[Doxxic]

Apple makes their money basically with hardware.

This means that if they start an MVNO, they won't give a lot of rebates on hardware, like other carriers do.

Now how about them giving rebates for the *services*?
Given Apple's fondness of easy pricing schemes, how about them asking a very low, fixed monthly fee as a MVNO for some pretty royal talking time...

Does anyone have any idea how far Apple could theoretically go?

What pricing plan would you expect if you consider the way Apple handles pricing in iTunes?

Are we talking $199 a year, .Mac included?

[TednDi]

I would buy it.

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by Doxxic Are we talking $199 a year, .Mac included?

Considering I pay about $60 a month for T-Mo, $199 a year is a steal with .Mac.

(This is not me advocating the eventual existence of an Apple MVNO)

[Robo]

I hope Apple doesn't go the MVNO route. I'm really happy with T-Mobile, and MVNOs usually use CDMA. Unlocked GSM ftw.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Roboman I hope Apple doesn't go the MVNO route. I'm really happy with T-Mobile, and MVNOs usually use CDMA. Unlocked GSM ftw.

I agree. I just switched to T-Mobile after four years of Sprint, and in my part of Houston, I would only get around two bars with Sprint, but I get four or five everywhere I go with T-Mobile.

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by Roboman I hope Apple doesn't go the MVNO route. I'm really happy with T-Mobile, and MVNOs usually use CDMA. Unlocked GSM ftw.

Yeah. The MVNO plan would lead to failure. All the niche MVNO's seem to fail. See ESPN the Phone. The best bet for any potential iPhone is an unlocked GSM that works on anyones network. Then it can be sold in Apple Stores and they don't have to worry about what carrier does what.

[World Leader Pretend]

CDMA in this part of the country is about all I get. I've never had a dropped call (Alltel)... and that is with a Razr, which only uses digital signals. I hope Apple sells unlocked phones.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend CDMA in this part of the country is about all I get. I've never had a dropped call (Alltel)... and that is with a Razr, which only uses digital signals. I hope Apple sells unlocked phones.

Can you unlock a CDMA phone? I thought that was a GSM-only thing, since CDMA phones don't use SIM cards?

[World Leader Pretend]

Hmm.. actually you might not be able to. Maybe I should be hoping for an Apple universal coverage plan instead.

[Robo]

I think CDMA phones can be unlocked - I recall people importing the RAZR MS500 from Korea and using them on Verizon before the V3c came out. It just isn't nearly as common, because you can't just pop in a new SIM and stuff. I think you'd need to get the settings from your carrier.

Of course, all of this would depend on Apple creating a CDMA version of the iPhone, too. I'm not convinced that they will.

[Doxxic]

Originally Posted by jdcfsu Yeah. The MVNO plan would lead to failure. All the niche MVNO's seem to fail. See ESPN the Phone. The best bet for any potential iPhone is an unlocked GSM that works on anyones network. Then it can be sold in Apple Stores and they don't have to worry about what carrier does what.

The difference is that Apple could offer network services at break-even prices, in order for themselves to sell more hardware.
In addition, Apple could offer more advanced syncing options with .Mac.

In order to find out if this makes sense, the question here is what those break-even prices would be.


I'm really thinking that not the iPhone is going to be the surprise (apart from being a very well designed, higher capacity version of Motorolas iTunes phone with maybe some iChat functions).


Instead, the surprise might *very well* be the network.

[Robo]

If the iPhone is a 4GB ROKR, heads will roll.

That is all.

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by Doxxic Instead, the surprise might *very well* be the network.

Sometimes I think I'm the only one in the world that thinks an Apple MVNO is a horrible idea, but I'm glad to see jdcfsu agrees.

[Brave Ulysses]

The additional workforce, infrastructure, and support that Apple would have to offer overnight to provide an MVNO is unrealistic.

[mikeymoves]

God, I hope the MVNO thing is wrong...unless the phones will be GSM and can be unlocked from apple...highly unlikely...

[Doxxic]

Originally Posted by Roboman If the iPhone is a 4GB ROKR, heads will roll. That is all.

Well... precisely...

If the conclusion after years of developing and experimenting with Apple phone prototypes were that the best solution is actually just a 4GB ROKR, Jobs might well let his own head roll, wouldn't he...

[TednDi]

Didn't Apple just buy a HUGE data center that was originally designed for MCI?

Perhaps it is to be used for an iphone network. Or, for the iTV

http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjo...27/story5.html

[mrjinglesusa]

If they want this to succeed, it MUST be unlocked and carrier free.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by mrjinglesusa If they want this to succeed, it MUST be unlocked and carrier free.

yawn. You should know better that that by now.

[Doxxic]

If this is true, MVNO pricing speculation seems indeed quite out of place...

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by Doxxic If this is true, MVNO pricing speculation seems indeed quite out of place...

If we seriously consider the truth behind every TS / AI article about the iPhone, and let that alter our speculation, we'd have a very contradictory device.

One day they'll say it's a smart phone, the next they'll say it's just an iPod with phone features. About the only thing consistent is the name "iPhone". If you want to believe Apple will (for some crazy reason) create an MVNO for the speculative iPhone, don't let TS or AI alter your feelings.