Apple Inc. announced lately it will for the first time finance iPhone sales directly to customers without requiring them to be tied to any particular carrier.
This decision is considered to accelerate price competition and step up margin pressure at the American wireless carriers.
The offer, revealed along with a new line of products, marks a sharp turn in the relationship between Apple, which needs to sell tens of millions of new phones each year, and such wireless giants as AT&T Inc., and Verizon Communications Inc., which rely on the iPhone to attract customers to their cellular plans in the highly competitive U.S. market.
Apple will offer a monthly fee of 32.41 U.S. dollars over 24 months for its cheapest iPhone model under the new program announced at the latest iPhone launch.
The deal allows customers to get a new device each year, as well as select their carrier with each upgrade, according to the Apple website.
(Agencies)
