Logo

You Think You’re Frustrated With AT&T? Report Says Apple’s Steve Jobs Wanted to Ditch AT&T At Least Six Times Since iPhone Deal

Jul 21, 2010  •  Post A Comment

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs discussed ditching AT&T as the iPhone’s service partner at least half a dozen times, after the companies’ partnership resulted in a sometimes less-than-happy marriage, according to an article in the August issue of Wired magazine.

Although the article isn’t yet online, it’s been summarized by ZDNet.

Apple considered switching to Verizon several times, with Jobs directing Apple engineers to visit Qualcomm, the supplier of Verizon’s chips for its phones, the article says. But switching would have proved costly because the iPhone would have needed to be rebuilt because of the different sizes of the chips.

Qualcomm, meanwhile has been working with Apple on a chip that would work with both AT&T and Verizon networks, the story adds.

As for other clashes between the companies, the Wired article has a fun anecdote about how an AT&T employee asked one of Job’s deputies to get him to wear a suit to meet with the AT&T board. “We’re Apple. We don’t wear suits. We don’t even own suits," the AT&T employee was told, ZDNet reports.

5 Comments

  1. It isn’t just a simple matter of a different size of chip. It’s different chip technology.
    A technology that about 90% of the world’s cell phone service providers don’t use… and a technology that even Verizon is going to eventually stop using in a few years.
    Why would Apple go to the expense and trouble of building a phone using technology that is going to be obsolete?

  2. Because the fact that the number of people that would purchase an iPhone on the Verizon network would make any expenses made look like chump change.

  3. This is fantastic! How did you learn about this when you were new to it?

  4. Great stuff, though there are a few points I would query.

  5. I love the expression. Everyone needs to express there own opinion and feel free to hear others. Keep it up 🙂

Leave a Reply to John Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)