MacObserver Has It Right - iPhone Exclusivity for ATT Days Are Over

Dear Senators, particularly John Kerry, I hope that you continue to press the FCC on the wireless "gatekeepers" not just on exclusive deals on phones but also on their messaging and net neutrality issues.  But as for the iPhone deal that ATT has exclusive access to, don't worry about that.  It's over.  

And MacObserver made a great point in their post in this matter.

While most executives at Apple are working on iPhone numbers - how much they'll sell today and how much to order for the days ahead, Steve Jobs is fuming over how many billions of dollars are left on the table because of ATT.  

Where to begin?  

• Customer dissatisfaction.  
• A 3G network that was not ready for the iPhone 3G, then or today.  
• Claims to support net neutrality but handicaps Slingplayer and Skype while MLB, OrbLive, and a few other apps get a pass (More at Onxo).  
• An iphone upgrade policy that punishes, rather than rewards (I'm a bit iffy on this one but I'm just so mad at the wireless providers now, I'm just going to throw it in there).
• LTE network that will be about a year behind Verizon's own LTE network.

So, if Apple had indeed been sitting down with ATT about extending the exclusivity, ATT can forget it.  What ATT should be doing is planning for the day when the iPhone becomes available on Verizon or T-Mobile (but like most execs today, it's about short-term growth and bonuses - not saying that's a good thing or bad, it's just a fact of life).

Source:  MacObserver

Note:  I maintain that while we're not likely to see a CDMA version of the iPhone at all, it is possible for us to see an iPhone on T-Mobile in 2010.  Why not?  It give Apple a stronger position when it comes to negotiating with Verizon and ATT.