Apple seeks 3G specialist for Macs as subsidy deals near

[AppleInsider]

Apple is seeking an experienced communications engineer to join its Mac team and focus on debugging communications technologies -- including 3G Wireless WAN -- amid rumors that the company is nearing deals with 3G providers that would help subsidize the cost of new Macs.

The job listing within Apple's Mac Hardware Group, spotted on Tuesday by ComputerWorld, seeks an individual that would be responsible for "testing and reporting hardware, software, and device driver bugs for Communications technologies including AirPort (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth v2.0, gigabit Ethernet, and/or 3G Wireless WAN in a detailed, timely manner."

The reference to 3G is drawing some attention because it's the only communications technology mentioned in listing that's not currently a fixture of Apple's Mac line. Some industry watchers and customers have long called upon Apple to follow in the footsteps of rivals like Acer and Dell and build 3G wireless technology into its notebooks.

During a conversation with USA Today's Ed Baig last year, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs admitted to exploring the idea of building a 3G chip into the 13-inch MacBook Air, but said he ultimately decided against the move because he doesn't want MacBooks to be tied to a specific wireless carrier for enhanced internet services.

In the US, Apple would likely need to follow a similar approach to the iPhone and use the HSPA standard for 3G, which would limit MacBooks to AT&T for wide-area broadband if the company also wanted the technology to work in Europe and most other parts of the world.

Still, that hasn't stopped AT&T from knocking on the Mac maker's door. The carrier's Emerging Devices group president Glenn Lurie acknowledged in a January interview with Fortune that the company is making a push into non-phone devices that could use cellular broadband and looked forward to the possibility that Apple would be part of those plans.

"We're having conversations with lots of folks," he said. "[But] I would very much like to do more business with Apple, and hope that we do."

The executive noted that a holiday promotion that subsidized Acer's Aspire One down to $99 with the purchase of an AT&T 3G service plan worked "extremely well" and that he hoped to establish similar offers for as many products as possible, including larger portables.

Though Apple has thus far been unwilling to build specific wireless broadband hardware into its notebooks, it has reportedly agreed to deals by which it will allow MacBooks to be subsidized alongside sales of 3G services made accessible via USB dongle modems, which would offer customers the freedom to choose their wireless broadband provider. Apple's latest job posting may therefore represent a move on the part of the Cupertino-based company to certify that the broad range of wireless broadband USB modems and their software drivers perform well on the Mac platform.

A little over a month ago it was reported that Orange, the United Kingdom's top rated mobile broadband provider, was wrapping up talks with Apple to offer subsidized MacBooks to customers who sign up for its own 3G service. At the time, Orange was reportedly testing its USB dongle modems with the current line of MacBooks in anticipation of launching the promotion sometime this summer.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[teckstud]

There are so many more important things MAcs need besides this. I guess this is to push MobileMe further along.
But really- Where's the bag of hurt (blu-ray) and matte we all really need?

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by teckstud

There are so many more important things MAcs need besides this. I guess this is to push MobileMe further along.
But really- Where's the bag of hurt we all know is coming?

This is really a vague, one-off reference that could represent little more than Apple seeking an engineer to help certify Mac compatibility with the broad range of 3G services that can be accessed by plugging a USB dongle modem into the notebooks. We tried to make that clear in the report.

Best,

K

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Kasper

This is really a vague, one-off reference that could represent little more than Apple seeking an engineer to help certify Mac compatibility with the broad range of 3G services that can be accessed by plugging a USB dongle modem into the notebooks. We tried to make that clear in the report.

Best,

K

Thanks for clarifying. It seemed more than that. Thanks.

[GTL215]

Originally Posted by teckstud

There are so many more important things MAcs need besides this. I guess this is to push MobileMe further along.
But really- Where's the bag of hurt (blu-ray) and matte we all really need?

we need blu-ray in our portables? I can't remember the last time i watched a DVD in my laptop.

[solipsism]

If they go the internal WWAN route they could always do it like the original Airport cards by making it a small card you install if you want it. This could give buyers the option of having a GSM-based, CDMA-based or no card installed.

