Motorola's Jha doesn't expect VZ iPhone to hurt

Motorola chief Sanjay Jha at an Oppenheimer technology conference yesterday dismissed the potential threat of a Verizon iPhone. He explained to Fierce Wireless and others in attendance that he was "comfortable with the dynamic that would create" and didn't see any reason for Verizon to back away from supporting Motorola's Droid phones. The just recently discontinued original Droid was still selling out even towards the end of its life, and new models were likely to continue the trend.

"The Droid X is every bit as good as iPhone," Jha said. "I don't think the value we bring to Verizon becomes any less important when the iPhone is there."

He added that AT&T losing iPhone exclusivity would give it a strong incentive to have other smartphones, including Motorola's. Only the Backflip has reached AT&T so far, but the carrier has already taken to high-end Android phones such as the Samsung Captivate.

Motorola has been enjoying a rise in smartphone sales in the several months since switching to Android, but its heavy dependence on Verizon has been considered both an asset and a liability. The carrier has been Motorola's strongest promoter and went so far as to run a special Times Square promo. It has nonetheless limited Motorola's reach at the high end and isn't guaranteed. Verizon trumpeted the Droid line at the conscious expense of RIM, in at least two occasions burying new BlackBerry launches by putting them on the same day as much higher-profile Android releases.

By Electronista Staff