Could an Apple smartphone be the basis of the new ATT launch?

[stephen]

I just saw a commercial during the Fla/Ohio State game that "Cingular is now AT&T."

I knew the name change was coming, but was shocked that it happened so fast.

Under any normal marketing campaign protocol (I've worked on bank mergers, etc.), it should take months to do such a switch.

The merger was literally approved last week.

Could we be seeing a lot more from Cingular tomorrow?

[MGS_forgot_password]

Cingular didn't merge - AT&T & Bellsouth did.

This is just a name change.

[Seacrest]

Cingular bought AT&T Wireless years ago.
Cingular's co-parent, SBC bought what was left of AT&T last year and renamed itself at&t -- for everything BUT wireless -- and stated at the time of THAT merger that they would be re-branding Cingular "soon".

The "new" at&t (aka old SBC) just got regulatory approval to merge with Cingular's other parent, Bell South, which is probably what has you confused (and me bemused).

Summmary:

AT&T 1984 => 8 Baby Bells
at&t 2006 <= 5 BabyBells
AT&T 2010 += Verizon + Qwest??

[stephen]

I'm aware of the history - but the next step is that the Cingular brand name essentially ceases to exist.

Put the Apple thing aside for a minute - why in the world would you start telling consumers "Cingular is now AT&T" when your signs, retail ads, and trucks, still say Cingular? Unless there's some huge immediate push we don't know about, that's just wacked. I guess that's what I was wondering out loud - maybe a big push is imminent?

It's either smart like a fox, or just really, really dumb.

[pRON aHOLIC]

They were really good when it was At&T wireless when it was digital and analog on the tri-band. After it became Ciingular they went all digital and the coverage suffered.

Whatever the name, their network is lousy and consistently rated low for coverage and drops in most cities according to Consumer Reports.

If the Apple phone exists and it is on ATT/Cingular then it will make my decision easier.

[deckeda]

After a while the Cingular name will be no more. The day after the merger happened, the Bellsouth signage here at the headquarters in the ATL was already coming down or being covered up with AT&T stuff.

*****

I still need help understanding any Apple-branded phone/smartphone/whatever. Why would they want to enter this market, when it's so unlike the rest of their hardware strategy?

1) Cellphones are a fickle sale; they don't stay "cool" very long. RAZR, anyone?
2) Draconian partnerships with providers instead of one product that works with any.
3) Unless Apple starts their own cell network ...

[Silencio]

Smartphones are higher margin, higher value items that can play in a greater ecosystem of software, peripherals, and other accessories. Think about it: current smartphones leave a lot to be desired. Palm OS is nice and simple, but very dated indeed. Windows Mobile is too complicated yet strangely limited in some key ways. Symbian doesn't really have a big presence in the US market. About all I can say about Blackberry is that it's functional. If Apple really can come out with a mobile version of Mac OS X and really make it work for mobile devices, they've got a pretty big opportunity here.

Apple doesn't have to have the cell providers subsidize the phone if they don't want to. They can sell their devices unlocked -- sure they'll be more expensive than subsidized phones with long contracts tied to them, but if Apple comes out with the right product(s), people will gladly pay for them.

I don't think the virtual carrier route is a very smart way to go. Just another layer of complexity and bureaucracy to deal with.

[Chupa Chupa]

I still have a hard time believing the Apple phone is not going to be sold unlocked by Apple direct and Apple resellers.

The iTunes phones were so unsatsfying because it WAS a Cingular phone and Cingular called the shots when it came to specs and marketing. Little things like limiting the # of songs really made the phones a dud.

I also don't think Apple wants to see its phone get commoditzed with massive discounts. This time I think Jobs wants complete control. It would not shock me if Apple announced it's own mobile virtual network for the phone, perhaps powered by Cingular.

[Mac-A-Matic]

I'm all for an open phone platform.

But this Cingular is now AT&T Wireless is just odd. I was an AT&T Wireless person for many years, then they became Cingular and now they're becoming AT&T? Just odd.

And the reason that AT&T Wireless went through that weird period when coverage area was reduced was only if you switched from their primary TDMA system to the then new (but old to the rest of the planet) GSM system.

I remember when they (AT&TW) were touting the arrival of GSM and offering to switch me. I looked at the coverage map and decided that I had no interest in returing to the same coverage area I enjoyed/suffered through in 1991.