A crazy idea
What if Apple entered a massive iPhone partnership with Sprint, possibly by purchasing a significant slice of it?
Sprint has a great U.S. data network and desperately needs hot devices that can bring an influx of new customers. Sprint isn’t worth much and could really use some cash.
Apple has hot devices that deliver tons of new customers to their carriers, but desperately needs a great U.S. data network. Apple is worth a lot and is sitting on an assload of cash.
It’s an interesting thought, but I could never see it happening, and I’d imagine you’d agree, based upon the “crazy” in the title. Ignoring the difference in cellular networks for a second, there’s the issue of FTC and FCC approvals. And I would hardly say “Sprint isn’t worth much.” They may be bleeding customers, but you’re still talking about billions of dollars. Verizon paid $5.9 billion for Alltel, and I do believe Alltel’s network was substantially smaller than Sprint’s.
Perhaps more importantly, what would Apple have to gain by having to provide the infrastructure for the iPhone? Customers would likely be happier with a better network, but Apple has already picked up plenty of customers with the iPhone on AT&T. The number of additional customers that they could pickup is marginal at best. And when you’re talking about such a huge investment to pickup a relatively small number of additional customers, I just don’t think it makes much in the way of business sense.
This is an idea that makes a lot of sense for iPhone users and potential iPhone users, but not for Apple’s business. Which I suppose is what makes it crazy.
