With the tech world awash with speculation, conjecture, and a healthy dose of pessimism regarding the new Apple tablet device set for release tomorrow, it’s probably an exercise in futility to write about anything else. But even on days like this it’s possible to find something else to write about.
As the world holds its collective breath, waiting to witness the release of a product that Apple president CEO Steve Jobs referred to as, “the most important thing I’ve ever done,” Apple is quietly planning to make another move on Wednesday.
The popular tech site Hot Hardware recently reported that an anonymous AT&T insider has stated that Wednesday will bring an end to the American exclusivity agreement between Apple and AT&T, allowing the iPhone to be available on other networks.
While this revelation may seem like an underhanded Apple marketing ploy designed to use the hype of the tablet release to renew consumer enthusiasm for the iPhone at AT&T’s expense, there may be some benefits for AT&T in this deal.
Since the release of the iPhone on AT&T’s network, the latter has been continuously swamped with complaints and negative publicity about the quality of its network, as it continues to struggle to cope with the monumental increase in mobile data traffic—an increase largely due to the steady rise in iPhone users.
Easing a large portion of this traffic will undoubtedly assuage some of the negative feedback and provide a more stable network for those users sticking with AT&T, thus helping the telecom company improve its overall image. Understanding these benefits for AT&T, however, makes the next revelation all the more perplexing.
The same report also suggests that the telecom giant is already gearing up for life-after-Apple-exclusivity with upcoming plans to launch several Android-based handsets in the first half of 2010, as well as two Palm webOS-based devices, and a new mobile application platform for those non-smart phone users. How this increased traffic on their already fragile network will help alleviate the pressures brought on by iPhone exclusivity? Only AT&T knows.
So, on the eve of what could be the biggest tech unveiling this year, two things are certain: First, if the new Apple tablet even remotely lives up to its hype Apple will continue to be the major player in the tech and telecom world. Second, without improved network stability, the only involvement AT&T will continue to have with iPhone users will be fondly remembering the good ol’ days when iPhone users didn’t have any other attractive (and not to mention stable) network options to choose from.
Did you like this post ? TheTelecomBlog.com publishes daily news, editorial, thoughts, and controversial opinion – you can subscribe by: RSS (click here), or email (click here).
Written by: Matt Klassen. www.digitcom.ca >. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com > by: RSS >, Twitter >, Identi.ca >, or Friendfeed >
