Apple's U.S. Carrier Arrangements for iPhone and Tablet Remain Muddled

With Apple's major media event scheduled for tomorrow, the company's plans for wireless carrier arrangements in the U.S. for the iPhone and tablet device remain unclear, with reports coming down on all sides of the issue.

Regarding the iPhone, AT&T has long been thought to hold exclusivity in the U.S. through mid-2010, although a recent report has claimed that it will be losing its exclusivity at Apple's media event tomorrow. Claims of a Verizon-compatible iPhone have also fed the hype over new carrier arrangements coming in the very near future for the iPhone, although reports have differed over when such a launch could occur. In fact, just yesterday, an analyst claimed that T-Mobile will be the first to break AT&T's exclusivity this summer, with Verizon and Sprint having to wait until the fall.

The question of what carrier or carriers would offer wireless data access for Apple's tablet device, should it offer the connectivity as many expect, similarly remains shrouded in uncertainty. Reports dating back many months have claimed that Apple has been working with Verizon on the tablet project, with more recent reports continuing to hint at such a possibility. Boy Genius Report even reported yesterday that Verizon is holding a quarterly update meeting with its store managers tomorrow, with staff expected to view a "live webcast" scheduled for 1:00 PM Eastern time, coinciding with Apple's media event.

The tablet may not be a Verizon-exclusive, however, if other reports are correct. An analyst report earlier this month pointed to support for multiple carriers, with another article just last week claiming that Apple is in last-minute negotiations with both AT&T and Verizon over wireless access for the tablet. Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who has offered accurate information on Apple's plans in the past, has said that he believes the tablet may even be an AT&T exclusive, although a multi-carrier arrangement involving both AT&T and Verizon may be an option.

Despite all the months of rumor and speculation regarding the assumed impending end of AT&T exclusivity for the iPhone and Apple's carrier plans for its highly-anticipated tablet device, the picture remains unclear. Tomorrow's media event should certainly offer clarity to the situation with respect to the tablet, with many hoping that the company has news to share on the iPhone front as well.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma hero

macOS Sonoma Launching This Week With These New Features

Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912

watchOS 10.1 to Enable Apple Watch's New 'Double Tap' Gesture

Thursday September 21, 2023 12:52 pm PDT by
The new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be enabled starting with watchOS 10.1, according to Marques Brownlee, host of the popular tech-focused YouTube channel MKBHD. The first beta of watchOS 10.1 will likely be available by next week, and Apple announced that the software update will be released next month. Brownlee shared his impressions...