OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A newspaper article in New York saying Sprint Nextel would have the iPhone 5 this fall has provoked a company directive on how to handle followup questions.
Apple Insider said Monday The Wall Street Journal article stating "confidently" that Sprint would join AT&T and Verizon Wireless as a supplier this October has provoked a company memo directing employees to say "No comment," when asked about the article's veracity.
The Journal, citing informed sources, said the Sprint memo, says, "A recent Wall Street Journal article mentioned that Sprint is getting the iPhone5. If you're asked by a customer or just talking to friends or family members, you need to avoid making any comment about the 'iPhone and … state 'no comment.'"
Conspicuously to some, however, the memo does not say Sprint is not getting the iPhone5. That may well mean Sprint has confirmed it will become the third company to be able to offer the popular phone along with its service plan.
Apple is famously secretive about research and development and its business deals.
A deal, however, could give both Apple and Sprint a boost.
Apple phones are facing stiff competition from phones using the Android operating system, which was developed by Google and is used by a variety of phone manufacturers.
Sprint could also use a shot in the arm. In the second quarter, Sprint had a net loss of 101,000 subscribers, a sharper drop than analysts had forecast.
