Seriously. Screw you Apple! I'm off to download a copy of GV Mobile from Cydia, without your permission, because it's what people WANT... more competition. And I already have a paid version of GV Mobile from the App Store too.. But then again, I have a sneaky suspicion that AT&T is behind all of this string-pulling of the App Store. So much for no carrier control.. hey wait, that sounds similar to Verizon!
This is one thing I think will bring AT&T more bad PR than anything else. It's not like they can say it IMPROVES the customer experience, it only detracts from it. They're just being greedy bastards. And we all know how that path ends up
While I agree that both Apple and AT&T have to protect their investments and bottom line, failure to adapt is what brings companies down... not innovation! Case in point is the music industry, if the labels and RIAA had looked into the innovation of the digital distribution channel and realized the proper opportunity, we'd have some label consortium distribution store instead of iTunes, Amazon, etc... and they'd be making just as much money if not more (lower distribution costs for digital after all).
The close-minded management tactics that fail to have any real vision will be what ultimately makes these operators (Verizon is no better btw) just be a dumb pipe, which is what they fear so much ironically. Instead of embracing what is inevitable and preparing to harness all the benefits that can also be had by innovating now, they play this protectionist tactic that dooms them even further. You reap what you sow.
I am glad that Google with its vast team of web developers will be equally capable of giving us a "close to native app" feel from a browser version of GV. This will only make AT&T's move seem like a petty useless tactic that in the end only served to infuriate users and precipitate them towards their own demise even quicker.
-------
Long time reader, first post... so yeah, this ticked me off.
While these moves do p*ss me off, people need to not overreact. Consider the fact that other versions of software that do the same thing on other platforms have not been pulled. It's obvious that AT&T can't handle the demand of iphone customers but we don't know that anyone could. The iphone really brought a huge shift to the market and will continue to.
Right now what iphone users really need is competition. Palm and Sprint are not it. Maybe once the Pre is sold by Verizon but even that might not be enough as we don't know exactly how Verizon might be. They've had their rep of being controlling as well.
E... Do any of you think that AT&T didn't put some cast iron clauses into that contract with Apple to prevent exactly this sort of thing? While it may be inevitable (I hope it is), AT&T has every right to try and slow it down while it still has exclusivity. ....
Fine then why doesn't ATT prohibit GV apps on Blackberry devices?
Anyway you cut it Apple looks like shit on this issue. Apple should have insisted that BB devices play by the same ATT rules as the iPhone.
It is not 'depriving' them of revenue anymore than using a calling card is depriving them of revenue. It is legal and it expected in a competitive market place. Long distance is an area when AT&T should and has to compete. If this is why these apps were barred, that should be illegal, plain and simple.
Calling cards are pre-paid to work on any of those networks. The telco provider has already been given a kick back. This doesn't give the telco provider the kick back, but bypasses that part.
Fine then why doesn't ATT prohibit GV apps on Blackberry devices?
Anyway you cut it Apple looks like shit on this issue. Apple should have insisted that BB devices play by the same ATT rules as the iPhone.
AT&T is on record at citing that the growth in their revenue base is highly effected by the growth of their iPhone sales.
With the known subsidies they pay Apple for the iPhone they sure as hell won't want to allow an application to piggyback in a manner that cuts them out of the financial loop.
I will bet some of this is at the behest of government -- the 1984 Orwellian surveillance state is in full swing with out socialist/communist President.
"in the name of protecting copyright infringements, the Obama administration is now pushing for an international treaty to allow governments to have sweeping access to anyone?s PC, laptop and other electronic devices in order to make copies of any files. Attempts by privacy and civil liberties groups to have copies of the documents released have been refused."
It's just silly to call AT&T greedy. All companies are greedy. They are all in it to get the most amount of money out of you while spending the least they can get away with of their own. If I were AT&T and entrenched in the traditional business model, I wouldn't allow it either, neither would any of you.
