Sprint advises employees to give 'no comment' on iPhone 5

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A leaked memo from Sprint advising employees to simply state "no comment" when asked about the iPhone has added fuel to the fire on rumors that the carrier will begin offering Apple's next-generation iPhone this fall.



SprintFeed has obtained an alleged internal Sprint memo coaching dealers on how to respond to a recent report claiming that the carrier will offer the iPhone 5 alongside AT&T and Verizon in mid-October.



"A recent Wall Street Journal article mentioned that Sprint is getting the iPhone5," the memo read. "If you're asked by a customer or just talking to friends or family members, you need to avoid making any comment about the iPhone and simple [sic] state "no comment."



The memo directs employees who are asked a direct question by a customer to say, "Yes, I saw a few of those reports, I don't have any information to share." Sprint dealers are also advised to refer customers to the Sprint.com Newsroom.



The Journal reported confidently last week that Sprint will get Apple's next iPhone, as well as the iPhone 4, citing people familiar with the matter.







While the memo falls short of providing evidence that Sprint will indeed be getting Apple's popular smartphone, some have taken the company's "no comment" stance as a positive indication of its rumored plans to sell the iPhone.



As of the second quarter, Sprint had 52 million subscribers, significantly less than first-placed Verizon with 106 million and AT&T's 99 million. Sprint posted a net loss of 101,000 wireless subscribers in the second quarter, much worse than the loss of 15,000 subscribers analysts had expected.



The company has strongly opposed a merger between second-place AT&T and fourth-place T-Mobile, arguing that the deal would create a Verizon and AT&T duopoly that would threaten Sprint's existence. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is currently reviewing the acquisition and has asked for more information to evaluate the deal.



As for the iPhone 5, AppleInsider reported last week that Apple's long-time ad agency is working on ad spots for a national advertising campaign, with production schedules not slated to finish up until the first week of October. That lines up with a separate report that put forth an October launch, rather than a September debut as others have suggested.



People familiar with the situation had previously told the Journal that Apple was aiming to launch the new iPhone by the end of September, but may have delayed the release because of production yield rate issues with its contract manufacturer.



The iPhone 5 is expected to run the A5 processor and include an 8-megapixel camera. Early cases based on leaked design specs suggest that the device's form factor may see a slight redesign in the form of curved sides.



In addition, rumors of a possible "iPhone 4S" have also continued to surface. According to various reports, Apple plans to release a cheaper iPhone, likely a modification of the current iPhone 4, in order to reach out to emerging and pre-paid markets.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    'Consumers don't want smartphones, they want iPhones.'



    paraphrase...
  • Reply 2 of 19
    I want to know what it says after "Sprint Prepares for Hurricane Irene"
  • Reply 3 of 19
    Quote:

    A recent Wall Street Journal article mentioned that Sprint is getting the iPhone5. If you're asked by a customer or just talking to friends or family members, you need to avoid making any comment about the iPhone and simple state "no comment."



    To think that a telco company can at least spend for a good copywriter.
  • Reply 4 of 19
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    While the memo falls short of providing evidence that Sprint will indeed be getting Apple's popular smartphone, some have taken the company's "no comment" stance as a positive indication of its rumored plans to sell the iPhone.



    If Sprint wasn't going to get the iPhone, they'd be coached to sell customers on a smartphone that's on their network.
  • Reply 5 of 19
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Yay sprint is getting the iPhone. Only why the hell would they get iPhone? Really no point of investing in deferent antenna just to sell an old phone. Once again should help bump iOS market share.
  • Reply 6 of 19
    "No Comment" is standard procedure people. To declare yes or no is stating a fact that the company could either be held accountable for and/or bring about legal action if in fact the opposite were true. "No comment" means no comment which means no one has any grounds to speculate either way because of this. :/



    Think of it this way: if they are indeed getting the iPhone then stating so before Apple's official statement could be a violation. However, if they are not getting the iPhone, telling customers, who really want an iPhone, "no" could potentially drive customers to jump ship for another carrier that does have the iPhone.
  • Reply 7 of 19
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    Nice to see Sprint confirming getting the iPhone. It was only a matter of time.
  • Reply 8 of 19
    I will not comment on Sprint's PR gaffe.
  • Reply 9 of 19
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Just had a good hour-long chat with someone who used to work in XOHM (WiMax Unit of Sprint/Clearwire) and before that, Sprint, yesterday.



    Pity about Clearwire, they've had 3 CEOs since 2009.
  • Reply 10 of 19
    irontedironted Posts: 129member
    I'm curious and just want to put up a question here, how many you know have ever rediscovered successfully from neuroendocrine cancer?



    Ted
  • Reply 11 of 19
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    This is odd.



    Retail line employees and low-level managers are the last people to get the news about new products and services. Sending a company-wide memo instructing employees to not speculate about something they know nothing about is peculiar. There are hundreds of products and technologies that could or couldn't be sold by Sprint, and here they are focusing on one handset.



    Sprint is an unlikely candidate to receive the iPhone not because it is a CDMA-based carrier, but because they are using WiMax as their 4G technology which appears to be the loser versus LTE. It is highly likely that the iPhone will never have WiMax, so Sprint really has no future in 4G vis-a-vis Apple's product roadmap.



