'Apple iPhone Launch is Imminent,' Says visiongain.SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden & LONDON -- Visiongain believes that the next product to be released by Apple is the much-rumoured "iPhone". The Apple-branded mobile phone is likely to debut this spring with the launch of Helio. "The odds are extremely good that Apple will launch an iPhone this spring in tandem Adv. 1. in tandem - one behind the other; "ride tandem on a bicycle built for two"; "riding horses down the path in tandem" tandem with Helio's launch in the US," says Pam Duffey, telecoms analyst at visiongain. "There exists a relationship between Apple and Helio management that goes back to the ROKR iTunes phone, and Helio has declared a target audience identical to iPod's existing market. Helio's top rank executives have also publicly voiced frustration with mainstream carriers and appear to be on a crusade to radically shake-up the industry," adds Duffey. EarthLink and SK Telecom have partnered to form Helio, a US mobile virtual network operator A Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) is a company that provides mobile (sometimes called wireless or cellular) telephone service but does not have its own allocation of the radio frequency spectrum nor all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service. (MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) A reseller of wireless services. MVNOs do not own licensed spectrum and typically do not have any of their own wireless network infrastructure. ), at an estimated cost of $440 million. Recently, Helio Chief Financial Officer Todd Tappin said Helio plans to sign about three million customers and generate more than $2 billion in revenue by 2009. He also said that Helio would subsidise Verb 1. subsidise - secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy, as of nations or military forces subsidize pay - give money, usually in exchange for goods or services; "I paid four dollars for this sandwich"; "Pay the waitress, please" 2. its handsets, and its target demographic is both willing and able to pay for high-end phones. This is a sharp departure from MVNO trends, which lean heavily on prepaid pre·pay tr.v. pre·paid, pre·pay·ing, pre·pays To pay or pay for beforehand. pre·pay  ment n. or very narrow specialty niches. "The iPhone will most likely be produced in South Korea by an existing handset The part of the telephone that contains the speaker and the microphone. On a desktop phone, the part you hold in your hand is the handset. On a cellphone, the entire phone is the handset. See multihandset cordless and headset. maker, and made available exclusively through Helio. The iPhone will likely be as disruptive disruptive /dis·rup·tive/ (-tiv) 1. bursting apart; rending. 2. causing confusion or disorder. to the existing carrier market as the iPod was to the mobile music industry. When the iPhone adds VoIP capability, it will be even more disruptive to carriers," concludes Duffey. The iPhone, iPod and Apple's role in shaping the digital content landscape are analysed in detail in visiongain's upcoming report, Apple in Wireless. Notes for Editors If you are interested in an interview with the analyst, please send an email to sara.peerun@visiongain.com or phone Sara on +44 (0) 20 8767 6711. About visiongain Visiongain is one of the fastest growing and most innovative independent media companies in Europe. Based in London, UK, visiongain produces a host of business-2-business conferences, newsletters, management reports and e-zines focusing on the Telecoms, Pharmaceutical and Defence sectors. Visiongain publishes reports produced by its in-house analysts, who are qualified experts in their field. Visiongain has firmly established itself as the first port-of-call for the business professional, who needs independent, high quality, original material to rely and depend on. For more information on visiongain, please visit the website: www.visiongainintelligence.com |
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