There’s an interesting article on ITWire about. It reminds us that one of the main reasons Apple went to give AT&T an iPhone exclusive and, yes, the reason why we have to go through all the jailbreak hassle for the iPhone, is visual voicemail. Apple has to make sure all iPhone features will be working when the customers want it and the best way to ensure that is to have the full support of the wireless provider. Of course, there’s also this little thing called revenue sharing. Apple gets a cut out of every customer’s wireless bill on his iPhone.
But ITWire is questioning whether Apple truly needs to get into these exclusive deals with the wireless companies. The iPhone is pretty much easy recall now for most people. There is reason to believe that many more people will buy the iPhone if it is not unlocked. One of the most often cited reasons why some individuals stay away from the iPhone is its exclusive deal with AT&T. So why shouldn’t Apple offer the iPhone unlocked in some future date, say 2009?
