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Apple and I Phone

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by the management consultant

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Do you think Apple and Iphone should be investigated by the Mergers and Monopolies commission (antitrust authorities)? Do you think the consumer is paying an artificially high price for the IPhone and network provider.Would the price fall if all networks were allow to sell the phone across Europe? Is the software locking the phone to a particular network after or during the contract restictive trading and not in the consumer interests? In the UK consumer rights are king, would a breach of the contract with 02/Iphone be enforcable in the UK courts? Would 02 and I Phone be afraid to test it in case an antitrust case was brought against them.Paying compensation to consumers may distroy Apple in Europe?

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by rallcorn

The word I heard was that Apple worked out a deal with AT&T (broadest coverage here in U.S.) to market their product, and give is VIP status, in exchange for their not taking AT&T to court over using their trademark name on another product. It may be here say, but it makes sense. AT&T has an excellence coverage area, thanks to the various cellular companies and service areas that were "engulfed" by the previous owners. When Cingular bought up the rest (GTE,etc.) and then AT&T Wireless as well, we were then faced with a very broad coverage area by one cellular company, Cingular (maintaining the AT&T Wireless name for marketing reasons).

If I were Apple, this seems like a very, very good marketing plan. The way I understand it, the "exclusive" deal only lasts a couple of years. This gives Apple a chance to make the product "solid" in performance, coverage, and reliability, and to make the product itself widely accepted.

Personally, I'm a Treo guy, but my oldest son uses the I-Phone. He's somewhat technical, like his Dad. He loves it! My wife is now sold on them. I'll be getting her one soon. I wish Apple all the best on their new product. The best thing it has going for it is that it is "NOT" running Windows CE (Windows mobile, Windows whatever else you wanna call it).

by charliespencer

Many cell phone manufacturers have exclusive deals with cellular service providers. If someone was going to make a legal case they could have filed one against almost every manufacturer and provider years ago. I -assume- since no one has that there's probably no legal cause to do so.

by the management consultant

Point taken however there is a perception and perhaps mistrust here in the UK and Europe in the wake of Anti trust/European Commission ruling on Microsoft, that anything which ties two separate companies together exclusively to hike up prices or restrict access is not in the public interest. Viz a Viz exclusive hardware and software vendor tie in's. In the Euro zone where competition is fierce in a small graphical area a phone manufacturer and a highly regulated network provider are seen as separate identities to there competition and the consumer who perceive the right to have any handset/operator combination they choose.

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