Apple Can't Afford iPhone's Carrier Exclusivity

WirePosted writes with an ITWire article about the problems that Apple's AT&T exclusivity deal could pose in the coming years. Initially the company needed AT&T's commitment to the project, to ensure features like visual voicemail would work. With the iPhone a hit even at its current high price that no longer seems to be the case. Can Apple afford to stick to an exclusive carrier in the future? If for no other reason than consumer choice? "iPhones are being sold unlocked in the markets of Asia where you can't get them with a carrier plan, but they're also being bought and unlocked in the US and Europe. The message is that many and probably most iPhone buyers would like to be given a choice of carrier when they buy their iPhone. Some would be prepared to pay more as they do with other smartphones and buy their iPhone unattached to any subsidized carrier contract. The point is many consumers feel no loyalty to carriers and resent being forced to choose one."

Re:There's more here than meets the eye

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple as a great understanding of the paradox of choice. This is exactly why Apple customers are so damned happy even though they have so very few choices of hardware options when compared to alternative vendors.

So that's why mac people only have one mouse button!

Re:There's more here than meets the eye

[that this is not und]

If you aren't willing to use a computer, why exactly do you want a $399 touch screen device, which also happens to be a computer.....

Well, some people might want such a device so that they don't have to get a computer...