As Apple reportedly tests another iteration of its now-familiar iPhone, Forbes is looking back to 2006 and 2007, when AT&T gambled on a new device built not to its specifications but to those of Steve Jobs. In an interview, current AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega recounts how taking up the iPhone pushed AT&T from an aging landline company with a stake in wireless provider Cingular to a major wireless carrier in its own right — and how the iPhone changed the relationship between carriers and phone makers. It’s part of a series of Forbes pieces on AT&T, including an interview with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and a magazine article about the company’s evolution.
Behind AT&T’s historic gamble on the original iPhone
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Correction: Previously indicated Randall Stephenson as past rather than present AT&T CEO.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
