Michael Johnston
May 8th, 2007, 03:14 PM
<a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/08/att_not_planning_to_subsidize_iphone.html" target="_blank">According to John Hodulik</a>, a UBS analyst, AT&T seems to be planning to use the iPhone launch "as a branding event" and increase the awareness of the "AT&T Mobility" brand name.
As AT&T sees this as a marketing opportunity, they seem to be breaking some of the rules, namely not subsidizing the cost of Apple's new phone. In fact, according to Hodulik, it seems as though AT&T may even gain a slight profit from sales of the device itself and not just the plan. This presents the opportunity for AT&T to offer exclusive plans for the iPhone not available on other devices.
As AT&T sees this as a marketing opportunity, they seem to be breaking some of the rules, namely not subsidizing the cost of Apple's new phone. In fact, according to Hodulik, it seems as though AT&T may even gain a slight profit from sales of the device itself and not just the plan. This presents the opportunity for AT&T to offer exclusive plans for the iPhone not available on other devices.