05.21.07 - 11:32am
When you hear people talk of the iPone and the iPhone carrier, most people still speak of Cingular and that is something that AT&T is trying to overcome.
AT&T re-purchased Cingular when it bought BellSouth last year, and is desperately trying to make the AT&T brand name synonymous with the iPhone name rather than Cingular being the name synonymous with it.
This is AT&T’s chance to make their name “cool” again rather than just being old.
AT&T spokesman Michael Cole said “”The iPhone is one of the most anticipated handsets ever in the wireless industry, and we want to make sure that every drop of equity from the iPhone accrues to the AT&T brand. We want to be as far along as possible with our rebranding in advance of the launch of the iPhone.”
AT&T is trying to accomplish this by replacing the Cingular name in the interiors of its 1,800 shops. The exterior signs will remain the same for the moment until customers recognize that Cingular is no longer.
Category: iPhone | Tags: at&t, brand-name, cingular, iPhone | Be the First to Comment »
05.14.07 - 03:37pm
Here in the U.S. the iPhone will be sold via Cingular or the “New” AT&T, however, with the U.S. release possibly less than a month away, it has still not been decided who will carry the iPhone in Europe, when it is released there in the fall.
Typically a cell phone is released and sold via multiple carriers allowing for mass market penetration. The iPhone is taking a different route selling, at least in the U.S., exclusively through Cingular. This means one must already be a Cingular customer or go though the sometimes painful and costly process of switching carriers and abolishing previous contracts.
Cingular is not available in Europe leaving Apple to find another source to carry the iPhone. Vodafone is currently the largest carrier in Europe with over 200 million subscribers, Spain’s Telefnica is number two. The German T-Mobile is number 3 overall with 101 million subscribers - less than half of what Vodafone has and yet it is T-Mobile that is reportedly the front runner in negotiations to carry the phone in Europe.
Category: iPhone | Tags: cingular, europe, iPhone, t-mobile, vodafone | Be the First to Comment »
03.30.07 - 12:49pm
The word on the street is that June 11 is the day! The day of the iPhone, a day that will either be the launch of one of Apple’s greatest history making products or the launch of an Apple Zune-like product.
The date has not been officially announced by Apple but it is the start of Apples Worldwide Developers Conference, so along with the backing of online rumors and grander it can be a logical assumption.
Either way, I know there are already hundreds out there marking the date in their calender and perhaps getting the sleeping bag ready for a night camping outside on the good’ol’Cingular Sidewalk!
Category: apple, iPhone | Tags: at&t, cingular, iPhone, launch, release-date | Be the First to Comment »
