Copied from the Yahoo message board. Posted by Lisatoyou2.
Earthlink, Sprint and Apple
by: Lisatoyou2
17402 of 17411
I never thought Earthlink would be bought out in the first place, including last year when FON was rumored to
be buying out ELNK. Nor have I ever thought it was in the best interest of ELNK or its shareholders. There's
lots of PR spin being put on by box makers like DELL and Gateway because their entire business model is in
jeapordy. So what better way to bolster themselves up right now by promoting their internet strategy, and
saying they don't have to buy an ISP. They can't AFFORD to buy an ISP. We are worth far too much and no
way are we going to sell ourselves short. At least I hope not.
What should happen, is Yahoo (who recently teamed up with Sprint to become the content infrastructure for
cell phones and wireless internet) and Earthlink and Apple and Sprint should join forces to create a whole
Internet package that will be the BEST way of accessing and setting up your business and personal life online,
not to mention the best access to entertainment. (i.e. the future major networks online like the Go Network,
iNBC etc.. This would be a strategy that could crush companies like Gateway and Dell (afterall they are only
box makers all making the same thing, with the only thing differentiating them now is "brand name" - does a
"dell" computer really work better than a "gateway" computer? This is becoming ALL about Internet access,
because the Internet will be the dominating force in our personal and business lives going forward, not to
mention the biggest entertainment medium. I think we will see an entirely new landscape take shape over the
next several years. Whenever you go out, more and more people seem to be talking on their cell phones, and
this is where I think the Internet is heading. We used to only talk on the phone at home, now we take it with
us wherever we go. Yahoo gets this strategy and so does Sprint. The best computer maker with the highest
selling computer this year is Apple (their iMac sales crushed ALL their competitors, including Dell and
Gateway) because Apple's computers have proven by consumer choice to have more character and style
obviously, so for Apple, it's more than just about "brand name" ... And that goes for EarthLink, while I believe
EarthLink will beging building a large brand name for itself, it's alsot he expert of all experts in the ISP field,
and rated the very best. The quarterly numbers for "paying" members from the so called Giant ISP's like AOL
and the so called smaller up and coming ISP's like
Earthlink are starting to fill. EarthLink added 180,000 new "paying" members compared to AOL's 750,000
members... I think we'll see that gap fill more and more over time as EarthLink is preparing and building to
have the largest DSL infrastructure and customer base over the next several years than ANY other ISP.
So what is a box maker again, really? Gateway just admitted for their company to really continue growing
they need to focus and shift their focus to the Internet.... where leaders like Yahoo and EarthLink already are.
So by Yahoo, Earthlink, Sprint and Apple computer joining forces, all I can say is compaines like Gateway
and Dell will then REALLY have to start redefining what their business is all about, especially if they think
teaming up with AOL is going to help them, which will prove they really don't have a clue. AOL to me
discourages its members from using the Internet because they are ultimately a "Content service" rather than a
pure ISP. So AOL is a very different business than EarthLink really. So who will be the REAL winners in the
long run? I think the pure ISP's like Earthlink, and I think Yahoo and Sprint know this as well. And they also
all know that high speed DSL and Wireless are going to make up a MAJOR part of the internet experience in
the not too distant future. One way or another, it's going to get very interesting. Stay tuned.
Lisa
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