Exclusive: T-Mobile's 2011 roadmap includes HTC ‘G-Infinity,’ LG Optimus II, three new BlackBerrys, and more
The Samsung Hercules is far from the only device in T-Mobile's pipeline for the next few months, of course — and we've got some insight into what's coming next. HTC G-Infinity?
Context & Ripple Effects
Carrier roadmaps leaking ahead of schedule is a well-worn beat in this cycle: T-Mobile's end-of-year device plans surfaced via leak back in July 2010, and AT&T's Q4 2010 lineup — Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Torch variants, Samsung Focus — was previewed the same way three months before launch. This report extends that pattern to mid-2011, pairing the already-detailed Samsung Hercules with an HTC 'G-Infinity,' an LG Optimus II, and three new BlackBerrys — every device name still unconfirmed by T-Mobile.
The stakes are unusually high this quarter: T-Mobile posted a confirmed net loss of 471,000 contract customers in Q1 2011, up from 318,000 the quarter before, which it attributed to competitive pressures — and with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Apple and Google due before Senate subcommittees within days, the carrier's device pipeline is under more scrutiny than usual.
First-order effects
- If the reported pipeline holds, HTC, LG and RIM each gain guaranteed shelf space on the largest US carrier without iPhone access, at exactly the moment T-Mobile needs fresh hardware to slow contract-customer attrition.
Second-order effects
- Three new BlackBerrys in the leak suggest RIM is leaning harder on carrier distribution deals to hold US share, while rival carriers — following the AT&T and Verizon playbook of pre-launch lineup exclusives — face pressure to counter with their own anchored hardware.
Third-order effects
- Repeated roadmap leaks are turning carrier launch calendars into open competitive intelligence, shifting differentiation from launch-day surprises to whoever controls the deepest Android pipeline — a structural disadvantage for any carrier locked out of the iPhone.
The trend: US carrier competition is migrating toward leaked-device-pipeline warfare, with Android-heavy carriers like T-Mobile using hardware breadth to offset subscriber losses they attribute to rivals' iPhone lineups.