As for other phones and services allowing it, get real. There is nothing out there like the iPhone. It is completely without peer. All the BBs on AT&T do not have a fraction of the impact on their network as the iPhone. The iPhone makes advanced, network breaking features accessible and desirable to the average person. The iPhone can break a network and a business model. We should all be glad we have the amazing features that we do. If enough people were actually using these types of services on other carriers, they would stop it too. Even T-Mobile cracked down on tethering with the G1. None of these companies are friendly to this type of change. They are just afraid of the iPhone and will allow almost anything to keep their customers from jumping ship.
AT&T is on record at citing that the growth in their revenue base is highly effected by the growth of their iPhone sales.
With the known subsidies they pay Apple for the iPhone they sure as hell won't want to allow an application to piggyback in a manner that cuts them out of the financial loop.
By that reasoning BB phones that use GV cut into ATT revenue. Why don't they restrict BB phones from using GV apps?
I doubt that the subsidy that ATT pays RIM for BB phones is THAT much less than the subsidy they pay Apple for the iPhone but I've no data to support that.
As for other phones and services allowing it, get real. There is nothing out there like the iPhone. It is completely without peer. All the BBs on AT&T do not have a fraction of the impact on their network as the iPhone. ...
That's arguably true but how does GV 'break' the cellular network?
I suspect GV apps on a BB work pretty much like they do on an iPhone.
That's arguably true but how does GV 'break' the cellular network?
I suspect GV apps on a BB work pretty much like they do on an iPhone.
It is the same type of thing as the Sling app. There are only so many people who would actually use it on other phones. With the iPhone, everything changes. Why is AT&T not ready for MMS on the iPhone? Because there will be more messages from iPhones in one day than they likely get from all other phones in a month. It is just not right to talk about other phones as if they were the same type of thing as the iPhone. No matter how much other companies want to think they are competing with the iPhone, they're not. AT&T knows this and so do the other carriers.
It is the same type of thing as the Sling app. There are only so many people who would actually use it on other phones. With the iPhone, everything changes. Why is AT&T not ready for MMS on the iPhone? Because there will be more messages from iPhones in one day than they likely get from all other phones in a month. It is just not right to talk about other phones as if they were the same type of thing as the iPhone. No matter how much other companies want to think they are competing with the iPhone, they're not. AT&T knows this and so do the other carriers.
I would agree that the iPhone is a data consuming machine but only because its browser is head of the class and internet browsing on the iPhone is closest to a 'desktop' experience.
But do you really think that SMS messaging is *that* much better on an iPhone other phones? It isn't from what I can tell.
I would agree that the iPhone is a data consuming machine but only because its browser is head of the class and internet browsing on the iPhone is closest to a 'desktop' experience.
But do you really think that SMS messaging is *that* much better on an iPhone other phones? It isn't from what I can tell.
I think MMS will be a game changer on the iPhone. Think about how much easier it is to take a picture on the iP versus other phones. Think how much easier sending texts is on the iPhone. I predict that AT&T's network will slow to a craw on day one of MMS availability. The same happens at every major trade show these days. The cell network breaks under the strain of all the iPhones on a single tower. AT&T is right to be very afraid.
I think MMS will be a game changer on the iPhone. Think about how much easier it is to take a picture on the iP versus other phones. Think how much easier sending texts is on the iPhone. I predict that AT&T's network will slow to a craw on day one of MMS availability. The same happens at every major trade show these days. The cell network breaks under the strain of all the iPhones on a single tower. AT&T is right to be very afraid.
Perhaps. MMS might strain the cell network. When ATT enable this service it'll be interesting to see how the network holds up.
But if ATT is concerned about the data getting pushed around by iPhones on their network, I'd think they'd be far more worried about users shooting video on their iPhones and then uploading their clips to you tube and other video hosting sites. I would think that would 'break' the network quicker than pushing MMS. But I don't hear any concern from ATT about that.
Perhaps. MMS might strain the cell network. When ATT enable this service it'll be interesting to see how the network holds up.
But if ATT is concerned about the data getting pushed around by iPhones on their network, I'd think they'd be far more worried about users shooting video on their iPhones and then uploading their clips to you tube and other video hosting sites. I would think that would 'break' the network quicker than pushing MMS. But I don't hear any concern from ATT about that.
