UPDATED 15:08 EDT / AUGUST 24 2011

Will Sprint Be A Part of the iPhone 5 Posse?

Remember when you were a kid, your parents would tell you that you can’t have a toy because it is way too expensive?  Then you’d just want it all the more.  You dream and drool about it, begging your parents to get it for you.   Your parents probably waited until it went on sale before buying it, just so you’d stop whining.  So when you do finally get it, you’re all giddy and excited but after a few days, you start to get bored and think why you ever wanted it in the first place.  Was it because the “cool kids” had them first?

Well, that’s the same strategy Apple used.  They made the initial iPhone exclusively available for AT&T when it first launched, making subscribers of other networks drool with envy.  And because of this exclusivity, some even went as far as dropping their carriers and switching to AT&T just so they could get an iPhone.  But as Android devices gain traction and are becoming more of a popular choice because of price and availability, Apple decided to open their gates a bit by striking up a deal with Verizon.  Now, two carriers have the iPhones.  But with AT&T and T-Mobile’s impending merger, T-Mobile subscribers would also get an access to iPhones, which will leave Sprint the only carrier that doesn’t have an iPhone on its shelves.

But as rumors of a cheaper iPhone 4 and a mid-October release of the iPhone 5 surface, another rumor has come to light that the iPhone 5 could possibly be available from Sprint come October.  Rumor has it that the iPhone 5 will support both CDMA and GSM networks, and since Sprint has CDMA cellular radio, some are thinking that there might be some truth to this rumor.

Sprint may be Apple’s last resort to reignite the desires for the iPhone since iPhone 4 sales on Verizon is not as high as Apple assumed.  But this could also mean trouble for Sprint as this could lead to ending their now very competitive unlimited data plan just so they could sell the iPhone at a reasonable price.

Analysts are also stating that Apple shouldn’t expect the same result as when they launched on AT&T because there are a lot of other mobile devices to choose from now, and users are quite happy with using iPhone alternatives.  Some may argue that the iPhone is the best phone out in the market today but other users aren’t really bothered by that presumption.  As long as they can use their smartphones the way they wish to, be it an iPhone, an Android or even a Windows 7 Phone, it doesn’t really matter.


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