I get 3MB DL from my USB 3G card and 2MB DL from my tethered iPhone, but having an internal card would be worth a Mac update to me for the simplified convenience.

Originally Posted by GTL215

we need blu-ray in our portables? I can't remember the last time i watched a DVD in my laptop.

Nor do we need or want matte screens en masse.

[GTL215]

Originally Posted by Kasper

This is really a vague, one-off reference that could represent little more than Apple seeking an engineer to help certify Mac compatibility with the broad range of 3G services that can be accessed by plugging a USB dongle modem into the notebooks. We tried to make that clear in the report.

Best,

K

let's be honest - the article made MUCH more out of the posting than a simple "one-off" job post reference. Every single paragraph (except the second) talks about a 3g partnership deal. Readers have no choice but to infer that the job posting relates to Apple prepping their notebooks for such a deal.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by GTL215

we need blu-ray in our portables? I can't remember the last time i watched a DVD in my laptop.

Not for watching- for STORAGE.
All those itunes files on 1 disk!

[wraithofwonder]

I don't like dongles and no, I don't want to be tied to any specific carrier.

Apple, come up with a better solution inside the machine.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Nor do we need or want matte screens en masse.

Speak for yourself always?

[GTL215]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Not for watching- for STORAGE.
All those itunes files on 1 disk!

hah, right.

First off, correct me if i'm wrong, but current BDs in laptops are read only. Then (if you're able to get a BD burner) you're gonna pay for blank BD-Rs, and spend time waiting for them to write at 2x.

Or, you can get a 1TB HDD off amazon for $100. I'll take the HDD.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by GTL215

hah, right.

First off, correct me if i'm wrong, but current BDs in laptops are read only. Then (if you're able to get a BD burner) you're gonna pay for blank BD-Rs, and spend time waiting for them to write at 2x.

Or, you can get a 1TB HDD off amazon for $100. I'll take the HDD.

I'm not going to argue with you but the article is about future specialist and improving laptops. Have fun lugging your 1TB HDD around with that laptop.
If I'm not mistaken Apple helped pioneered the CD/DVD burner in the laptop. They could do the same here with blu-ray.

[Vision Aforethought]

I sit here using a 24MBit optical broadband connection (from Virgin UK). Yet, no matter which cloud computing service I use, it is still not fast enough, never mind the HSDPA dongle I use when mobile, that is about 4 times slower, despite running at a nice 7MB in major cities. YouTube, Google Docs, Picasa, Flickr and other services or sites while useful, fall over or time out when the connection slows down a tad - making them all but useless.

So if Apple are going to build WAN wireless into their devices, they are going to have to do what they do best (as they did with the iPhone OS & GUI) and jump way into the future (today!) and adopt LTE - in every device they make, from the iPod shuffle to the fully loaded Mac Pro.

I want to be able to exist in the cloud without hindrance.

And if Apple don't do it, I will. There is always room for another player when the paradigm is due for shifting again.

Capiche?

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple is seeking an experienced communications engineer to join its Mac team and focus on debugging communications technologies -- including 3G Wireless WAN -- amid rumors that the company is nearing deals with 3G providers that would help subsidize the cost of new Macs.

The job listing within Apple's Mac Hardware Group, spotted on Tuesday by ComputerWorld, seeks an individual that would be responsible for "testing and reporting hardware, software, and device driver bugs for Communications technologies including AirPort (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth v2.0, gigabit Ethernet, and/or 3G Wireless WAN in a detailed, timely manner."

The reference to 3G is drawing some attention because it's the only communications technology mentioned in listing that's not currently a fixture of Apple's Mac line. Some industry watchers and customers have long called upon Apple to follow in the footsteps of rivals like Acer and Dell and build 3G wireless technology into its notebooks.

During a conversation with USA Today's Ed Baig last year, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs admitted to exploring the idea of building a 3G chip into the 13-inch MacBook Air, but said he ultimately decided against the move because he doesn't want MacBooks to be tied to a specific wireless carrier for enhanced internet services.

In the US, Apple would likely need to follow a similar approach to the iPhone and use the HSPA standard for 3G, which would limit MacBooks to AT&T for wide-area broadband if the company also wanted the technology to work in Europe and most other parts of the world.

