Verizon CEO: No Need for iPhone Killer

Marguerite Reardon, reporting for CNet:

“The way we come at this is to let the iPhone hit the market,” [Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said. “I don’t think it changes the game plan for how we approach the market. But we need to see the impact. The burden is on (AT&T and Apple) to prove the market will change.”

Translation: “Our plan is to hope that iPhone is a disappointment, because if it’s actually as good as it looks, we don’t have an answer.”

Seidenberg also added that he thinks the iPhone will actually help drive business for Verizon’s high-end smart phones and advanced data services.

Yeah, that’s the ticket: people who want an iPhone will go to Verizon and buy something else instead.

“The iPhone will add excitement and stimulation to the market,” he said. “If we have done our job, then we will be a beneficiary. I hope it does reasonably well.”

Translation: “I hope it gets 15 minutes of battery life, crashes frequently, and bursts into flames.”

★ Monday, 25 June 2007