Apple Takes Aim at Wireless Phone Companies

Apple launched a broadside against wireless phone companies, saying it will for the first time finance iPhone sales directly to customers without requiring them to be tied to any particular carrier.

The offer, revealed along with a new line of products, marks a sharp turn in the relationship between Apple, which needs to sell tens of millions of new phones each year, and carriers which rely on the iPhone to attract customers to their cellular plans in the highly competitive US market. The new finance offer reflects competing pressures on Apple, which seeks more buyers to upgrade their phones each year, and the wireless carriers, which look to keep their customers from switching to a rival. Apple will offer a monthly fee of $32.41 over 24 months for its cheapest iPhone model under the new program. The deal allows customers to get a new device each year, as well as select their carrier with each upgrade.