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June 27, 2008

rivals

Verizon CEO: “Steve Jobs will get old.” Er, duh?

Posted Jun. 27, ’08, 11:19 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Rivals

SeidenbergLet’s say you’re the CEO of a large mobile phone operator in the US. Your livelihood, your industry—your very way of life—is being threatened by some tech company upstart. What do you do?

Take potshots at your rival, naturally! That’s Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg’s approach, anyway. In an interview with the Financial Times, Seidenberg shared his deepest, darkest, truest feelings about Steve Jobs.

As handsets become banking tools and games controllers, he argues, mobile operators can up-end other companies’ business models. “It’s very cool. And Steve Jobs eventually will get old … I like our chances.” [emphasis added]

Er, Ivan—may I call you Crazy Ivan?—I know you look all youthful and handsome, but let me just remind you that Steve’s actually nine years younger than you. Has Verizon one-upped Ponce de Léon and finally unearthed the Fountain of Youth? Actually, come to think of it, that “Can you hear me now?” guy never seems to age…

Seidenberg also rejects the contention that Apple is a major player in the industry.

While describing Apple as a “great company”, Mr Seidenberg highlights its small market share of global handset sales. He scoffs at suggestions that the iPhone is about to become a mass-market handset because Apple has accepted mobile operators’ pleas to subsidise it.

“There goes the conspiracy again,” he says of Apple. “You’re declaring them a winner before they’ve earned it on the field.”

Conspiracy! You heard it here first! Just like fluorine in the drinking water and cattle mutilations on the moon! I’ll tell you this, as long as we’re starting conspiracies, here’s my contribution to the mix: psst, did you hear? Ivan Seidenberg’s a robot.

Well, we’ll see what tune Ivan is singing when Apple hits that 10 million sales mark later this year.


11 Comments

Steve Ballmer said:

Dude, you just shot your company in the head.

June 27, 2008 12:07 PM
krye said:

And you'll get old too, but at least Jobs will have something to show for himself. What about you, Ivan who?

June 27, 2008 12:53 PM
Doug said:

He's right on one count - until Apple expands beyond AT&T (and it's HORRIBLE service and coverage) they have a limited market share. The true game changer would be to sell a handset completely independently of the carriers - and break the lock-in monopoly of the service contracts.

June 27, 2008 1:22 PM
Dave-O said:

"small market share of global handset sales"
It's available in 6 countries. Maybe after it becomes available in 22 countries on 7/11, we can talk about global share. It's just stupid to talk about the iPhone's global sales at this time.

June 27, 2008 4:16 PM
Anonymous said:

And, Ivan, you will still be short.

June 27, 2008 6:15 PM
Kontra said:

I think this is one of the most indelicate utterances by one CEO regarding another, as I explained here:

Verizon CEO to Steve Jobs: Drop Dead
http://counternotions.com/2008/06/28/verizon-ceo/

June 28, 2008 2:15 AM
Beechlady said:

Ivan=Ballmer mentality.

Yup, you guys can run your respective companies into the ground! Can you hear me now?

June 28, 2008 3:52 AM
Don said:

The iPhone is clearly the most innovative mobile communication device of the decade. Apple was correct in strategically partnering with a large well known mobile carrier like AT&T at the iPhone's introduction to the market, but now there is the promising opportunity to seize the entire global share of communications if they open the iPhone to all mobile carriers. Otherwise, Apple should create our own mobile carrier network or buy one of the existing carriers like Verizon…"Can you hear us now!"

June 28, 2008 8:19 AM
macgyverh Author Profile Page said:

Is it any wonder that Verizon is known for trailing other wireless vendors in giving their subscribers the best and widest selection of phones/devices? They had their chance to get the iPhone in their line-up but failed.

I have Verizon service for my personal and family use. I use a Motorola Z6c for this purpose. I like Verizon's coverage and reliability.

For work, I have an iPhone. AT&T's service coverage is not nearly as widespread or as reliable as their ads suggest, but if I had to give up one phone and service, Verizon would go. I'll keep my iPhone, thank you.

June 29, 2008 6:20 PM
Anonymous said:

I went to the movies the other night and 90% of the pre movie was Verizon trying to tell everyone how much better their stuff was to the iPhone/iTunes. Then they showed a photo of the phone and it looked exactly like the iPhone. Everyone was laughing by that point.

June 30, 2008 8:27 AM
Snorkel Head said:

We're better

NO! We ARE better!

You are NOT
we are TOO
are NOT
are TOO!

What a bunch of whiners

clue: We collectively yawn at your trivial bits of technology. You are NOT different. You are NOT "changing the world". You are selling cheap little battery powered portable phones with a few frills and a service to make them work...that's all. We're not dancing about and getting tatoos of your company logo on our foreheads, o.k?

Prediction: If either iPhone or Verizon disappears from the business landscape, the world will continue to rotate on axis without interruption.

June 30, 2008 9:43 AM

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