Wasn't the Iphone captive to ATT?
Ummmm..., I think you've got that backwards, doncha know ... LOL ...
It's AT&T who is captive to iPhone. You do remember the CEO of AT&T coming on the platform with Steve Jobs and saying, "We just let Apple be Apple," and "We've never done this with anyone else."
Like I said, I think you've got that backwards.
BUT, you also have to remember that Apple tried to "do it their way" once before and they had the "stillborn phone" (in cooperation with Motorola). Motorola just "didn't get it" and they tried to tell Apple "how to do it" and all they got was a "stillborn phone" in the process.
And from that, Apple understood what had to be done with these companies, since they didn't know what they were doing in the first place... :-)
Is ATT known as the best cell phone service provider?
Well, it was an easy decision actually. First Apple went for the service which had the most customers in the world. That's GSM ... with 80% of the world's market.
With more than 3 billion people using GSM and approximately 80 percent of the world's population covered by mobile networks, GSM is fast becoming the most popular way to deliver information, communication and entertainment services to people worldwide.
- http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/services/index.htm
And so, with two GSM carriers in the U.S. -- (again, GSM, which carry the largest percentage of users in the world at 80%) -- it was another "easy decision" LOL ...
I suppose you would have picked T-Mobile, eh? :-)
Gees, Apple worshipers are as hopeless as Tiger worshipers.
Gees, I wish the Apple-haters and "nattering nabobs of negativity" would work on, first, just getting their facts straight. That would solve 99% of their problems... LOL ...
Yes, Apple makes great stuff. I bought an Ipod before anyone knew about them, but I don't mindlessly accept everything they make as golden.
There's nothing "mindless" about it -- with Apple continuously delivering better products than anyone else... :-)