Still, that hasn't stopped AT&T from knocking on the Mac maker's door. The carrier's Emerging Devices group president Glenn Lurie acknowledged in a January interview with Fortune that the company is making a push into non-phone devices that could use cellular broadband and looked forward to the possibility that Apple would be part of those plans.

"We're having conversations with lots of folks," he said. "[But] I would very much like to do more business with Apple, and hope that we do."

The executive noted that a holiday promotion that subsidized Acer's Aspire One down to $99 with the purchase of an AT&T 3G service plan worked "extremely well" and that he hoped to establish similar offers for as many products as possible, including larger portables.

Though Apple has thus far been unwilling to build specific wireless broadband hardware into its notebooks, it has reportedly agreed to deals by which it will allow MacBooks to be subsidized alongside sales of 3G services made accessible via USB dongle modems, which would offer customers the freedom to choose their wireless broadband provider. Apple's latest job posting may therefore represent a move on the part of the Cupertino-based company to certify that the broad range of wireless broadband USB modems and their software drivers perform well on the Mac platform.

A little over a month ago it was reported that Orange, the United Kingdom's top rated mobile broadband provider, was wrapping up talks with Apple to offer subsidized MacBooks to customers who sign up for its own 3G service. At the time, Orange was reportedly testing its USB dongle modems with the current line of MacBooks in anticipation of launching the promotion sometime this summer.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[GTL215]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I'm not going to argue with you but the article is about future specialist and improving laptops. Have fun lugging your 1TB HDD around with that laptop.
If I'm not mistaken Apple helped pioneered the CD/DVD burner in the laptop. They could do the same here with blu-ray.

I'm not saying BD for storage is a bad thing. In fact, I woudl love to have simplified physical backups of my iTunes library - without a doubt. And BD is probably the best way to do that. However, right now, it's (a) too expensive, and (b) not efficient enough. I'd say those two things right there amount to the "bag of hurt" steve jobs is talking about.

Blu ray is a proprietary format and I'm sure Apple has their sights banking on digital downloads rather than hi-def optical discs anyway. When the tech is affordable enough for their computer lineups, I'm sure they'll include it.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Vision Aforethought

I sit here using a 24MBit optical broadband connection (from Virgin UK). Yet, no matter which cloud computing service I use, it is still not fast enough, never mind the HSDPA dongle I use when mobile, that is about 4 times slower, despite running at a nice 7MB in major cities. YouTube, Google Docs, Picasa, Flickr and other services or sites while useful, fall over or time out when the connection slows down a tad - making them all but useless.

So if Apple are going to build WAN wireless into their devices, they are going to have to do what they do best (as they did with the iPhone OS & GUI) and jump way into the future (today!) and adopt LTE - in every device they make, from the iPod shuffle to the fully loaded Mac Pro.

I want to be able to exist in the cloud without hindrance.

And if Apple don't do it, I will. There is always room for another player when the paradigm is due for shifting again.

Capiche?

Verizon = 4G. Can't come soon enough.

[GTL215]

Originally Posted by Vision Aforethought

from the iPod shuffle to the fully loaded Mac Pro.

What would an LTE ipod shuffle look like?

[Hiro]

Originally Posted by wraithofwonder

I don't like dongles and no, I don't want to be tied to any specific carrier.

Apple, come up with a better solution inside the machine.

Your request is self defeating. Specific hardware inside will automatically limit the potential carriers because of carrier specific hardware requirements totally outside the control of Apple.

Dongles and/or PC cards give complete carrier flexibility because they can conform to the carrier specific requirements.

Until you can coerce ALL carriers to conform to a single 3G standard that tradeoff is your only option.

[hittrj01]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Verizon = 4G. Can't come soon enough.

AT&T is moving to the same exact 4G network at the same exact time. I agree, though, it can't come soon enough.

[hittrj01]

Originally Posted by Hiro

Your request is self defeating. Specific hardware inside will automatically limit the potential carriers because of carrier specific hardware requirements totally outside the control of Apple.

Dongles and/or PC cards give complete carrier flexibility because they can conform to the carrier specific requirements.

