Like 2-year contracts, smartphone exclusives need to go away

Submitted Oct 04, 2012 by Taylor Wimberly

U.S. carriers like working out exclusive handset deals with hardware makers – such as the Nokia Lumia 920 with AT&T — but who benefits? Consumers really don’t, hardware makers might, but it’s the network operators that benefit most. Here I thought competition in the U.S. was good!

Full article on gigaom.com

2 Comments Join the discussion!

100 Taylor Wimberly 10/05/12 8:46 AM

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Exclusives will go away when people stop buying them.

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- 95 Homncruse 10/10/12 7:13 PM
  
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  True, but that’s not likely to happen since the general consumer doesn’t know or care if the shiny new phone they saw on TV or in the store is a carrier exclusive.
  
  I was really looking forward to the HTC One X+ — and prior to that, the HTC One X — but since they both have AT&T exclusivity, there’s no way I’m using that network.
  
  Honestly, the manufacturers need to put their foot down. There’s obviously a trade-off to not accepting the gobs of carrier cash for the exclusive: the carrier won’t market your phone aggressively, leaving the onus on the manufacturer, and that’s a Good Thing. The manufacturer should know the strengths of their devices best. Yes, it increases the responsibilities and costs of the manufacturer, but the increase in potential customer base should more than offset it if the marketing is any good.
  
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