No Telstra iPhone surprises on July 11?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 17 June 2008 09:41

Your IT - Mobility

A newspaper report suggests Apple and Telstra were in deep negotiations to offer the iPhone 3G, but arguments over whether Telstra could include its own applications with the iPhone were the sticking point. So will Telstra offer the iPhone 3G eventually or not?

Smartcompany has published details of a subscription only AFR (Australian Financial Review) article on the iPhone – and Telstra.

Smartcompany says the AFR article spoke of prolonged negotiations between Apple and Telstra that even reportedly saw Telstra receive thousands of iPhone 3G units.

But negotiations broke down when Telstra couldn’t get its way on which applications it could pre-load onto the iPhone.

That seems ridiculously silly when Apple is offering an ‘App Store’ which could easily allow the free download of Telstra applications at any time, should the user choose to download them.

One of the software programs in question is the navigation tool ‘WhereIS’, but could easily have also encompassed other Telstra programs, such as a Sensis search program, Foxtel TV viewing program and other BigPond programs for music and video.

Unfortunately that is but educated speculation based on the fact Telstra loads its phones with all manner of software, something Apple has fiercely resisted.

Indeed, can there be two companies who are more desirous of getting their own way up against each other than Telstra and Apple? It’s like the question of what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object.

Given the fact Telstra is not yet an official iPhone reseller, it would seem that the immovable object that is Apple has been able to resist the irresistible force that is Telstra.

So, will Telstra ever sell the iPhone 3G? Please read on to page 2.