Until you can coerce ALL carriers to conform to a single 3G standard that tradeoff is your only option.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218044489891

This HP laptop has both EVDO and HSPA in it, so it is something where there is no tradeoff. While doing this in a phone would probably be too expensive for Apple to care about (yes, Verizon and Sprint have world phones, but those phones are nowhere close to cheap), doing this in a laptop would be more than feasible. If HP can do it for under 800 bucks (subsidized to 599 with AT&T or Sprint activation), Apple should be able to do it for 1200-1400 and have carriers subsidize it when activated.

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by solipsism

If they go the internal WWAN route they could always do it like the original Airport cards by making it a small card you install if you want it. This could give buyers the option of having a GSM-based, CDMA-based or no card installed. ...

And given that Apple could put it inside the laptop for as little as 20 bucks, which might be subsidised by AT&T to the tune of several hundred bucks, it seems like a no brainer to me.

Personally, I think this is exactly what all the "cheaper Mac" speculation was about, as well as the "laptops will get minor upgrade at WWDC" stuff the week before.

[Dr Millmoss]

Subsidies suck! You always pay more in the end.

[hittrj01]

Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss

Subsidies suck! You always pay more in the end.

Completely agree, but it is unfortunately the nature of the beast, and no real way around it. If you are going to get the service anyway, at least here in the States, there is no reason not to get it subsidized, since you are going to have to pay the monthly service fee anyway. Might as well save a couple hundred bucks upfront.

[Vision Aforethought]

...just as a few years ago if I told you that someone would embed WiFi circuits inside an SD card, you would think me bonkers. ("You're bonkers! Get off this forum you foo!") But a few moons ago, these guys > http://www.eye.fi/ < came along and pulled a big fluffi rabbit out of a hat. And who would have thought you could get a mind blowing touch screen multimedia wireless device with Playstation 1 level 3D graphics in a case 12mm thick - by 2007?

Whodathunkitindeed!

'twill happen one day - every device on this planet (and beyond) will - as Sun Microsystems once predicted in regard to the 'Web Tone' & Java - be connected to teh interweb - and teh will be no central server - we'll all be Borged via secure P2P. Et Wuala, we'll all live happily ether after...

Originally Posted by GTL215

What would an LTE ipod shuffle look like?

[Dr Millmoss]

Originally Posted by hittrj01

Completely agree, but it is unfortunately the nature of the beast, and no real way around it. If you are going to get the service anyway, at least here in the States, there is no reason not to get it subsidized, since you are going to have to pay the monthly service fee anyway. Might as well save a couple hundred bucks upfront.

True enough -- more often than not, you don't get a choice. I wonder how many people realize what a bad deal they are, though. Those monthly charges just go up to cover the subsidy, and then some.

[Wiggin]

Originally Posted by solipsism

If they go the internal WWAN route they could always do it like the original Airport cards by making it a small card you install if you want it. This could give buyers the option of having a GSM-based, CDMA-based or no card installed.

I get 3MB DL from my USB 3G card and 2MB DL from my tethered iPhone, but having an internal card would be worth a Mac update to me for the simplified convenience.

Originally Posted by wraithofwonder

I don't like dongles and no, I don't want to be tied to any specific carrier.

Apple, come up with a better solution inside the machine.

I know! Let's call it...just making up a random name...Express Card!

Ok, ok, so that's not entirely an internal solution. But do you really think Apple has the market share to create and get industry adoption of an entirely new card format? And you'd still need the antennas to be built into the laptop (and I believe the antennas may be different for GSM vs CDMA?). I guess they could build the cards themselves, but it would probably be cheaper for them to just put the chips on the motherboard and include antennas, supporting both 3G formats. But then what do you do when 4G comes along next year?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Wiggin

I know! Let's call it...just making up a random name...Express Card!

Ok, ok, so that's not entirely an internal solution. But do you really think Apple has the market share to create and get industry adoption of an entirely new card format? And you'd still need the antennas to be built into the laptop (and I believe the antennas may be different for GSM vs CDMA?). I guess they could build the cards themselves, but it would probably be cheaper for them to just put the chips on the motherboard and include antennas, supporting both 3G formats. But then what do you do when 4G comes along next year?

