T-Mobile: Sorry, but we're not getting the iPhone
The marketing chief of the U.S. carrier, however, says there are more than 1 million unlocked Apple smartphones on its network.
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If there was any lingering hope that T-Mobile USA would start offering the iPhone soon, the carrier's marketing chief just killed it.
T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman posted a letter to customers on the company's blog yesterday, saying that while he would love to carry the iPhone, the company is currently focusing on "the best that Android has to offer." Translation: T-Mobile is definitely not getting the iPhone in the near future.
T-Mobile now stands as the only national carrier left out of the iPhone game, with all indications pointing to Sprint Nextel joining AT&T and Verizon Wireless as an Apple partner. That's a significant disadvantage for the company, which is already struggling to return to growth and stem customer defection.
"We've heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service but are disappointed that we don't carry the iPhone," he said in his letter. "To these customers, first, thank you for your business."
He did note that more than 1 million T-Mobile customers use an unlocked iPhone on its network. The GSM version of the iPhone--which is what AT&T uses--can be moved on to T-Mobile's network but can only access the slower 2G network. Brodman reiterated his interest in a "no compromise" iPhone experience on its network.
Brodman also talked up the growing popularity of Android and touted the company's recently unveiled devices, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze.
"We're very confident that these Android smartphones rival or beat any smartphone out there, in terms of functionality, speed, overall experience, and features--including the iPhone," he said.
Still, that's small comfort for customers who were looking for the iPhone to hit every carrier.
Full text of the letter follows:
By Cole Brodman, Chief Marketing Officer, T-Mobile USA
We've heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service, but are disappointed that we don't carry the iPhone. To these customers, first, thank you for your business. Please know that we think the iPhone is a great device and Apple knows that we'd like to add it to our line-up. Today, there are over a million T-Mobile customers using unlocked iPhones on our network. We are interested in offering all of our customers a no-compromise iPhone experience on our network.
In the meantime, we continue to bring to market some of the most advanced, cutting-edge Android devices. Today, I had the chance to take the stage at the Mobilize event in San Francisco and introduce our fastest 4G smartphones ever, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze. We're very confident that these Android smartphones rival or beat any smartphone out there in terms of functionality, speed, overall experience and features--including the iPhone.
Android has evolved quickly from geek to chic. In many ways, Android is rivaling and even outpacing the iPhone, including consumer adoption, market share and capabilities like support for faster 4G networks. Moreover, Android offers consumers the freedom of choice. You can choose from a variety of colors, screen sizes, slide-out keyboards, price points and customization options, as well as enjoy the numerous benefits of open source innovation, cloud services and amazing apps.
This is why, for now, our focus continues to be giving customers the best that Android has to offer, coupled with 4G speeds that let you browse the Web faster than on average home Internet.
Check out our latest and greatest in Android 4G: www.t-mobile.com