I have no inside info, but I bet dollars to doughnuts that concerns about that very thing delayed the release of the video feature. That is why I say that we are all very lucky to be getting what we are considering the uphill battle Apple has to fight in dragging the industry into the 21st century against its will. Yes, there is a long way to go. But try to remember the days before the iPhone. It was a very different mobile world.
Comments
This is one thing I think will bring AT&T more bad PR than anything else. It's not like they can say it IMPROVES the customer experience, it only detracts from it. They're just being greedy bastards. And we all know how that path ends up
The close-minded management tactics that fail to have any real vision will be what ultimately makes these operators (Verizon is no better btw) just be a dumb pipe, which is what they fear so much ironically. Instead of embracing what is inevitable and preparing to harness all the benefits that can also be had by innovating now, they play this protectionist tactic that dooms them even further. You reap what you sow.
I am glad that Google with its vast team of web developers will be equally capable of giving us a "close to native app" feel from a browser version of GV. This will only make AT&T's move seem like a petty useless tactic that in the end only served to infuriate users and precipitate them towards their own demise even quicker.
-------
Long time reader, first post... so yeah, this ticked me off.
Right now what iphone users really need is competition. Palm and Sprint are not it. Maybe once the Pre is sold by Verizon but even that might not be enough as we don't know exactly how Verizon might be. They've had their rep of being controlling as well.
You might notice that people on this forum generally don't spam the threads with advertisements and other braggadocio.
Nope. Just self-righteous posts.
E... Do any of you think that AT&T didn't put some cast iron clauses into that contract with Apple to prevent exactly this sort of thing? While it may be inevitable (I hope it is), AT&T has every right to try and slow it down while it still has exclusivity. ....
Fine then why doesn't ATT prohibit GV apps on Blackberry devices?
Anyway you cut it Apple looks like shit on this issue. Apple should have insisted that BB devices play by the same ATT rules as the iPhone.
It is not 'depriving' them of revenue anymore than using a calling card is depriving them of revenue. It is legal and it expected in a competitive market place. Long distance is an area when AT&T should and has to compete. If this is why these apps were barred, that should be illegal, plain and simple.
Calling cards are pre-paid to work on any of those networks. The telco provider has already been given a kick back. This doesn't give the telco provider the kick back, but bypasses that part.
Fine then why doesn't ATT prohibit GV apps on Blackberry devices?
Anyway you cut it Apple looks like shit on this issue. Apple should have insisted that BB devices play by the same ATT rules as the iPhone.
AT&T is on record at citing that the growth in their revenue base is highly effected by the growth of their iPhone sales.
With the known subsidies they pay Apple for the iPhone they sure as hell won't want to allow an application to piggyback in a manner that cuts them out of the financial loop.
I will bet some of this is at the behest of government -- the 1984 Orwellian surveillance state is in full swing with out socialist/communist President.
Read this for the Obama surveillance state link:
http://www.independent.org/blog/?p=1731
"in the name of protecting copyright infringements, the Obama administration is now pushing for an international treaty to allow governments to have sweeping access to anyone?s PC, laptop and other electronic devices in order to make copies of any files. Attempts by privacy and civil liberties groups to have copies of the documents released have been refused."
Read this for the communist link:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=65066
Very nice troll post. I limit my response with the words,- last week, Amazon.com, Kindle, George Orwell, kill-switch.
As for other phones and services allowing it, get real. There is nothing out there like the iPhone. It is completely without peer. All the BBs on AT&T do not have a fraction of the impact on their network as the iPhone. The iPhone makes advanced, network breaking features accessible and desirable to the average person. The iPhone can break a network and a business model. We should all be glad we have the amazing features that we do. If enough people were actually using these types of services on other carriers, they would stop it too. Even T-Mobile cracked down on tethering with the G1. None of these companies are friendly to this type of change. They are just afraid of the iPhone and will allow almost anything to keep their customers from jumping ship.