1) As I mentioned in my post, Apple has already done this with great success with their Powerbooks back when they sold considerably less unit than they are now.

2) When 4G comes along you pop in the 4G card, if you wish to get CDMA/CDMA2000/LTE or GSM/WCDMA/LTE or all 5 standards on a card.

3) LTE won't be coming along next year in any way that matters to most people. It'll be years before it blankets the US while carriers are still only on Category 5 HSUPA and haven't even gotten into HSPA+.

[wizard69]

Originally Posted by GTL215

we need blu-ray in our portables? I can't remember the last time i watched a DVD in my laptop.

Really it is about the only thing a laptop is good for on a plane unless you pay for executive class seating.


Dave

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by wizard69

Really it is about the only thing a laptop is good for on a plane unless you pay for executive class seating.

Hold up, Dave! The only thing a laptop is good for on a plane is playing Blu-ray movies?!?! Playing movies off the HDD, or any other media type or app I find is great with a laptop while in flight. If it came down to it a DVD wouldn't be so bad on such a small screen but I don't want to use anything that is going to use more juice than I want it to. You'd get a single movie out of a decent computer with a Blu-ray drive. The high-powered BR optical media is the least ideal option for most people while in flight.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Speak for yourself always?

Most people want glossy.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by GTL215

hah, right.

First off, correct me if i'm wrong, but current BDs in laptops are read only. Then (if you're able to get a BD burner) you're gonna pay for blank BD-Rs, and spend time waiting for them to write at 2x.

Or, you can get a 1TB HDD off amazon for $100. I'll take the HDD.

Burners these days go to 8x burn. But that's not for a drive that can fit inside a laptop.

Most people will want to do both.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I'm not going to argue with you but the article is about future specialist and improving laptops. Have fun lugging your 1TB HDD around with that laptop.
If I'm not mistaken Apple helped pioneered the CD/DVD burner in the laptop. They could do the same here with blu-ray.

You're not mistaken.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by GTL215

I'm not saying BD for storage is a bad thing. In fact, I woudl love to have simplified physical backups of my iTunes library - without a doubt. And BD is probably the best way to do that. However, right now, it's (a) too expensive, and (b) not efficient enough. I'd say those two things right there amount to the "bag of hurt" steve jobs is talking about.

Blu ray is a proprietary format and I'm sure Apple has their sights banking on digital downloads rather than hi-def optical discs anyway. When the tech is affordable enough for their computer lineups, I'm sure they'll include it.

Every technology out there is, or was proprietary. So what?

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss

True enough -- more often than not, you don't get a choice. I wonder how many people realize what a bad deal they are, though. Those monthly charges just go up to cover the subsidy, and then some.

Of course it does. It's like buying on a credit card that continually adds interest month after month.

But some people can't buy it any other way. Paying $600 to $800 up front for an iPhone is more than many people can handle.

I don't agree that buying on credit, which is what these plans really are, is always a good way, but sometimes it's the only way.

[bsymac]

I am amazed that there has not been a 3G radio in the macbooks already. I hope that there is a reasonable rate for iPhone users to add macbook service. I would hope that it is less than $30 more a month. There really should be a combined flat rate. How much data can one person use at a time anyway?

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by GTL215

hah, right.

First off, correct me if i'm wrong, but current BDs in laptops are read only. Then (if you're able to get a BD burner) you're gonna pay for blank BD-Rs, and spend time waiting for them to write at 2x.

Or, you can get a 1TB HDD off amazon for $100. I'll take the HDD.

Keep in mind that the 2x is equivalent to about 6.6x on DVD. An 8x burner is similar to 26.4x DVD writing. The write time is still longer for BD, but you're talking a lot of data.

Originally Posted by Vision Aforethought

So if Apple are going to build WAN wireless into their devices, they are going to have to do what they do best (as they did with the iPhone OS & GUI) and jump way into the future (today!) and adopt LTE - in every device they make, from the iPod shuffle to the fully loaded Mac Pro.

I want to be able to exist in the cloud without hindrance.

And if Apple don't do it, I will. There is always room for another player when the paradigm is due for shifting again.

