Here is a post I found from another blogger. His argument is almost identical about the iPhone. At is current pricing level, it will just not sell to the masses. He agrees the big winner will be AT&T and then takes the discussion one step farther and states it will actually increase Blackberry sales. The Blackberry sales increase angle is a concept I did not go into but do agree with.
From Big Ben’s Investing Blog:
There is no question that the late June debut of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone will create a lot of stir. Much of the hype is already priced into the stock. Or at least most of the hype will be priced into the stock before the iPhone debuts in about a month. I still think you a can stay long Apple until the release. Apple will have a tough time selling the iPhone. An initial $500 price tag for a 4 GB music phone and a $600 price tag for a 8 GB phone will be too steep for most consumers. Still many iPhones will be sold and I remain bullish on AAPL.
Who Else Will Benefit?
1. Research in Motion (RIMM): Many of the same features of the iPhone can be had for a lower monthly fee and lower upfront cost with a Blackberry. The Blackberry Pearl runs between $59 and $149 depending on the carrier. Plus the data fees are $10 less per month than the iPhone. I believe consumers will upgrade their cell phones this summer and choose RIMM over the iPhone.
2. AT&T (T) will be a winner no matter what happens. AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone and will gain wireless subscribers. More importantly more consumers will add media bundles to their wireless plans when they upgrade to a “smartphone” in order to use all of its features. This is a homerun for AT&T, as the average revenue per user should increase with more “smartphone” subscribers.
3. Motorola (MOT) is my sleeper pick. Hovering near its 52 week low, I see lots of value MOT. Motorola has the RAZR 2 set to debut in July and the Q9 smartphone also set to debut shortly. The Q9 will put added pricing pressure on the iPhone and Blackberry Curve & Pearl.
One important thing to remember is that these cell phone upgrades come in cycles. I would never “invest” for the long haul in any of the above names. These are simply 6-8 month “trades.”
The “apple-holics” can scream at the blogger here: