Rumor: AT&T may lose iPhone exclusivity this week
The rumors for what is going to happen at the Apple event this Wednesday just keep mounting, but the latest one is one that many people have dreamed would happen someday: the end of AT&T exclusivity for the iPhone in the United States.
While the vast majority of people are focused on the probable launch of the long rumored Apple Tablet on Wednesday, HotHardware is reporting that an “inside source” at AT&T has revealed to them that we will also learn that AT&T and Apple will be ending the iPhone exclusivity deal that has existed since the phone launched. On what carrier, or carriers, the iPhone will end up with is unknown at this time, but of course the largest rumor for ages now is that Verizon is chomping at the bit to get the popular phone.
While no clue is given to what sort of position these “inside sources” hold, there is some ancillary evidence that something is up at AT&T. The biggest piece of the puzzle is the fact the carrier announced multiple smartphones it would be adding to its selection this year, including two web OS handsets from Palm. While carriers add new phones all the time, this does seem a bit peculiar when you are best known for having the Apple iPhone in your stable.
Consumers have been wishing for another carrier to get the iPhone due to the reputation the AT&T networks has acquired over the past few years. Some blame the weakness of the company’s infrastructure, others say the iPhone is just too much of a data hog. Either way, it is known that in cities such as New York and San Francisco, the iPhone has an unbearable dropped call rate.
The Apple event is scheduled for this Wednesday, so it won’t be long before we know for sure.
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January 25th, 2010
To use the iPhone on Verizon or Sprint networks, a new model would have to be released to support their respective technologies.