It's the AWS band. OEM's don't seem to want to support another band.
This.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
Well, to be fair, there are a few markets that AWS is present in, not just the US. So Apple could expand their market further by supporting AWS and gain maybe 20 more markets to choose from. Except that they're being focused like a laser and going for the low hanging fruit first. Once apparently all that is exhausted, they'll probably launch on T-Mobile. I fear, however, that T-Mobile might not be able to last that long to make it through the next year (or more) required to get the iPhone.
Shame, because I really liked T-Mobile. Everything about their respect for the customer and prices. I'll be sad to see them go.
I suspect that Apple thinks that not upsetting their relationship with AT&T while AT&T tries to pull off the merger might be wise. Since AT&T subsidizes the iPhone so much, and it'd be hard for Apple to take a subsidy cut. Because that very much could happen if T-Mobile gets the iPhone with the merger in action. Although that would probably raise anti-competitive concerns.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
Wouldn't it just mean they would just need to add support for the T-Mobile frequency, like other manufacturers currently do?
There is no technological reason that Apple can't offer a T-Mobile iPhone. So, I think the reason for not doing so is two fold. Apple is only going to release with one new carrier at a time. This helps earnings (as each new carrier will give it a spike and two smaller spikes are better then one large), and makes sure Apple care more adequately judge demand. I also think Apple will go with Sprint first because of the unknown surrounding the AT&T deal.
The number one reason people leave T-Mobile is to go to a carrier with the iPhone. Obviously, T-Mobile wants the iPhone there. There also is over a million unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile US.
If the rumors are true, and Apple offers a iPhone 4GS unlocked for around three hundred dollars, T-Mobile will benefit from that. I will get one for T-Mobile, and sell my 3GS. When the iPhone 5 comes, I will get that and give the other phone to my girlfriend.
Well, there is and there isn't. There's no reason Apple couldn't make a version of the iPhone for T-Mobile, but they just haven't. Keep in mind that the Sprint & Verizon versions of the iPhone are likely interchangeable except for the carrier lock. T-Mobile shot themselves in the proverbial foot when they decided to implement 3G on an odd band. Supporting T-Mobile means that Apple would have to make a third version of the phone for the US market, for a carrier that is in fourth place w/ 30-odd million customers, and one that isn't doing a very good job of holding onto said customers. What rationale does Apple have there, at least in the long term? Yeah, they'd likely prop up their sales figures for a quarter or two with people converting from other platforms to iOS on T-Mo, but they'd rather quickly reach a saturation point with the carrier. Then what?
There is no technical reason for Apple not to offer the iPhone at 3G ,3.7G or 4G speeds to Tmobile USA . They currently use the qualcomm gobi chipset family that offers CDMA/hspa+ on a single chip in every frequency, and soon LTE as well.. Even before the Verizon iPhone appeared, Nokia offered gsm pentaband *3G phones unlocked, so one just had to change the sim card and could use anywhere in the world that is gsm, so Apple could have done the same.There must be other reasons why Apple did not go Tmobile ( AT&T exclusivity comes to mind) but technically not being able is not one.
Apple essentially GAVE T-mobile the iPhone. What T-Mobile COULD do is... tell customers to go to the Apple store, purchase the iPhone unlocked, then give their customer a nice $400 rebate for a 2 year service contract. Heck, if Tmobile were to just give $300 rebate, MANY customers would gladly stay with them.
Apple essentially GAVE T-mobile the iPhone. What T-Mobile COULD do is... tell customers to go to the Apple store, purchase the iPhone unlocked, then give their customer a nice $400 rebate for a 2 year service contract. Heck, if Tmobile were to just give $300 rebate, MANY customers would gladly stay with them.
Problem is that it'll be EDGE data only. Mind as well get a iPod and cheap AWS phone that can WiFi tether.
There's no way to get around it. As long as T-Mobile has the 1700 MHz frequency band for 3G/4G data, they are going to have slim pickings out of the pool of available smartphones. They should have outbid everyone else for the 700 MHz spectrum auction way back. Their survival depended on it.
Problem is that it'll be EDGE data only. Mind as well get a iPod and cheap AWS phone that can WiFi tether.
There's no way to get around it. As long as T-Mobile has the 1700 MHz frequency band for 3G/4G data, they are going to have slim pickings out of the pool of available smartphones. They should have outbid everyone else for the 700 MHz spectrum auction way back. Their survival depended on it.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G.
I doubt those 1m T-Mobile subscribers with iPhones would give T-Mobile the same amount of revenue that a T-Mobile specific iPhone would. A T-Mobile iPhone is basically $80/mo guaranteed for T-Mobile.
An unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile? Who knows. I certainly believe it is less than $80/mo on average. In addition, a T-Mobile iPhone would likely double or triple the number of iPhones on the network. Force multiplier. They would simply make a lot more money if they could sell an AWS iPhone.
I read the whole string. And yet here we are again.
Remember the old SATs? It's like that. Not all iPhones on T-Mobile are out of warranty, but all iPhones on T-Mobile are unlocked.
"There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G."
As you can see, I didn't say ALL iphones on T-Mobile are out of warranty. I said people who bought their iphones outside of Apple's official channels are out of warranty and unsupported by Apple. Well, I didn't say that word for word, but it's implied.
Comments
It's the AWS band. OEM's don't seem to want to support another band.
This.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
This.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
Well, to be fair, there are a few markets that AWS is present in, not just the US. So Apple could expand their market further by supporting AWS and gain maybe 20 more markets to choose from. Except that they're being focused like a laser and going for the low hanging fruit first. Once apparently all that is exhausted, they'll probably launch on T-Mobile. I fear, however, that T-Mobile might not be able to last that long to make it through the next year (or more) required to get the iPhone.
