Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
The wireless industry is known for many things: tremendous growth; an insatiable appetite from consumers; and boring, boring, boring executives.
Not that there is anything wrong with that. The last thing investors want is some leader that goes off on half-cocked whims that results in the purchase of Nextel or putting all of your eggs in the WiMAX basket. (Wait, the same company did both? Huh.)
However, every once in a while an exec comes along that confounds this tradition, and the latest to do so is the focus of my new man-crush: T-Mobile US CEO John Legere.
I mean, just look at the guy. Hair flowing. Pink shirt blazing from underneath that never-buttoned dinner jacket. That big, white “T” showing brightly.
I dare you to try to take your eyes off of him.
Heck, he even wears that pink t-shirt when on television.
He is a bit like a honey badger.
Remember back in the day when Dan Hesse with his checkerboard Van’s shoes was the “hip” guy whenever carrier CEOs got together at trade shows? (Or maybe it was the fact he was two-feet taller than everyone else.) That was all it took for Hesse to then be the focus of my man-crushing. But, now with a new owner and thoughts of trying to become one of the industry’s “stable” providers, Hesse has sort of lost that air of excitement. Don’t’ get me wrong, Hesse is still a great guy. He’s just not doing it for me anymore. I guess you could say we have grown apart.
“It’s not you Dan, it’s me. I have changed. My needs have changed. I guess I am just looking for someone with a bit more “color” in his wardrobe.”
I just can’t wait for the next chance to see Legere strut onstage next to the uptight execs running the other carriers. It’s going to be awesome. Typically I like to sit in the front row of such gatherings in order to take advantage of that business-class legroom afforded by such a location. But now, with Legere potentially only feet away, I may be tempted to rush the stage.
And, if he starts with the R-rated language, watch out!
I know that most of what he is saying is just marketing gobbeldy-gook that he feels is needed to set T-Mobile US apart from its rivals and follow up on its “un-carrier” marketing tagline. But, dang! If he does not pull it off like a master.
The only thing that might heighten my infatuation with Legere to perhaps a dangerous level is if the rumors of a potential deal with Dish Network pan out. Can you imagine how much more confidence Legere – if he were to remain in charge of T-Mobile US – would be with the financial backing of Charlie Ergen? We could be looking at the next Richard Branson in the making. Better yet, Richard Branson with the vocabulary of Richard Pryor. (Did I mention that inappropriate cussing is hilarious?)
Warning: Hilarious cursing
I am sure at some point Legere will outgrow this current rebellious phase, swap out that pink shirt for a nicely pressed white shirt, button up that jacket and maybe even put on a tie, but until that happens let’s all enjoy his antics and don’t be surprised if you see someone rush the stage at the next industry event.
OK, enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this week’s Worst of the Week column. And now for some extras:
–Rumors of a “cheaper” Apple iPhone device continue to spread like bed bugs, with a multitude of “sittings” clogging the Internet airwaves. The best part is that many of these top-secret pics show a device with a plastic casing, thus somehow affording the device a lower status in the current iPhone pecking order.
I know the first few iPhone iterations sported the best in plastics for their casings and did not seem any less worthy because of it. But with the last few versions sporting aluminum and glass, a move back to plastic seems worthy of a move by Samsung.
Come on Apple. You are better than that. Can’t you come up with some sort of new, low-end device casing that does not mimic what your greatest rival that is known for mimicking you is doing? What about imitation felt? Or naugahyde? Or some sort of new material we have not even heard of before?
I am all for Apple bringing the price down on its devices, though a quick search of carrier sites seems to show a lot of “free” iPhone 4s running around, but only do so if you can do it the Apple way. You know … dazzle me!
–LG unveiled its latest shot at reaching the pinnacle of the smartphone market with its G2 models this week. In doing so, the company went old-school in preloading musical content onto the device. Not old-school like Samsung did by allowing Galaxy smartphone users to download a Jay-Z application and his latest album. No, I am talking way back in including sounds from the Vienna Boys’ Choir preloaded on the G2.
Nothing speaks to smartphone users quite like young boys singing choir music.
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