Apple’s next huge move isn’t into the television or banking industries according to one expert. Instead, Apple will take on carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless by becoming a direct mobile service provider. Veteran wireless industry strategist Whitey Bluestein, who has managed strategic deals for the likes of AT&T, Intel, T-Mobile, Verizon, Microsoft, Nokia and Best Buy, says Apple will soon begin to offer wireless service directly to iPhone and iPad users. Apple has the distribution channels, digital content portfolio and customer base to make the move, Bluestein says, and it also has more than 250 million credit cards on file for iTunes users who could be billed directly for wireless service.

Apple to crush carriers, become direct service provider (http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/01/apple-mobile-carrier/)

i, for one, welcome our new apple overlords. i can't wait until the day that my boxers are aluminium, designed by jony Ive and cost 40% more than the ones I'm wearing now...

:(

This would be very interesting.

Since Apple's focus is selling hardware and apps, do you think they would enter the wireless industry with very attractive plans? Like unlimited data and such for much less than AT&T, etc?

This would be very interesting.

Since Apple's focus is selling hardware and apps, do you think they would enter the wireless industry with very attractive plans? Like unlimited data and such for much less than AT&T, etc?

Almost everything Apple does carries a premium price. Consumers would have to determine if Apple was offering an attractive enough service to offset that premium price.

i wonder what iPhone pricing will be like when its an "apple telecom" exclusive.

I think that Apple may well take the Wind Mobile model but from the hardware side view. Like the cost of OS X versus a new Windows update. If they were smart about it they would realize that their bread and butter comes from hardware that uses data - data that people want to horde or at least guard because it's so bloody expensive. If data were cheap then maybe more people would pay to use it, in more places, for more reasons.

They could smartly make data a cost recovery enterprise to fuel more hardware sales. I don't like the idea of too many eggs in one basket (and my Apple basket is already bursting at the seams), but if the offer recognized data as a necessary encumbrance to buying more hardware, Apple could well open up real competition. Now if they would only offer it up here and not just in the US. That's the real kicker.

The owner of Wind Mobile (and Egyptian billionaire) says that he regrets opening shop in Canada because the system is so heavily skewed toward the big providers who, by his estimation, have it too good here. So good, in fact, that they are among the only big TeleCos anywhere in the world that don't operate outside of their home country. He says that Canada is a lost cause, for now at least, when it comes to true competition because Canadians (like me) are willing to pay stupidly high fees for little service in return. The telecos we have now are in the service business.

If Apple stays in the hardware business FIRST and sees the services as necessary to promote hardware, this could be good.

i'm skeptical. Setting up and building a wireless network takes time, and is country/region specific. Apple is a global company. Doesn't make sense to me.

Holy misleading thread title.
Haven't people been talking about this for years?

i'm skeptical. Setting up and building a wireless network takes time, and is country/region specific. Apple is a global company. Doesn't make sense to me.

my thoughts too...even if they have all the money in the world, this kind of thing takes time.

unless they just went out and bought a GSM provider in every country...then they could offer no roaming fees. would be a huge hook for businesses with frequent travellers.

Holy misleading thread title.
Haven't people been talking about this for years?

The thread title is identical to the story title. :rolleyes:

It's not identical to the story title. And even if it was, it's still pretty misleading, as it's based on the speculation of one "expert" speaking at a conference. No need for the rolly-eyes.

It's not identical to the story title. And even if it was, it's still pretty misleading, as it's based on the speculation of one "expert" speaking at a conference. No need for the rolly-eyes.

The title looks close enough for me. It is all about speculation with Apple.

It makes sense from the point of view that we will likely soon have MacBooks with built in GSM chips as well as iPods', Phones and tablets all consuming mobile data which is so expensive at present that it limits peoples ability to utilize it as Apple would want us to.

That said the logistics of rolling out a domestic network never mind global is daunting to say the least.

Maybe Apple would have a single wireless technology worldwide? That'd be really cool!

.

