T-Mobile is now the only major carrier that does not feature the iPhone, a device which has captured the hearts of all its major competitors. Now some analysts think that the company is going to suffer for its decision. T-Mobile has thus far, focused on a variety of other smartphones with particular attention paid to the latest generation of Android phones. However, the latest quarter, in which the company lost 389,000 contract customers, may only be a worrying sign of worse things to come. This loss does not necessarily mean that the iPhone was the only factor responsible, but by all accounts, it certainly plays a part. The problem for T-Mobile is that despite the fact that Android devices dominate the overall market, the iPhone is still the most popular device around.
T-Mobile execs maintain that the current incarnations of the iPhone are just not meant to work optimally with its 3G and 4G networks. The fact that Apple decided not to go with a 4G version of the iPhone was quite surprising as it was since it places the iPhone a step back from the latest generation of Android devices. Overall, T-Mobile has done a relatively good job at playing to its strengths by providing unlimited family value plans and introducing a variety of high-end 4G enabled devices. In fact, it has managed to attract 126,000 customers with family friendly value plans.
As of now, the chances of T-Mobile adopting the iPhone remains very slim by any measure. The only way this will change is if Apple decides to release a 4G enabled device, which might very well happen next time around. Another possibility is its merger with AT&T but this potential deal has come under a lot of scrutiny by the FCC and by some accounts, it may never materialise. For now, T-Mobile can only hope that the next set of Android devices can make up for the losses by its failure to showcase the iPhone 4S.
No comments:
Post a Comment