AT&T held onto the exclusive for Apple's iPhone ever since the smartphone launched in 2007. Earlier in 2011, Verizon finally broke that exclusive hold and started selling its own version of the iPhone, to the delight of many who hated AT&T's service. Strong rumors on the Internet have led many to believe that when the iPhone 5 is finally launched later this year, it will be accompanied by the news that Sprint will start selling the smartphone as well.
But what about T-Mobile? The nation's fourth largest wireless carrier, currently in the middle of a proposed and highly contested merger deal with AT&T, was once rumored to get its own version of the iPhone 5 but those rumors were quickly squashed. On Monday at the Mobilize conference in San Francisco, News.com reports that T-Mobile's chief marketing officer Cole Brodman told an audience at the event, "We've made public our desire to have the iPhone." However, he then added, "But the ball really is in [Apple's] court at this point."
T-Mobile may not be getting Apple's popular smartphone anytime soon but Brodman didn't appear too concerned with that prospect. Indeed, today at the conference he helped to introduce two upcoming Android-based phones that will be launching on October 12. One will be T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, priced at $229.99, while the other is the HTC Amaze 4G at $259.99, both after a $50 rebate and a new two year contract. Brodman claims that these smartphones stand up next to the iPhone, saying " ... our devices are on par, and better in many ways."
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