Shame, because I really liked T-Mobile. Everything about their respect for the customer and prices. I'll be sad to see them go.
I suspect that Apple thinks that not upsetting their relationship with AT&T while AT&T tries to pull off the merger might be wise. Since AT&T subsidizes the iPhone so much, and it'd be hard for Apple to take a subsidy cut. Because that very much could happen if T-Mobile gets the iPhone with the merger in action. Although that would probably raise anti-competitive concerns.
This.
It basically means all the manufacturers have to make a special T-Mobile version of their phones, and not many want to do that; it really limits their phone selection.
Wouldn't it just mean they would just need to add support for the T-Mobile frequency, like other manufacturers currently do?
There is no technological reason that Apple can't offer a T-Mobile iPhone. So, I think the reason for not doing so is two fold. Apple is only going to release with one new carrier at a time. This helps earnings (as each new carrier will give it a spike and two smaller spikes are better then one large), and makes sure Apple care more adequately judge demand. I also think Apple will go with Sprint first because of the unknown surrounding the AT&T deal.
The number one reason people leave T-Mobile is to go to a carrier with the iPhone. Obviously, T-Mobile wants the iPhone there. There also is over a million unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile US.
If the rumors are true, and Apple offers a iPhone 4GS unlocked for around three hundred dollars, T-Mobile will benefit from that. I will get one for T-Mobile, and sell my 3GS. When the iPhone 5 comes, I will get that and give the other phone to my girlfriend.
Well, there is and there isn't. There's no reason Apple couldn't make a version of the iPhone for T-Mobile, but they just haven't. Keep in mind that the Sprint & Verizon versions of the iPhone are likely interchangeable except for the carrier lock. T-Mobile shot themselves in the proverbial foot when they decided to implement 3G on an odd band. Supporting T-Mobile means that Apple would have to make a third version of the phone for the US market, for a carrier that is in fourth place w/ 30-odd million customers, and one that isn't doing a very good job of holding onto said customers. What rationale does Apple have there, at least in the long term? Yeah, they'd likely prop up their sales figures for a quarter or two with people converting from other platforms to iOS on T-Mo, but they'd rather quickly reach a saturation point with the carrier. Then what?
What's the story behind this? Can anyone speculate why they have been left till last?
AT&T said no.
My thought exactly!
Apple essentially GAVE T-mobile the iPhone. What T-Mobile COULD do is... tell customers to go to the Apple store, purchase the iPhone unlocked, then give their customer a nice $400 rebate for a 2 year service contract. Heck, if Tmobile were to just give $300 rebate, MANY customers would gladly stay with them.
Is easy to beleive - he would love the additional income !
This is due to the AT&T acquisition ... so T-Mobile just has to wait (along with all their customers).
Except we don't know that it's going through yet?
My thought exactly!
Apple essentially GAVE T-mobile the iPhone. What T-Mobile COULD do is... tell customers to go to the Apple store, purchase the iPhone unlocked, then give their customer a nice $400 rebate for a 2 year service contract. Heck, if Tmobile were to just give $300 rebate, MANY customers would gladly stay with them.
Problem is that it'll be EDGE data only. Mind as well get a iPod and cheap AWS phone that can WiFi tether.
There's no way to get around it. As long as T-Mobile has the 1700 MHz frequency band for 3G/4G data, they are going to have slim pickings out of the pool of available smartphones. They should have outbid everyone else for the 700 MHz spectrum auction way back. Their survival depended on it.
Problem is that it'll be EDGE data only. Mind as well get a iPod and cheap AWS phone that can WiFi tether.
There's no way to get around it. As long as T-Mobile has the 1700 MHz frequency band for 3G/4G data, they are going to have slim pickings out of the pool of available smartphones. They should have outbid everyone else for the 700 MHz spectrum auction way back. Their survival depended on it.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile.
Not all of those are out of warranty.
Not all of those are out of warranty.
People who unlock their iphones are also likely to jailbreak it. That automatically voids their warranty.
People who unlock their iphones
Implying they didn't buy it unlocked.
are also likely to jailbreak it.
You can't unlock without jailbreaking, so it's implied in my response that I'm not talking about that sort of iPhone use at all.
Implying they didn't buy it unlocked.
You can't unlock without jailbreaking, so it's implied in my response that I'm not talking about that sort of iPhone use at all.
Go back and read my original post.
Go back and read my original post.
I read the whole string. And yet here we are again.
Remember the old SATs? It's like that. Not all iPhones on T-Mobile are out of warranty, but all iPhones on T-Mobile are unlocked.
There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G.
I doubt those 1m T-Mobile subscribers with iPhones would give T-Mobile the same amount of revenue that a T-Mobile specific iPhone would. A T-Mobile iPhone is basically $80/mo guaranteed for T-Mobile.
An unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile? Who knows. I certainly believe it is less than $80/mo on average. In addition, a T-Mobile iPhone would likely double or triple the number of iPhones on the network. Force multiplier. They would simply make a lot more money if they could sell an AWS iPhone.
I read the whole string. And yet here we are again.
Remember the old SATs? It's like that. Not all iPhones on T-Mobile are out of warranty, but all iPhones on T-Mobile are unlocked.
"There are 1,000,000 T-mobile subscribers who didn't care about 3G and they went out of their way to get an out of warranty unsupported iphone to use with Tmobile. I'm sure once Tmobile offers the rebate, more people will be willing to get the unlocked iphone which is under warranty, brand new, and apple supported regardless of 3G or 4G."
As you can see, I didn't say ALL iphones on T-Mobile are out of warranty. I said people who bought their iphones outside of Apple's official channels are out of warranty and unsupported by Apple. Well, I didn't say that word for word, but it's implied.