Will T-Mobile have an "exclusive" on 950 XL in USA...

[Joe Acerbic]

...just because it's the only carrier that agrees to sell it without demanding an exclusive? That would be deliciously funny, at least to long suffering Windows Phone fans on T-Mo.

 

[ven07]

Don't think so Wasn't the latest news that the devices would be unlocked? you can buy them and use them on the carrier of your choice

 

[DaveGx]

I'm not paying 600 or more for a phone. since I'm on ATT and if the flagship 950XL goes to TM only I am going to be livid. If this happens my 1520 will be my last Windows phone

 

[ven07]

They are going to offer to every carrier, but if the carriers refuse...

 

[psudotechzealot]

The would be nice, I doubt it will happen though.

 

[jsooney]

That would be the kiss of death for sure. T-Mobile is pretty much worthless, although not as bad as Sprint.

 

[Joe Acerbic]

That would be the kiss of death for sure. T-Mobile is pretty much worthless, although not as bad as Sprint.

If you youngsters knew anything about as ancient mobile phone history as back in 2008, you might reflect on which carrier gave the "kiss of death" to Android by being the first in the world to sell an Android phone.

 

[jsooney]

Hey thanks, no one has called me a youngster for decades. I'm just saying that if a company with maybe 15% market share has an exclusive on the 950xl it would be bad news. Not to mention 2008 is not 2015, the iPhone was a year old then. It's a totally different world now so it's a bogus analogy. Oh, and the T-Mobile network is vastly inferior to AT&T and Verizon, so that wouldn't help either.

 

[Joe Acerbic]

History simply shows that being sold and promoted by T-Mobile is vastly superior to being hidden and buried by AT&T or Verizon, regardless of any differences in market share or network coverage.

 

[jsooney]

Not sure what you're basing that on.

Regardless, with all this hand-wringing over whether WP will survive, and what's the best way for it to compete with the big two, it's safe to say a T-Mobile exclusive is not going to help. T-Mobile survives on the budget-conscious and those easily swayed by flashy ads, and so will probably remain the fourth choice network for the foreseeable future.

Deutsche Telekom have been trying to dump the US operation for some time but the government won't let them, so I don't think they are interested in spending much on it. Maybe if T-Mobile get bought and large investments are made in the network they might improve. I hear Comcast is interested, although I wouldn't wish that on anyone. In the meantime Microsoft needs to twist some arms to get the big carriers more involved. Not sure they can though.

 

[Joe Acerbic]

it's safe to say a T-Mobile exclusive is not going to help.

Perhaps you missed the basic idea of this thread: that T-Mobile may get an "exclusive" because it's the only one not demanding an exclusive. At least AT&T is refusing to even carry it unless they have an exclusive: that's how they extorted and bamboozled Nokia into letting every Lumia flagship be destroyed.

It's the simplest, most obvious logic in the world: you don't need an exclusive to sell a phone. You need an exclusive only to prevent it being sold (by anyone else). AT&T and Verizon are not interested in selling Windows phones: they are interested in selling whatever phones let them wring the most pennies out of their customers (iPhone). T-Mobile is interested in getting more customers and don't care nearly as much about what phone you use and where you got it and if anyone else is selling it. Letting T-Mobile sell a phone is an excellent idea.

 

[jsooney]

Perhaps you missed the basic idea of this thread: that T-Mobile may get an "exclusive" because it's the only one not demanding an exclusive. .

No, I gathered that. I was saying it would be the proverbial kiss of death though.

There's nothing wrong with T-Mobile selling it, that's a good thing, just the exclusive part would be a problem. I consider myself a relatively loyal WP user, to the point where I'm still persisting with a 1520 with a 10-minute battery life, lots of touchscreen issues, and a partly functioning ear speaker, to name a few problems. Still, I wouldn't switch to T-Mobile for anything.

I think the challenge for MS is going to be creating sufficient pull demand to force the carriers to be more interested. Much will depend on whether they have the appetite to pull it off.

I think Verizon and AT&T are stuck with WP whether they like it or not though as there has been some significant uptake in the corporate world. It integrates quite well with existing IT infrastructure, particularly those who use MS products like Exchange and other Office products. Even Cisco was forced to come out with an AnyConnect client although they tried to ignore WP as best they could. So I think there's hope yet.

 

[rory753]

Not sure what you're basing that on.
.

One of the best selling windows phone was the lumia 521, sold on t-mobile. based on the sales of this, it appears at&t picked up the 520 for their gophone.

While this thread is about tmobile potentially having an exclusive on the 950xl, and I am a tmobile user, I don't think I really care if tmobile has an exclusive on it. I just really don't want to see any carrier have an exclusive on it. I'd rather have an unlocked phone, and be able to switch carriers to whichever one offers the best speed, coverage for my area, and best price, without screwing around with my phone.

I would like to see the carriers promote the phone, but i don't want the success of the phone to be too dependent on the carriers.

 

[psudotechzealot]

T-Mobile survives on the budget-conscious and those easily swayed by flashy ads, and so will probably remain the fourth choice network for the foreseeable future.

Umm........ T-Mobile to take No. 3 slot from Sprint: Analysts

 

[Joe Acerbic]

T-Mobile survives on the budget-conscious and those easily swayed by flashy ads, and so will probably remain the fourth choice network for the foreseeable future.

The foreseeable future may be until next week: T-Mobile Q2 earnings: Wireless carrier exceeds expectations, sees surge in customer growth.

...and apropos budget-conscious: the ultimate phone for the budget-unconscious, iPhone, users of which spend tons of money on useless app crap and entertainment, is indeed the perfect match for AT&T and Verizon. The opposite of that, Windows Phone which comes with the best (and free) useful apps but not with every Candy Crush or Game of War is the perfect match for T-Mo. I'm looking forward to using the Cityman pen and OneNote for taking notes and drawing charts in meetings.

 

[jsooney]

Yeah well, I can't see very far

 

[ajb1965]

I for one hope T-Mobile gets one or both of these mythical phones, but I would hate to see it as an exclusive. Carrier exclusive phones don't have the draw that they used to. If Microsoft wants a flagship, then IMO they should market and treat them as a flagship and offer them to all carriers just like Apple and Samsung do.

 

[Zulfigar]

Yeah, I doubt there will be any true "exclusive" models, and I'm also expecting T-Mobile to carry one of the 950's (either the 950 or 950 XL), just not sure which, but highly doubt both.

 

[oldgreygeek]

Personally I will buy it at the Microdoft store, and use the SIM from my L1020. My concern is WHEN WILL IT BE IN THE STORE?? Any store??

 

[midnightfrolic]

I hate exclusivity. Just make them unlocked and let the buyers choose which carrier they wanna go with. If the carriers block that model phone, then screw them. That's a lost customer. I doubt any carrier will want to lose customers.