Zach Epstein:
>“What has been holding Apple back from becoming a wireless provider already, according to Bluestein, are the enormous handset subsidies paid by mobile operators (AT&T, VZW and Sprint in the US), which amount to about $381 for each iPhone sold today,” Bluestein noted. ”That has been a short-term stumbling block for Apple, but the company has its well-known cash reserves and could seize the initiative at any point.”
Seriously, that’s what you think is holding Apple back? How about the fact that they would have to build a wireless network and get the spectrum to do that from the FCC? Apple can figure out the phone subsidies, but magically making a cell network infrastructure appear is likely to be much harder.
Apple could lease access from existing carriers, but what motivation would carriers have to lease this to Apple? None.
I must be missing something here.