So Verizon
Game over, Google
That would be the obvious snap judgment of the situation as disgruntled AT&T
But then you're overlooking another moving part in the share puzzle: What will AT&T do?
You can't expect AT&T to sit idly by. The company has put the vast majority of its smartphone efforts into the iPhone so far, but now suddenly has reason to sell Androids, Microsoft Windows Phone 7, and Research In Motion
Recent news says it won't be. The company threw its support behind Android at the industry's CES event last week, highlighting more than a dozen new Android phones. Among these was the powerful Motorola
The pull of Verizon's network is very real, but it will be counteracted by AT&T's counterstrike. The net effect is a multi-horse race, depending on exactly where AT&T places its bets. Apple will grow, Android will grow, and maybe even Microsoft gets a toehold in the market at long last. The only question is which platform grows faster than the others in an expanding total market.
The Verizon iPhone won't kill anybody or anything else. This is just another shot of intravenous caffeine for smartphones in general.
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