Deutsche Telekom has announced that its local subsidiary,
T-Mobile USA, has entered into an agreement with Apple (NASDAQ:
AAPL
) "to bring products to market together in 2013." The company
made this announcement in an
investor update
that is currently being distributed on GlobeNewswire.
No other details were announced, but tech bloggers are already
speculating on what this could mean for Apple and its product
lineup in 2013.
CNET
warns that the deal may not relate to the iPhone at all and could
simply involve the iPad.
While the first, second and third generation iPad models have
sold a combined total of 100 million units (and even more when
the Mini and fourth-gen model are factored in), the iPhone
iterations have collectively sold hundreds of millions of units
worldwide. And while
all
iPhones require the use of a mobile carrier, the iPad comes in
both Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G varieties.
T-Mobile could still get the iPad. In fact, if the iPad
refresh rate is any indication, it seems that T-Mobile could
acquire Apple's tablet next spring. However, there is no reason
for Apple to stop there. The company no longer has an exclusive
deal with AT&T (NYSE:
T
), and is free to bring the iPhone to as many carriers as it
desires.
Cost-conscious consumers already have an alternative to Sprint
(NYSE:
S
), Verizon (NYSE:
VZ
) and AT&T. Cricket -- the mobile service owned by Leap
Wireless (NASDAQ:
LEAP
) -- began selling the iPhone 4S earlier this year. Virgin Mobile
USA quickly followed suit. Cricket now carries the iPhone 5.
In October,
GigaOM
reported that the merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS (NYSE:
PCS
) could speed up T-Mobile's effort to get the iPhone.
Right now the rumor mill insists that Apple will prematurely
upgrade the iPhone 5 -- which has only just begun to make its
mark at retail -- with a new model this winter. The
presumably-titled iPhone 5S would take a similar approach to the
iPhone 4S and include a number of marginal upgrades. It is not,
however, expected to be promoted with Siri or some other gimmicky
app.
If Apple wanted to bring the iPhone to T-Mobile in the near
future, an upgrade
would
be necessary. While it could simply convert the existing model
(as it did with the iPhone 4 when it came to Verizon), Apple will
get more attention -- and likely sell more units -- if it
provides T-Mobile with an enhanced model.
Of course, Apple cannot simply enhance the iPhone for one
carrier; it must provide the new version to
every
carrier. This might be the real source of the iPhone 5S
rumors.
If the iPhone 5S rumors are false, T-Mobile will probably have
to wait until next fall when the iPhone 6 arrives.
Follow me
@LouisBedigianBZ
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