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I am not sure I follow you. Apple's iPhone is still unique in its niche. Of course Android is commoditising the smartphone market, so if you are in the market

by nanairo 16y ago

I am not sure I follow you. Apple's iPhone is still unique in its niche. Of course Android is commoditising the smartphone market, so if you are in the market for a smartphone then iPhone/Android/WebOS/etc... are all comparable. But if someone actually wants an iPhone or an Android in particular then the view is different. In that case the carrier can get any manufacturer to build what they want or they'll choose a different manufacturer for their Android phone. But you can't get the iPhone anywhere else than Apple. Apple does not need to bow to carrier pressure because they are the only game in town (if you want an iPhone, if you don't care about the OS then I agree with you).

ZeroGravitas 16y ago
It sounds like you think there was (is?) a time when carriers in the U.S. had no power and the customer reigned supreme, but this only applied to people on AT&T who wanted an iPhone (and didn't want tethering or Skype over 3G for the first few years etc.) If Google have betrayed us all by destroying this tiny, short-lived, half-hearted, single-network, sub-national niche of telecoms utopia then I'm not sure I can bring myself to care, particularly if they've opened up various other niches in exchange.