We love to pay as little as possible for our Android devices (especially if we’re on a 2-year contract) and will look for any (and every) deal or break we can get. However, while the majority of consumers live off subsidized devices, there are some who believe that mobile carriers who subsidize devices also hurt the mobile industry as a whole. While speaking at the GeekWire Summit in Seattle, Washington, T-Mo Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman believes subsidizing phones is a major problem and if he had it his way, would “wave his hand and wipe out subsidies.”
Brodman gives his reasoning for his thoughts and beliefs on subsidies while also talking about T-Mobile’s strengths. He states subsidies “actually distorts what devices actually cost and it causes OEMs, carriers — everybody to compete on different playing fields.” He also adds “it causes consumers to devalue completely the hardware they are using.” During the same talk at the summit, Brodman took some time to pump up how great T-Mobile is despite not having the iPhone and no plans to sell the device in the near future. He was asked about if T-Mobile can survive without selling the iPhone and here were his thoughts:
“Yes we can. We have fantastic alternate choices. And I think those (Android, Blackberry, Windows) devices — whether it is through the app experiences, through the network experiences or through the devices themselves — do things that rival the iPhone — and in many cases — do them better than the iPhone. So, I absolutely think we can be successful.”
Tell us how you really feel Brodman. What do you all think? Is it time for a subsidy-free future or do you folks prefer having your cheaper phones (while still being locked into multi-year contracts)? Sound off in the Comments section below or in our Forums.