AT&T is on record at citing that the growth in their revenue base is highly effected by the growth of their iPhone sales.
With the known subsidies they pay Apple for the iPhone they sure as hell won't want to allow an application to piggyback in a manner that cuts them out of the financial loop.
By that reasoning BB phones that use GV cut into ATT revenue. Why don't they restrict BB phones from using GV apps?
I doubt that the subsidy that ATT pays RIM for BB phones is THAT much less than the subsidy they pay Apple for the iPhone but I've no data to support that.
As for other phones and services allowing it, get real. There is nothing out there like the iPhone. It is completely without peer. All the BBs on AT&T do not have a fraction of the impact on their network as the iPhone. ...
That's arguably true but how does GV 'break' the cellular network?
I suspect GV apps on a BB work pretty much like they do on an iPhone.
That's arguably true but how does GV 'break' the cellular network?
I suspect GV apps on a BB work pretty much like they do on an iPhone.
It is the same type of thing as the Sling app. There are only so many people who would actually use it on other phones. With the iPhone, everything changes. Why is AT&T not ready for MMS on the iPhone? Because there will be more messages from iPhones in one day than they likely get from all other phones in a month. It is just not right to talk about other phones as if they were the same type of thing as the iPhone. No matter how much other companies want to think they are competing with the iPhone, they're not. AT&T knows this and so do the other carriers.
It is the same type of thing as the Sling app. There are only so many people who would actually use it on other phones. With the iPhone, everything changes. Why is AT&T not ready for MMS on the iPhone? Because there will be more messages from iPhones in one day than they likely get from all other phones in a month. It is just not right to talk about other phones as if they were the same type of thing as the iPhone. No matter how much other companies want to think they are competing with the iPhone, they're not. AT&T knows this and so do the other carriers.
I would agree that the iPhone is a data consuming machine but only because its browser is head of the class and internet browsing on the iPhone is closest to a 'desktop' experience.
But do you really think that SMS messaging is *that* much better on an iPhone other phones? It isn't from what I can tell.
I would agree that the iPhone is a data consuming machine but only because its browser is head of the class and internet browsing on the iPhone is closest to a 'desktop' experience.
But do you really think that SMS messaging is *that* much better on an iPhone other phones? It isn't from what I can tell.
I think MMS will be a game changer on the iPhone. Think about how much easier it is to take a picture on the iP versus other phones. Think how much easier sending texts is on the iPhone. I predict that AT&T's network will slow to a craw on day one of MMS availability. The same happens at every major trade show these days. The cell network breaks under the strain of all the iPhones on a single tower. AT&T is right to be very afraid.
I think MMS will be a game changer on the iPhone. Think about how much easier it is to take a picture on the iP versus other phones. Think how much easier sending texts is on the iPhone. I predict that AT&T's network will slow to a craw on day one of MMS availability. The same happens at every major trade show these days. The cell network breaks under the strain of all the iPhones on a single tower. AT&T is right to be very afraid.
Perhaps. MMS might strain the cell network. When ATT enable this service it'll be interesting to see how the network holds up.
But if ATT is concerned about the data getting pushed around by iPhones on their network, I'd think they'd be far more worried about users shooting video on their iPhones and then uploading their clips to you tube and other video hosting sites. I would think that would 'break' the network quicker than pushing MMS. But I don't hear any concern from ATT about that.
Perhaps. MMS might strain the cell network. When ATT enable this service it'll be interesting to see how the network holds up.
But if ATT is concerned about the data getting pushed around by iPhones on their network, I'd think they'd be far more worried about users shooting video on their iPhones and then uploading their clips to you tube and other video hosting sites. I would think that would 'break' the network quicker than pushing MMS. But I don't hear any concern from ATT about that.
I have no inside info, but I bet dollars to doughnuts that concerns about that very thing delayed the release of the video feature. That is why I say that we are all very lucky to be getting what we are considering the uphill battle Apple has to fight in dragging the industry into the 21st century against its will. Yes, there is a long way to go. But try to remember the days before the iPhone. It was a very different mobile world.