14 DAY TRIAL // T-Mobile is one of the likely candidates for carrying the iPhone in Europe and while many reports have hinted that the company has struck a deal with Apple, or is very close to closing a deal, there has been no official confirmation from either company. That however, has not meant much so far as the German carrier has repeatedly leaked parts of its site and banners for the iPhone.
Apple's secrecy is legendary and many companies have regretted letting the proverbial cat out of the bag before Jobs said the time was right. Considering the phenomenon that is the iPhone, carriers are expected to be courting Apple left and right in order to land a deal, not doing what Apple hates most and letting information slip. T-Mobile must be either very confident or very desperate.
The first slip came in the shape of an iPhone section of their web-site that was quite rudimentary and not likely intended for public viewing. Considering that Apple itself has had several slip-up with their website over the years, this is something that could happen to anyone. But now, the company has leaked another iPhone related item, a text banner and product shot, both hosted on their website. The device was described as "the new cult mobile phone" and showed without an AT&T logo. Considering the previous leak, it seems highly unlikely that the company would not take the proper measures to ensure this would not happen again.
It looks like T-Mobile is practically advertising the fact that it has won the deal with Apple and will be offering the iPhone, but has it. One leak after the other seems an unlikely occurrence, especially when you have such a secretive business partner. If anything, this is starting to look more like a confounding tactic, with intentional leaks meant to make everyone believe that T-Mobile has won the deal with Apple, when in fact it hasn't. If Apple is indeed partnering with somebody else, the company is unlikely to break the veil of secrecy only to let everyone know that T-Mobile is bluffing. In the mean time, unaware customers will work under the presumption that T-Mobile will be carrying the iPhone and are likely to keep and renew their contracts instead of letting them sit and expire in order to be able to change carriers when the iPhone does come out.
Whether it's because they are sloppy or because they are sneaky, there is definitely something wrong with T-Mobile and their iPhone leaks. All other carriers are keeping perfectly silent, why aren't they?