Almost everything Apple does carries a premium price. Consumers would have to determine if Apple was offering an attractive enough service to offset that premium price.

Not true. The hardware is expensive but the software is incredibly cheap especially when compared with the competition e.g. OSX @ $29 versus any version of Windows.

It makes sense from the point of view that we will likely soon have MacBooks with built in GSM chips as well as iPods', Phones and tablets all consuming mobile data which is so expensive at present that it limits peoples ability to utilize it as Apple would want us to.

That said the logistics of rolling out a domestic network never mind global is daunting to say the least.

Not necessarily. Think of what you can already do with FaceTime and iMessage via a WiFi connection. If you could get rid of the voice part of your cell plan and just use data you could chop your cellphone bills in half.

a. A personal request: could we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add the word "rumour" to the thread titles when we are referring to unofficial QUOTE news UNQUOTE? You would not believe the amount of BS I have to correct every day because someone "read somewhere" that "FACT" was going to happen, then when you track it down (finally) you discover that it was all the ramblings of daydreaming pundit with absolutely no idea if anything like that was in fact happening at all. Stupid people get these things fixed in their mind from inaccurate labelling like this, please help stop nonsense from spreading -- it's not like we don't have a healthy supply already!

b. Consider the source, chuckle and move on.

Not true. The hardware is expensive but the software is incredibly cheap especially when compared with the competition e.g. OSX @ $29 versus any version of Windows.

Well I know no one who has paid for a version of Windows. It has always been free. Actually I cannot think of a time when I have ever paid for a copy of windows or an upgrade. The only OS I have paid for was Lion. Though it was cheap. Just saying.

Apple has secretly been launching their own satellites. The iPhone 5 will be a sat phone and at launch will immediately bypass all current networks and country specific crap.

So says this self appointed expert : )

Apple has secretly been launching their own satellites. The iPhone 5 will be a sat phone and at launch will immediately bypass all current networks and country specific crap.


they are also planning on moving Apple HQ from Cupertino to the inside of a dormant Volcano.

Well I know no one who has paid for a version of Windows. It has always been free. Actually I cannot think of a time when I have ever paid for a copy of windows or an upgrade. The only OS I have paid for was Lion. Though it was cheap. Just saying.

Windows is never free.
You either paid for it in a bundle with a new computer, or if you 'repurposed' an exisiting Windows to a second machine (or, used the bundled version of Windows on any other machine) then this was a contravention of the license.

sudo rm -rf /

.

Well rumour or not this is a good idea and they have the funds... it makes sense.

Yep. Just imagine if Apple offered unlimited access for half the price of any other carrier if you owned Apple hardware. What a sales tool, not to mention it would revolutionize the cell phone industry and benefit all consumers and shut down or severely rein in the likes of Rogers and Bell.

they are also planning on moving Apple HQ from Cupertino to the inside of a dormant Volcano.

I thought they were going to hitch a ride on a nearby comet and dig for rare minerals. Or maybe that was a different billionaire I'm thinking of...

Apple would charge double times as much for half of the coverage, less time duration, & knowledge caps that are below than all of the other options and ways. Apple Megabytes are more better than all of the Megabytes that the other brands are offer & that's why Apple minutes are longer than the minutes that the others are offering to us.

^^^
:confused: English as a second language?

Yep. Just imagine if Apple offered unlimited access for half the price of any other carrier if you owned Apple hardware. What a sales tool, not to mention it would revolutionize the cell phone industry and benefit all consumers and shut down or severely rein in the likes of Rogers and Bell.

again..what happens when those other options are gone and apple has a monopoly and starts raising prices? and then tells you that your 3 year old iPhone 6 isn't "supported" anymore and you have to buy a new one to continue having a cell phone...etc etc etc

Their "service" won't be available in Canada it seems. :(

Apparently they only allotted $50,000.00 to pay-off the CRTC chairperson to approve their plan which was not accepted.

Harper fired the CRTC minister for not accepting the money, so who knows the future.

I read these "facts" somewhere. ;)