    It's possible this message's intent it to prevent rumors from influencing Sprint's stock price in a negative manner. If rumors of Sprint getting the iPhone fall through, the company's performance and stock price will probably take a beating.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    If Sprint wasn't going to get the iPhone, they'd be coached to sell customers on a smartphone that's on their network.



    who says they aren't. The condo could go something like



    "Hey I heard you are getting the new iPhone. Is that true, when's it coming out?"



    "We have no information regarding the iPhone. Now let me show you this nice Galaxy."



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KrakaJap View Post


    "No Comment" is standard procedure people. To declare yes or no is stating a fact that the company could either be held accountable for and/or bring about legal action if in fact the opposite were true. "No comment" means no comment which means no one has any grounds to speculate either way because of this. :/



    Think of it this way: if they are indeed getting the iPhone then stating so before Apple's official statement could be a violation. However, if they are not getting the iPhone, telling customers, who really want an iPhone, "no" could potentially drive customers to jump ship for another carrier that does have the iPhone.



    Someone using his head. Exactly



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Sending a company-wide memo instructing employees to not speculate about something they know nothing about is peculiar.



    Apple does it every month. if not week.



    Quote:

    There are hundreds of products and technologies that could or couldn't be sold by Sprint, and here they are focusing on one handset.



    Because it is getting questions and probably a lot of them. So they are reminding folks to keep their mouths shut. See KrakaJap's comment for the likely reason why.



    Sprint is an unlikely candidate to receive the iPhone not because it is a CDMA-based carrier, but because they are using WiMax as their 4G technology which appears to be the loser versus LTE.[/QUOTE]



    There is talk that they are back tracking on the whole WiMax decision and are going to go LTE after all. Which is why the iPhone rumors started
  • Reply 13 of 19
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KrakaJap View Post


    "No Comment" is standard procedure people. To declare yes or no is stating a fact that the company could either be held accountable for and/or bring about legal action if in fact the opposite were true. "No comment" means no comment which means no one has any grounds to speculate either way because of this. :/



    Think of it this way: if they are indeed getting the iPhone then stating so before Apple's official statement could be a violation. However, if they are not getting the iPhone, telling customers, who really want an iPhone, "no" could potentially drive customers to jump ship for another carrier that does have the iPhone.



    I agree with you about it being a standard procedure that companies use to protect themselves but let me offer a little more information for you. I used to work at Apple and the language used in this memo is in a lot of ways identical to the language Apple uses to instruct it's employees on how to handle questions about potential new products coming out.



    The first big thing is this, Sprint is telling it's employees not to talk to FAMILY MEMBERS, and ONLY not about the iPhone. That one totally rings the bell for me because that is the same rule you are under when you work at Apple, you're not even allowed to speculate with family.



    The second big indicator is this, "let's look on sprint.com" That's identical to Apple's "let's look on apple.com" At Apple That's what they train you to do because "if it's not on apple.com then it's not real" Yet anyways.......And most rumors, especially the ones from wsj were on point during the time I worked there.



    I don't know about your experiences but I've speculated about a lot of other phones at Sprint stores with the employees. So mixed with the other things that i've mentioned there's not doubt in my mind that Sprint is getting the iPhone.
  • Reply 14 of 19
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post






    Apple does it every month. if not week.





    From someone who used to work there, not really.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    mennomenno Posts: 854member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    If Sprint wasn't going to get the iPhone, they'd be coached to sell customers on a smartphone that's on their network.



    They'd still be told to give no comment about getting it though.
  • Reply 16 of 19
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    This is odd.



    Retail line employees and low-level managers are the last people to get the news about new products and services. Sending a company-wide memo instructing employees to not speculate about something they know nothing about is peculiar. There are hundreds of products and technologies t...



    You're behind... Sprint has partnered with Lightsquard to deploy an LTE network in the 1.2GHz range and Clearwire (which may be bought by Sprint (it's largest shareholder)) has also signaled its willingness to convert it's WiMax network to LTE. (LTE and WiMax are 85% similar tech)



    Another misunderstand is that you believe that all LTE networks are created equal. Verizon and AT&T both intend to deploy LTE networks at completely different frequencies making roaming and a single LTE phone implausible at the current time.



    The more you know...
  • Reply 17 of 19
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AHrubik View Post


    You're behind... Sprint has partnered with Lightsquard to deploy an LTE network in the 1.2GHz range and Clearwire (which may be bought by Sprint (it's largest shareholder)) has also signaled its willingness to convert it's WiMax network to LTE. (LTE and WiMax are 85% similar tech)



    Another misunderstand is that you believe that all LTE networks are created equal. Verizon and AT&T both intend to deploy LTE networks at completely different frequencies making roaming and a single LTE phone implausible at the current time.



    The more you know...



    Knowing is half the battle.
  • Reply 18 of 19
    rbryanhrbryanh Posts: 263member
    Buried as it is in all the rest, the truly important content is easy to miss:



    "If you're asked by a customer or just talking to friends or family members, you need to?"



    What matters here is whether or not we tolerate the notion that our employers have any right to control what we say while "talking to friends or family members."



    Since I find the idea appalling, I'm going to respond to this by circulating rumors that Apple has decided Sprint would be a poor choice to distribute its products, and that Sprint customers who want them should give up hope and drop Sprint as soon as possible.



    It's not enough to kill your television to avoid the crap it pours into your head. You have to kill what's behind it as well.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    Ah, yes. "No comment" IS a comment. But how many ppl care about Sprint anyway?
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