VODAFONE TO BECOME iPAD WIRELESS PROVIDER?

Hot on the heels of becoming the third network provider of the iPhone, Vodafone has set its sights on bagging the iPad too. Vodafone announced that its sales for the third-quarter were higher than anticipated, in no small part thanks to the increasing popularity of Apple’s landmark mobile device and it is keen to continue this upward-trend by supplying the public with Apple’s latest technological offering.

The iPad currently has no wireless provider in the UK but predictably every network wants a slice of the pie. O2, formerly the sole network provider of the iPhone, want to land themselves a deal, as do Orange, the second provider in the UK. Orange, like Vodafone, understand the power Apple products have to send profit rates soaring as they sold 200,000 iPhones between November and Christmas 2009.

Just how much have Vodafone’s shares increased? For the first time ever in the company’s history their profits exceeded £1 billion, no small feat at any time but even more so considering we are still in recession. It isn’t right to hail Apple as the messiah, single-handedly saving companies from bankruptcy, but certainly they are helping keep such network providers ahead of competition. It is little wonder, then, that the other networks want in on the act because no matter how many iPhones are sold, they keep rising in popularity. So much so that last year their market share was over 10%, which was double the previous year.

The iPad truly is a remarkable device and is thought to change the future of mobile communications. Although not designed to replace mobile phones, there is every possibility of portable computers having a massive design overhaul following the release of this device.

by Rich White