"When the Trump Organization launched a mobile phone service last June, it was supposed to be a stage setter for a new smartphone bathed in gold with a $500 price tag - a bargain compared to Apple's latest iPhone models that sell for anywhere from $800 to $1,200. The newly formed Trump Mobile targeted its T1 phone for an August or September release."
"Not long after announcing the device, Trump Mobile pivoted from describing it as a phone that would be made in the U.S. to framing it as a device that would be "proudly American." Trump Mobile's website now touts the T1 as having an "American-proud" design, with no further explanation."
"Analysts believed that the shift stemmed from a recognition that the U.S. lacked the supply chain and other logistics required to make a smartphone for less than $1,000 - the same hurdles that made it implausible for Apple to acquiesce to President Trump's demands that the company move its iPhone manufacturing from China and India. Later in the summer, Trump Mobile also became more vague about when the T1 would become available, but still indicated it would be delivered to customers who paid the $100 deposit by the end of 2025."
A gold-bathed T1 smartphone from Trump Mobile, priced at $500, has not shipped and remains unavailable as CES introduces many new devices. Trump Mobile launched its mobile service last June and initially targeted an August or September release for the T1. The phone was originally described as "proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best," but messaging later shifted to an "American-proud" design without specifying U.S. manufacturing. The company continues to accept $100 deposits, lists release as "later this year," and indicated delivery to depositors by end of 2025.
Read at Fast Company
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