While the iPhone and iOS continue to take a beating at the hands of Google’s Android operating system, the one thing “analysts” and fans(or fanatics) of Apple‘s mobile operating system say is “wait until the iPhone is on more carriers in the U.S., then it’ll be a level playing field”. Well, their wish just may be coming true.
According to Piper Jaffray analyst Chris Larsen, the next iteration of the iPhone, whether it be called the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, will also be made available to Sprint and T-mobile. Larsen believes that since the current iPhone works on both At&t’s GSM and Verizon’s CDMA networks, that it only makes sense that the next iteration will include the necessary network bands for Sprint and T-mobile.
Another analyst, Peter Misek of Jefferies and Co. stated back in May, that the new iteration of the iPhone(dubbed iPhone 4S) would debut in September with Sprint and T-mobile bands in addition to Verizon and At&t’s. The common theme running here is that these analysts seem to believe that there will definitely be iPhone’s running on Sprints’ and T-mobiles’ networks. Whether this turns out to be true or serious speculation(or wishful thinking) from these analysts remains to be seen.
From a competitive standpoint this would be great for Apple’s iPhone. More carriers means better chances at combating Google’s Android operating system. It should be noted, however, that the iPhone is readily available on almost every carrier Android handsets are overseas, and the iOS still plays second fiddle to Android. So while more carriers means more for Apple’s(as well as Sprint and T-mobile presumably) bottom line, I doubt it will mean too much more for iOS market share.