Here’s a piece of news I think a number of us had predicted would come as T-Mobile sends out a memo indicating the “Apple iPhone” name can no longer be used in conjunction with marketing for the “Bring Your Own Device” program. Now, let’s be clear and say we don’t know the reasons for this, it could be a T-Mobile management decision, an Apple legal decision, a T-Mobile legal decision or something else entirely. In other words, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Still, we know Apple is a lawyer-happy place so it wouldn’t surprise us if they took issue with T-Mobile using the iPhone name in marketing without officially carrying the product. At the very least, in terms of marketing collateral as this brief memo suggests.
Looks like T-Mobile will have to advertise their refarmed network without attaching the iPhone name, I wonder how they’ll work around the attraction the iPhone name presented?
What do you think? Apple decision or T-Mobile’s?