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Research Firm Sees Apple Launching its 'iPhone' With MVNO Helios

Wednesday, April 19th, 2006 at 1:00 PM - by

British research firm Visiongain has released a report in which it predicts a 78% likelihood that Apple will release the fabled 'iPhone' in conjunction with the launch of the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) Helio this spring. The company gave an 85% chance that it will happen in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

The report's executive summary, a copy of which was obtained by iPodObserver.com, states that Helio "is a sharp departure from MVNO trends, which lean heavily on prepaid or very narrow specialty niches." The report cites Helio CFO Todd Tappin's plans to sign three million customers and create over US$2 billion in revenue by 2009.

In addition to utilizing 3G cellular networks and offering music, video, and games, Helio "is also promising handsets never before seen in the U.S., and services that go beyond the basic music and video offerings of mainstream carriers," the report said. "Helio's top executives have publicly voiced frustration with mainstream carriers and appear to be on a crusade to radically shake-up the industry."

The executive summary also points to built-in ties between Apple and Helio: executive Rob Gelick developed the iTunes Rokr phone at Motorola before leaving, and Disney, which recently purchased Apple CEO Steve Jobs' other company, Pixar, has its own MVNO that could become part of the mix.

"The iPod's existing parental control and automatic 'allowance' features will easily translate to a phone device and will readily appeal to Disney's market: the concerned parents of under-aged kids demanding a cell phone," the report said.

"Eventually," the report added, "Apple will also offer free WiPod to WiPod calls, using a Skype-like software application. If this manifests, it will be highly disruptive to the current carrier market."

Visiongain's complete 82-page report sells for £1,299. It delves more deeply into the topics touched on in the executive summary.

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Small White Car said:

member since 02 Jul 2004 with 1960 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:39 pm

78%?

How do you get a number that precise for a prediction? Did they visit 1,000 alternate universes and in 780 of them find an Apple phone existed?

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:49 pm

According to my reasearch, 78% of analyst and "research firm" predictions are crap. I give it an 85% chance that anything they say will be forgotten by the third or fourth quarter of this year. My 82-page report sells for a mere buck-o-five. It doesn't delve any more deeply into these topics, because there's really nothing more to say.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:10 pm

Stats are really fun! I took this from my politics blog which is a record of a freewheeling chat we had at sfwest.com, in the Boston Tea Party chat room there, using abortion statistic. We authoritatively throw some serious numbers to obfuscate others and to confuse ourselves.

- begin -

Dora: Natchez, 2.5% black babies aborted by liberals?

Natchez, Dora, no, it says most of the abortions were performed by conservatives.

SaPanther: 32% of conservatives have forced abortions onto their daughters ...

Natchez: PolInc, if you look at the URL Polinc provided, it says 2.5 percent, not 25 percent.

Natchez: ''Dear Lord, help polinc to remember to include the decimal next time. Amen.''

Natchez: Kewp, Polinc left out the decimal. *S*

Vanax: Natchez, PolInc left to find the decimal point he misplaced somewhere. “Where is that dang dot?”

Kewp: Dora, where did that number come from??

Dora: Kewp, it's a mystery fer sure.

Natchez: PolInc, If you do the actual math with the numbers Polinc provided, you get 2.5 percent.

Polinc: Natchez, I'm a private school teacher...I CAN do the math...*snicker*...

HogRider: Polinc, yes, (while you can do the math), getting the correct answer is one of the (very important) objectives.

PolInc: Hogrider, Not if you're in a public school.

Natchez: Polinc went to public schools, and got a terrible education. *S*

Natchez: Polinc, It's 2.5 percent.

Kewp: *lol* Natchez

Vanax: Guera, a staunch Catholic, believes that involuntary incestuous pregnancies should not be aborted for any reason.

Dora: Natchez, so what's the 2.5%?

Vanax: PolInc, what percentage of Righwinger dads have impregnated their innocent daughters and refused to allow them to abort?

Natchez: Vanax, 65%. Do the math. *S*

Vanax: Natchez, hmmm. I take issue with 65%. I say 71%. *S*

Natchez: Vanax, OK, your statistic is better. *S*

Vanax: PolInc, on the other hand, let’s guess at some basic numbers: Say that 50% of Rightwinger dads impregnated their daughters, and if only 50% of the daughters were innocent which is 25%, and, of this 25%, 80% of them refused to have their daughters have an abortion, then the answer is 20%.

That is, 20% of Rightwinger dads who impregnated their dauthers jealously guarded their right as a parent to refuse to allow their daughters to abort the dad’s children.

SaPanther: According to my quick research: About 2% of pregnancies end in abortion each year. The idea that 25% of black pregnancies end in abortion is very, very suspect.

Vanax: PolInc, I guess at least 20% these dads who molest their innocent children are strongly pro-children. *S*

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gslusher said:

member since 13 Nov 2002 with 2088 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:06 am

78%? Where do they get such a precise number? According to my calculations, it's actual 76.23948729298479287%.

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