sprint is. Anyone who wants an iPhone has one. The Verizon thing is over. All those people are locked into contracts. I don't think we'll see lines out the door on release morning for iPhone 5 and Sprint.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#43

Post by skizm » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:42 PM UTC

I really hope this happens. I want Sprint to succeed so when my verizon plan runs out I can still get unlimited data somewhere for a reasonable price.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#44

Post by veyron » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:43 PM UTC

Lewisham wrote: post #42

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

I can believe this story. Apple spins it that Sprint is ready now, AT&T and Verizon need to get their LTE networks ready. It'll be a very public push. Apple has never shied away from telling their "partners" exactly how annoyed they are at [X] facet of their business. If this did happen, I'm not sure what the knock-on effect for Sprint is. Anyone who wants an iPhone has one. The Verizon thing is over. All those peopl…

The AT&T 3gs crowd joined in June 2009, and many of them (myself included) are just out of contract and waiting to upgrade to the new phone. I think there's plenty of demand, especially if its not an ATT or verizon

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#45

Post by ctdonath » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:44 PM UTC

biot wrote: post #9

> "Five years ago, the Motorola Razr was the top-selling phone," says > Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin. "Imagine trying to sell 6 > million of them today." The thing about the RAZR is that it was a sleek, small form factor. I don't remember anyone who had one tout its functionality as the reason they got it. So the next sleek phone or better featured phone could easily displace it. The iPhone on the other han…

The RAZR is still pretty much the epitome of "just a phone" in contrast with modern smartphones. Nothing really surpasses it, save for Verizon crippling them. Optimize it for what it will be used for, instead of making it do what users don't want, and it would sell well unto 6 million today.

There are plenty of us who have suitable portable computers (iPad in particular) who don't want an iPad Nano overlapping functionality.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#46

Post by ary » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:51 PM UTC

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

The likelihood of Apple giving Sprint an exclusive to their newest device this late in the game (ie, they're not an unknown quantity like they were in 2007) is highly unlikely.

Where one to entertain this crazy notion though the reasoning could center around Sprint's WiMAX deployment and the iPhone 5's need for higher bandwidth. Should the much rumored "Assistant" feature of the new iPhone require a bigger pipe to the Internet to function, then this could be plausible.

Yet in the end, why? Apple has only expanded their supported carriers since 2007. Centering on Sprint in the hope of forcing the hand of AT&T and Verizon in the US is a fools errand. They would be effectively shrinking the market they worked so hard to expand into. Seems nuts.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#47

Post by baddox » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:52 PM UTC

jcampbell1 wrote: post #7

It sounds like Sprint is going to start a price war with Verizon and AT&T. Music to my ears.

I'll be impressed if any of them allow people already under contract to get a better price.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#48

Post by baddox » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:53 PM UTC

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

That seems very unlikely, although it would certainly make me consider switching to Sprint (after doing lots of research into their network quality in my area, etc.).

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#49

Post by eropple » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:54 PM UTC

Lewisham wrote: post #42

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

I can believe this story. Apple spins it that Sprint is ready now, AT&T and Verizon need to get their LTE networks ready. It'll be a very public push. Apple has never shied away from telling their "partners" exactly how annoyed they are at [X] facet of their business. If this did happen, I'm not sure what the knock-on effect for Sprint is. Anyone who wants an iPhone has one. The Verizon thing is over. All those peopl…

I'll early-term my contract to get away from AT&T. A new iPhone rev would be gravy.

Re: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on iPhone

#50

Post by acslater00 » Mon, Oct 03, 2011, 8:55 PM UTC

kenjackson wrote: post #25

BGR is reporting that the iPhone5 may be a Sprint exclusive. That's pretty big for Sprint. Explains why Sprint has been completely mum about Windows Phone Mango. If this is true, it might be time for me to leave Sprint. http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/03/sprint-guarantees-to-buy-over-...

If Apple made the iphone5 a Sprint exclusive, it would be unavailable to every single one of their existing customers. Literally...Every...Single...One.

There's a better chance that Tim Cook will eat an iPhone than announce a Sprint exclusive.