We were excited recently about the prospect of a prepaid iPhone and we prepared for what we thought was a new rush of interest in the 5-year-old phone icon. We even put together a special web page for all the ways to Go Prepaid with iPhone. Virgin Mobile, who boasts of very reasonable iPhone plans starting at $35 a month, even opened their first Virgin Mobile-branded retail stores to herald the coming of the iPhone to the prepaid carrier. The reaction was not what they expected. Cricket Wireless offered their own iPhone with less than door-busting response.
Does this mean the iPhone is past its prime or is it just not of interest to the prepaid crowd? Prepaid is no longer the providence of the credit-challenged. Many prepaid buyers are now either value shoppers or users looking for a wireless alternative without a 2-year obligation. AT&T now offers the iPhone for as little as a penny, so we'll assume that it isn't the price. In technology, 5 years is a lifetime. Apple may need to come up with something new or we might see somebody else pass the Tipping Point and create the new iNormal.
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