AT&T confirms iPhone key to new brand

updated 11:05 am EDT, Mon May 21, 2007

 

ATT Confirms iPhone Brand


The iPhone is instrumental to the change from Cingular branding to AT&T, according to the US cell provider. In announcing a switch on Monday to the new company name for the logos within all of its 1,800 stores, company spokesman Michael Coe was adamant that the Apple device be associated with AT&T and not Cingular, as the expected popularity would be essential to generating goodwill for the company's future rather than its past.

"We want to make sure that every drop of equity from the iPhone accrues to the AT&T brand," he said. "We want to be as far along as possible with our rebranding in advance of the launch of the iPhone."

While outside signage hadn't changed with the announcement and was only likely to see completion within a year's time along with other changes, AT&T said its existing updates were already "performing above projected levels," hinting that the iPhone's timing would primarily add momentum rather than mend any potential flaws with its strategy.

Apple for its part has already changed the iPhone's software, reveailing the AT&T logo at the top of the main user interface.


By Electronista Staff

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  1. chas_m

    Moderator

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    Good move

    While most iPhone enthusiasts (such as myself) don't really care WHAT network it's on, Cingular does seem to have its detractors in large areas of the country (and supporters in areas where their network works well).

    If AT&T is really going to upgrade Cingular's network and completely take over "the iPhone experience," this will probably help take the wind out of those negative sails.


  1. climacs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2001

    0

    agreed: cingular sucked

    I was one of Cingular's victims, er, former customers. I'm going to wait and see if AT+T does things differently or if it's just slapping a new name and logo on the same old s***.

    By the way, does anyone under 40 remember the old AT+T? I have a hard time believing that name has any residual goodwill if you aren't old enough to remember the way things used to be pre-AT+T-monopoly-breakup.


  1. testudo

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    Re: agreed

    I was one of Cingular's victims, er, former customers. I'm going to wait and see if AT+T does things differently or if it's just slapping a new name and logo on the same old s***.

    Umm, all they did was change the name. The network is still the same quality network it always was. They're just saying they're going to label this AT&T to push their new branding name.

    As for the old AT&T, I can't believe anyone had any goodwill feeling toward AT&T in the first place. Look at what telecommunications has become since the break-up (and how horrible its getting with the mergers), and everyone should be thinking AT&T was nothing more than a monopolist taking advantage of the American people. Not much goodwill in that statement.


  1. Hobeaux

    Junior Member

    Joined: Mar 2002

    0

    complicated

    the acquisitions and name changes according to wikipedia:

    "Formerly a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth, Cingular Wireless soon acquired the old AT&T Wireless; SBC later acquired the original AT&T and rebranded as "the new AT&T". Cingular became wholly-owned by the new AT&T in December 2006 as a result of AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth."

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cingular


  1. testudo

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    Re: complicated

    Which is why, if you're somehow expecting better service from 'the new AT&T' then the old Cingular, you're probably going to be waiting a while.


  1. UberFu

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2002

    0

    re; complicated

    and both SBC and BellSouth [and Verizon for that matter] were ALL ultimately sprung from the original "Ma Bell" aka AT&T_

    So if you think about it - all that is happening is that ALL of the "Baby Bells" are re-consilidating themselves_

    One problem with why it's taking so long for the name transition from Cingular to AT&T is that the term "Cingular" in the short 6 years it was around - has become one of the single most recognized brands_

    Adobe isn't still marketing Dreamweaver as a Macromedia product_

    One flaw with the above article [and it's not the writers fault] is that when Apple introduced us to the iPhone they brought up the CEO of Cingular and had said that Apple was partnering with Cingular to release the iPhone in the US_


  1. testudo

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    Cool!

    Wow, this would go great in my MBP, if only I could replace the HD without blasting the warranty. But, who needs disk space when it looks so nice....


  1. msuper69

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Jan 2000

    0

    re: climacs / old AT&T

    Yeah I remember the old days before the breakup of the Bell System. I remember rock-solid telephone service. The only bad thing back then was long-distance calls werre very expensive.


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