AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have all reported huge sales of the iPhone 4S since it launched a few weeks ago. A smaller US wireless carrier, C Spire, will begin selling the iPhone 4S on Friday, November 11. But not every wireless phone company seems to be ready to jump into Apple's iPhone boat.
Fierce Wireless reports that during its recent financial conference call with investors, US Cellular's CEO Mary Dillon said that while the company had their own chance to sell the iPhone 4S. However it looks like Apple's terms and conditions were not to US Cellular's tastes. Dillon said that in the end, the opportunity provided by Apple to provide the iPhone 4S to its customers was "unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint."
This is an interesting stance considering that AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and soon C Spire have all accepted Apple's terms. The specifics, naturally, have not been made available to the public. It's possible that US Cellular felt that it simply could not compete with the three larger carriers for a wide market share. It's also possible that Apple's strict pricing structure for the iPhone models didn't make it a viable phone for the company.
Whatever the real reason, we find it somewhat refreshing that Apple's iPhone 4S is not seen as the be all and end all of smartphones by everyone in the industry. We should learn more about the launch of the new iPhone model in January when Apple reveals its fourth quarter 2011 financial results.
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