Sprint CEO tries to get back in the game with Apple's iPhone 6
Apple introduced two larger screen iPhones during an event on Tuesday. James Martin/CNET
CUPERTINO, Calif. -- On his first day as CEO of Sprint, Marcelo Claure didn't spend his time greeting employees in the company's Kansas headquarters. Instead, he traveled to Cupertino to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Sprint didn't start offering the iPhone until the fourth generation of the device -- the iPhone 4S in October 2011 -- and Claure was determined Sprint would be at the front of the pack this time around. So he asked Cook for a meeting.
"I did not want to miss out," Claure said in an interview Tuesday, shortly after Apple launched its newest smartphones. "I think [the iPhone 6] will be the most successful iPhone ever launched."
The two CEOs struck a deal for Sprint to offer the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at Sprint with new, specially priced, unlimited data plans. For $50, buyers of the iPhone 6 models will get unlimited data, voice, and text. By comparison, Sprint's cheapest plan for individuals currently costs $60.
Apple on Tuesday unveiled its newest iPhones - the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus - during a splashy event at the Flint Performing Arts Center down the street from its Cupertino headquarters. Cook also showed off Apple's first wearable, called the Apple Watch, as well as a mobile payments service.
More to come ...
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