What Will Apple Do After Every Sizable Mobile Service Provider Sells the iPhone?

Apple will face a common supplier issue, namely product saturation, at some point, after every significant (in terms of market share) mobile service provider, in each market, sells the iPhone. Except for T-Mobile, all of the largest four U.S. carriers already sell the iPhone, and regional or prepaid carriers also are starting to get the device.

So Apple will do what any supplier normally does, in such situations. Refresh products so that existing buyers want to buy again. Apple also will continue wooing customers who now buy other devices to buy its own.

As it did with the iPod family of products, Apple will flesh out devices in a range of price segments, to capture more of the addressable market. Apple also will try to get existing and potential buyers to spend for other products Apple makes, such as tablets.