Verizon rejected Apple and the iPhone
Apparently Verizon Wireless balked at the idea of partnering with Apple giving the fruity company reign over its potential iPhone customer base. Everyone gritting their teeth because they’ll need to jump ship and join Cingular’s ranks in order to enjoy the iPhone should know that Verizon was on the table at one point.
Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cellphone carrier, passed on the chance to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone almost two years ago, balking at Apple’s rich financial terms and other demands.
Among other things, Apple wanted a percentage of the monthly cellphone fees, say over how and where iPhones could be sold and control of the relationship with iPhone customers, said Jim Gerace, a Verizon Wireless vice president. “We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn’t reach a deal that was mutually beneficial.”
Here’s insight to the fact that the iPhone could’ve have been locked to CDMA carriers during its initial release had Verizon jumped into bed with Jobs.
