[Jake-44]

NEW YORK (AP) � Sprint Nextel Corp. has committed to buying more than 30 million iPhones over the next four years, imposing a heavy burden on an already cash-strapped company, according to a report published Monday.

The Wall Street Journal's online edition attributed the report to unnamed sources. Apple Inc. is expected to a reveal the first new iPhone model in more than a year on Tuesday.

WSJ Link: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on Apple's iPhone - WSJ.com

HP Link: Sprint Reportedly Makes Huge Gamble On IPhone 5: WSJ

Looks Like Sprint is betting the farm on the iPhone 5. What will this do for Srint's lne of Blackberry Phones?

[Chrisy]

Say hello to data throttling, Sprint customers!

[papped]

Sprint has a serious problem of throwing all their eggs in one basket (and it generally ends up being the wrong basket at the wrong time too)...

WM, then Android, now IOS, and they never end up significantly better off each time...

[Jake-44]

I have been with Sprint for over 10 years, and I agree with Chrisy above, Sprint is already changing their data plans, has eliminated their Premier Program and will be putting limits on data and hotspot usage.

ABC News is reporting that: "According to the Journal, Sprint’s CEO, Dan Hesse, told his board the company “would have to agree to purchase at least 30.5 million iPhones over the next four years — a commitment of $20 billion at current rates — whether or not it could find people to buy them, according to people familiar with the matter.”

That would mean Sprint would, at best, not break even on the deal until 2014, said the Journal. But the company may have no choice. It has been sinking for five years. Not being able to offer the iPhone is “the No. 1 reason customers leave or switch,” Hesse said at an industry conference in September." iPhone 5: Sprint to ‘Bet the Company’ on New iPhone: Wall St. Journal - ABC News

All this does not bode well for all us Sprint customers who love their BBs and are waiting for RIM to release OS2 for the PB. I am not sure how this will all shake out for Sprint but with the intense concerntration on the iPhone now, how much leverage will RIM have to get Sprint to push new BBs in the future?

[Chrisy]

Unfortunately, Jake-44, there's no where to go. Seems all the major carriers are adopting the same price tiers. I couldn't believe VZW's new data plans, totally expensive.

[Jake-44]

Yes Chrisy, the days of the "unlimited data plan" look numbered. At least it appears from what I have read so far that Sprint's plan will still be cheaper.

The vast majority of my friends who have BBs are all on Sprint, my concern is will Sprint's gamble on the iphone make the carrier back off on their BB phone offerings in the near future? I hope not, AT&T in my area has a terrible rep for dropped calls etc.

[Economist101]

Sprint has a serious problem of throwing all their eggs in one basket (and it generally ends up being the wrong basket at the wrong time too)...

WM, then Android, now IOS, and they never end up significantly better off each time...

Perhaps, but it's not as though they're dropping Android support in lieu of iOS.

[lnichols]

Sprint's investing more on a stupid phone than on the network. Sad! Road the CDMA train a little too long and now have a mess of a 4G network with a minuscule footprint. Since they want to increase my family plan by $40 per month to upgrade from 4 CDMA Blackberry phones to 4 CDMA Blackberry phones with zero improvement in the network, and they are taking away my Sprint Premiere, no reason to stay. If they get their sh!t together one day I can come back thanks to number portability. After hearing of this though I almost hope they go under.

[StaticFX]

Apple would be idiots to do this... no way. Why would they give the 3rd largest carrier an exclusive? Sprint has barely 1/2 the customers that AT&T alone has... add in verizon and thats only 1/4.... so.. give an exclusive to 50 million customers.. or sell openly to 200 million (ATT&VZ)? out of the 50 million.. how many would really buy the iPhone?

it would be crazy...

[lax42]

THANK YOU BABY JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally getting the iphone. Hopefully people get grandfathered in with the data plans because there's no way that sprint would be able to handle all the people who would be joining the sprint family if they get the iphone 5 exclusively. Its a high risk high rewards move, hopefully it pays off, because I love sprint

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[tchocky77]

Am I missing something? There's no exclusivity for iPhone 5. All major carriers will have it. Sprint is merely betting they can move that many. And over four years, I don't think they'll have any trouble.

As for BlackBerry, I strongly doubt they'll be around as we know them four years from now. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

[mustangv8]

NEW YORK (AP) � Sprint Nextel Corp. has committed to buying more than 30 million iPhones over the next four years, imposing a heavy burden on an already cash-strapped company, according to a report published Monday.

The Wall Street Journal's online edition attributed the report to unnamed sources. Apple Inc. is expected to a reveal the first new iPhone model in more than a year on Tuesday.

WSJ Link: Sprint to 'Bet the Company' on Apple's iPhone - WSJ.com

HP Link: Sprint Reportedly Makes Huge Gamble On IPhone 5: WSJ

Looks Like Sprint is betting the farm on the iPhone 5. What will this do for Srint's lne of Blackberry Phones?

I think that is a great move by sprint. They have been doing nothing other than losing money for years. I can't believe this company continues to lose so much cash.
S is under $3 currently. I used to be a believer in S for trading strength this past year,but this past month has been brutal for s.