Report: Sprint to offer Apple iPhones in mid-October

When Apple releases its next-generation iPhone—reportedly this fall—Verizon and AT&T won't be the only wireless carriers in the U.S. to offer the phone.

According to the Wall Street Journal, undisclosed sources claim that Sprint will also offer Apple's newest smart phone in mid-October, a month later than earlier reports of the iPhone 5's unveiling. What's more, sources say that Sprint will also offer, at the same time, the current-generation iPhone 4 to its customers.

That may be good news for Sprint customers who'd rather have an Apple iOS-powered phone than any of the many Android smart-phone offerings in the carrier's stable. And analysts say the news, if true, could really be a huge win for the nation's third largest wireless service provider.

Sprint has seen its subscribers numbers decline in recent months, which CEO Dan Hesse blamed on strong "competitive headwinds" last quarter—the first full quarter that both AT&T and Verizon offered iPhones. (Sprint currently has 52 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter, compared with 106 million for Verizon and nearly 99 million for AT&T, according to the Wall Street Journal.)

Some analysts believe that offering both the latest iPhone and a cheaper iPhone could stop Sprint's decline. But the move could also backfire on Sprint: A newly-competitive Sprint could counter Hesse's (and others') arguments to federal regulators to block the pending AT&T and T-Mobile merger on grounds of anti-trust.

What do you think? If iPhones come to Sprint, will that be good for consumers?

Sprint to Get iPhone 5 [Wall Street Journal]
Sprint and Apple's iPhone 5: Much needed, but cheap iPhone 4 key [ZDNet]

—Paul Eng