Greg's Bite: why should Apple buy Sprint?
TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Greg's Bite: why should Apple buy Sprint?

By Greg Mills

For the better part of a year now, I have been advocating that Sprint is prime takeover bait for the likes of Apple. The landscape in the smartphone -- or, for that matter, the mobile computing business, including tablets -- is evolving very quickly and Apple has to "think different" to stay on top.  

Vertical development in the mobile computing market must include an Apple Mobile business segment, in some form, for Apple to stay the leader of the industry. A number of other tech writers and industry analysts have recently come out confirming buying Sprint has merit. You have to know Apple has people thinking about such acquisitions.

Tony Fadell, formerly the head of the iPod division at Apple, came up with a scenario, a couple of years ago, where Apple could buy unused bandwidth from the various cellular providers, repackage those minutes for sale to consumers and managed the "virtual network" over the Internet. The Apple server farms would route the data over the net but connect calls and provide data links over the various cellular networks.  

Apple proposed to contract with all of them for their unused minutes. Users wouldn't know the difference except for possible bargain prices and that you do business with Apple instead of AT&T or Verizon for service over their own networks.      

Cricket, TracFone and others use a similar system to sell minutes they buy in bulk from the major cell phone networks. The Fadel concept used the Internet to simply make the cellular networks "dumb pipes." The idea went over like a screen door in a submarine. "When hell freezes over" was the sanitized reaction of the major US networks. 

Google snapped up Motorola for both the patents and the synergy of owning the hardware end of the smartphone business. The legal fray between Apple and the "me too" hardware companies continues to fragment Android but Google is moving forward anyway.  

Google, Apple and Microsoft each have the money and the motive to buy Sprint, but it is Apple that has Sprint over a barrel. The deal Apple made to sell 20 billion dollars worth of iPhones to Sprint amounted to Sprint betting the farm three times over. Sprint has a market cap of a bit over $7 billion dollars right now.  

The disarray and disfunction of the Sprint board recently saw the CEO of Sprint giving back several million dollars of personal compensation to quiet angry Sprint stockholders. I'm more of the opinion of a gift of japanese seppuku suicide knifes for the members of the board of directors from the stockholders would have been more appropriate and functional is fixing Sprint.

Should Apple beat Google to the punch and buy Sprint outright, I figure Sprint stock would double overnight, giving Apple a national cellular network for virtually nothing or just chump change to a company with 100 billion in the bank.  Apple then could trash the Sprint name and launch the Apple Mobile Network, upgrade the system and do cellular right.  

While AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile would scream bloody murder and threaten to quit buying iPhones, Apple could say "fine, we will sell iPhones in the US if you don't want to handle them any more." The high prices Apple has been getting for the iPhone is breeding bad blood with the networks anyway. If Apple had its own network they would, in short order, take Sprint from a distant third to overtake AT&T in the US.

Sprint stock would surge dramatically and Apple would have a lot more growth long term. Ironically, it wouldn't even take an all cash deal for Apple to buy Sprint.  There are a lot of creative ways for this to happen. Sprint stockholders would actually like being bought out by Apple. At least the management would improve -- and that is the problem with Sprint in the first place.  

That is Greg's Bite.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Combo Quest (Games)
Combo Quest 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Combo Quest is an epic, time tap role-playing adventure. In this unique masterpiece, you are a knight on a heroic quest to retrieve... | Read more »
Hero Emblems (Games)
Hero Emblems 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: ** 25% OFF for a limited time to celebrate the release ** ** Note for iPhone 6 user: If it doesn't run fullscreen on your device... | Read more »
Puzzle Blitz (Games)
Puzzle Blitz 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Puzzle Blitz is a frantic puzzle solving race against the clock! Solve as many puzzles as you can, before time runs out! You have... | Read more »
Sky Patrol (Games)
Sky Patrol 1.0.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0.1 (iTunes) Description: 'Strategic Twist On The Classic Shooter Genre' - Indie Game Mag... | Read more »
The Princess Bride - The Official Game...
The Princess Bride - The Official Game 1.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $3.99, Version: 1.1 (iTunes) Description: An epic game based on the beloved classic movie? Inconceivable! Play the world of The Princess Bride... | Read more »
Frozen Synapse (Games)
Frozen Synapse 1.0 Device: iOS iPhone Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Frozen Synapse is a multi-award-winning tactical game. (Full cross-play with desktop and tablet versions) 9/10 Edge 9/10 Eurogamer... | Read more »
Space Marshals (Games)
Space Marshals 1.0.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $4.99, Version: 1.0.1 (iTunes) Description: ### IMPORTANT ### Please note that iPhone 4 is not supported. Space Marshals is a Sci-fi Wild West adventure taking place... | Read more »
Battle Slimes (Games)
Battle Slimes 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: BATTLE SLIMES is a fun local multiplayer game. Control speedy & bouncy slime blobs as you compete with friends and family.... | Read more »
Spectrum - 3D Avenue (Games)
Spectrum - 3D Avenue 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: "Spectrum is a pretty cool take on twitchy/reaction-based gameplay with enough complexity and style to stand out from the... | Read more »
Drop Wizard (Games)
Drop Wizard 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Bring back the joy of arcade games! Drop Wizard is an action arcade game where you play as Teo, a wizard on a quest to save his... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Apple’s M4 Mac minis on sale for record-low p...
B&H Photo has M4 and M4 Pro Mac minis in stock and on sale right now for up to $150 off Apple’s MSRP, each including free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses. Prices start at only $469: – M4... Read more
Deal Alert! Mac Studio with M4 Max CPU on sal...
B&H Photo has the standard-configuration Mac Studio model with Apple’s M4 Max CPU in stock today and on sale for $300 off MSRP, now $1699 (10-Core CPU and 32GB RAM/512GB SSD). B&H also... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.