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How Jobs Played Hardball In iPhone Birth

Posted by kdawson on from the my-customer-dammit dept.

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Apple bucked the rules of the cellphone industry when creating the iPhone by wresting control away from normally powerful wireless carriers, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: 'Only three executives at the carrier, which is now the wireless unit of AT&T Inc., got to see the iPhone before it was announced. Cingular agreed to leave its brand off the body of the phone. Upsetting some Cingular insiders, it also abandoned its usual insistence that phone makers carry its software for Web surfing, ringtones and other services... Mr. Jobs once referred to telecom operators as "orifices" that other companies, including phone makers, must go through to reach consumers. While meeting with Cingular and other wireless operators he often reminded them of his view, dismissing them as commodities and telling them that they would never understand the Web and entertainment industry the way Apple did, a person familiar with the talks says.'"

6 of 479 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Before we over analyze this.... by twostar · · Score: 4, Funny

    but we've already got iPhone Killers out there!

  2. Odd by king-manic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ken Kutaragi: Our product is so good we want the whole industry to bend over backwards, kiss our ass, then take a good old anal reaming and for our customers to pay $600 for our product.
    Slashdot: Arrogant asshole.

    Steve Jobs: Our product is so good we want the whole industry to bend over backwards, kiss our ass, then take a good old anal reaming and for our customers to pay $600 for our product.
    Slashdot: OMG!!1! you are such a massive visionary. please come here and ream me right now.

    --
    "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  3. Re:Steve Jobs is WRONG! by pinkstuff · · Score: 5, Funny

    An even better word: Sex.

  4. Rumours by hack++slash · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it true that the iPhone will only have 1 button?

    --
    To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
  5. Re:Steve Jobs is WRONG! by Marcos+Eliziario · · Score: 3, Funny

    An even better better word: Money
    You can get it by having a monopoly, and after you have, you can have as much Sex as you want.

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    Your ad could be here!
  6. Re:On a general level... by MrNiceguy_KS · · Score: 5, Funny
    If fairplay got licensed to the zune. No one would care.

    Not true. Two Zune owners would be thrilled. The other one thinks he's got a brown cell phone with really crappy reception.

    --
    Redundancy is good And also good.