Speaking at GeekWire’s technology summit in Seattle, T-Mobile’s chief marketing officer Cole Brodman voice some strong opinions regarding carrier subsidies, claiming they are hurting the mobile industry. “It actually distorts what devices actually cost and it causes OEMs, carriers — everybody to compete on different playing fields, and I think it is really difficult, especially from a consumer perspective, because it causes consumers to devalue completely the hardware they are using.” he said. “It is amazing hardware, but it has become kind of throw away. So, it is unfortunate, you’ve got dual-core, multiprocessor devices with amazing HD screens that get thrown away at 18 months.” Brodman would love for T-Mobile to remove subsidies, however if the other carriers “don’t want to play along,” it will be a risky move. When the executive was asked about the carrier’s future and whether or not it could compete without the iPhone, he explained “yes we can, we have fantastic alternate choices,” going on to mention the company’s line of Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry smartphones.
[Via TmoNews]