You'll do what? You have the capability to roll out a new wireless standard in a pervasive way? That's what it sounds like you are saying. It's a lot easier to have point to point cabled signal than it is to do it in a wireless way. For example, the fastest consumer Ethernet is at least 5x faster than the fastest WiFi. There is no pro WiFi that I'm aware of that goes beyond n, but it is possible to get 10Gig ethernet.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by bsymac

I hope that there is a reasonable rate for iPhone users to add macbook service. I would hope that it is less than $30 more a month. There really should be a combined flat rate. How much data can one person use at a time anyway?

There current unlimited data plan for EC/34 adn USB cards are $60/month for unlimited. Their is technically a 5Gb soft cap, but I use a smidge more than that each month. I've used over 80GB in 23 days.

With the iPhone 3.0 Betas you can tether for free right now. I figure they will put the kibosh on that before the official launch. If they do and do allow you to tether for a fee, I figure it would be $30/month addition to the regular iPhone data package to bring it inline with their unlimited PC access. It will save me $30/month as I can get rid of my other account and for other users it will save them a costly 3G USB or EC/34 purchase which even when subsidized are still pricey.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

Keep in mind that the 2x is equivalent to about 6.6x on DVD. An 8x burner is similar to 26.4x DVD writing. The write time is still longer for BD, but you're talking a lot of data.

It is considerably more data per second than DVD or CD, but it's much slower than any HDD, it uses a lot more power, it's noisier, any write errors trash a disc and each disc is expensive. Buying a HDD for backup is considerably more ideal for a consumer.

You'll do what? You have the capability to roll out a new wireless standard in a pervasive way? That's what it sounds like you are saying. It's a lot easier to have point to point cabled signal than it is to do it in a wireless way. For example, the fastest consumer Ethernet is at least 5x faster than the fastest WiFi. There is no pro WiFi that I'm aware of that goes beyond n, but it is possible to get 10Gig ethernet.

I didn't think his post was real since it doesn't make sense. LTE, which isn't even a finalized standard to be in an iPod Shuffle?

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by melgross

Of course it does. It's like buying on a credit card that continually adds interest month after month.

But some people can't buy it any other way. Paying $600 to $800 up front for an iPhone is more than many people can handle.

I don't agree that buying on credit, which is what these plans really are, is always a good way, but sometimes it's the only way.

Buying up front is even penalized here. Even if we did buy up-front, that doesn't matter as we don't get a discount on the contract price.

Originally Posted by bsymac

I am amazed that there has not been a 3G radio in the macbooks already.

I think the Air should have been offered with an optional internal card as it really would play well into the product. It's only rate that I would find a desire for cellular data on my notebook, but if I needed one, I think I might still be put off by the concept of an external dongle.

I hope that there is a reasonable rate for iPhone users to add macbook service. I would hope that it is less than $30 more a month. There really should be a combined flat rate. How much data can one person use at a time anyway?

How much do you download or stream? As it is, iPhones use a lot of data, more than any other phone device, supposedly hitting the 3G networks harder than other devices. This is despite the fact that the iPhone WiFi cuts down on the need for 3G, a lot of other phones don't have WiFi to mitigate data use.

I have to imagine that a wide rollout of Apple computer products is going to cause problems. I think watching a one 22 minute TV show every day on Hulu would bring you near AT&T's soft cap territory.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by solipsism

It is considerably more data per second than DVD or CD, but it's much slower than any HDD, it uses a lot more power, it's noisier, any write errors trash a disc and each disc is expensive. Buying a HDD for backup is considerably more ideal for a consumer.

All true.

I didn't think his post was real since it doesn't make sense. LTE, which isn't even a finalized standard to be in an iPod Shuffle?

Yeah, it was pretty pompous. Besides, cellular data on a Mac Pro? How wasted does one have to be to think that one up?

[melgross]

Originally Posted by solipsism

It is considerably more data per second than DVD or CD, but it's much slower than any HDD, it uses a lot more power, it's noisier, any write errors trash a disc and each disc is expensive. Buying a HDD for backup is considerably more ideal for a consumer.

Gee, they said the same thing about DVD when writers first came out.

Do you expect BD to remain the same price forever?

As far as write errors go, they trash CDs and DVDs as well.