Verizon versus Apple

Verizon had apparently passed on the opportunity to be the exclusive partner for Apple’s iPhone. This post from Macuser nails the issue:

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In case you’ve missed the impact of this whole fiasco: I’m a Verizon customer. And my contract is in effect for another year. C’mon guys: I would have totally traded up to an iPhone if I could have stuck with Verizon. Meanwhile, Cingular is—no surprise—pleased as punch: “We think this is a win for Apple, and it is a win for Cingular.”

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There is, actually, a slightly greater significance to this situation. The telecom carriers, especially the mobile ones, have been outrageously difficult to do business with over the last 10 years. They are inflexible, muscle flexing, extortionists in their negotiation tactics.

For the first time, however, in Apple, they met their match. And the result is that Cingular decided to play ball, accept win:win terms, as opposed to the erstwhile “I make the money, and I don’t care whether you survive or not …” deals they forced on nearly every player in the ecosystem.

I say, Good.