Now if only they allowed free international roaming in countries that support the iPhone (US, UK, France and Germany etc) So for example if a UK iPhone user goes to the US it automatically switches to ATT and calls and data come out of your standard tariff.
Thus far, sales of the iPhone in the UK -- like that of Germany and France -- have underperformed.
Yup, as I've said all along.
Still, these plan tariff changes are exactly what the doctor ordered, and show that Apple and O2 can be aggressive and change course when its obvious that 'Plan A' was not working out as well as hoped.
This is the 'one' in the one-two punch they need in Europe, the other obviously being a 3G- and MMS-capable iPhone... hopefully by summer, fall at the latest.
The Phone sales are poor because the Iphone is great MP3 player with a disappointing phone attached. In order to bring this into focus did anyone notice that during the Jobs keynote he mentioned the 'new function' to allow iphone users to send SMS to multiple recipients. I am sure I have been able to do that with a variety of phones since the last century!
Apple has always maintained that more functionality will come to the phone over time. Apple is more interested in functionality being easy and intuitive over a long feature list. While sending multiple SMS is common on every phone, its not something that is necessarily easy to use on every phone. Something that is difficult to use is worthless.
Quote:
The cynic in me suggests that this is Apple/O2 clearing the backrooms full of iPhone stock. Having said that, they are making room for the next iPhone for sure.
It doesn't mean this at all. The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
Quote:
I think this is a great start to get iPhone sales moving, but I think if they really want to get things heated up, they need to tackle the steep asking price.
The asking price isn't out of line with other phones of its class.
Quote:
Well, I have no issue now with the price. But why the 18 month contact?
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
You mean like MMS? Except that MMS is not at all difficult to use, the Euros (and others) have been asking for it, and the iPhone still does not have it, even after 7 months. \
Quote:
The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
I completely agree.
Quote:
The asking price isn't out of line with other phones of its class.
I'd like to hear what the Euro posters think on that one.
Quote:
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
German T-Mobile has reported that new subscribers were up 14.5% this quarter over last year. It attributes this boost to attention it gained from the iPhone. For them it doesn't matter if people got an iPhone or not just as long as they signed a contract with T-Mobile.
TIn order to bring this into focus did anyone notice that during the Jobs keynote he mentioned the 'new function' to allow iphone users to send SMS to multiple recipients. I am sure I have been able to do that with a variety of phones since the last century!
Thank you captain-last-month. I'm sure nobody noticed that one, except the hundreds of people who talked about it.
Apple has always maintained that more functionality will come to the phone over time. Apple is more interested in functionality being easy and intuitive over a long feature list. While sending multiple SMS is common on every phone, its not something that is necessarily easy to use on every phone. Something that is difficult to use is worthless.
It doesn't mean this at all. The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
Not having multiple SMS was a disaster to begin with. Even if its hard to use on other phones (it isn't though) not having it doesn't make sense. Typing in the same message 5 times is more difficult then using any menu system.
You have multiple carriers in the US, Tmobile and AT&T to start with. You still have to unlock the iphone here in the UK, and if you agree with what Apple has been saying, that'll brick it.
Thank you captain-last-month. I'm sure nobody noticed that one, except the hundreds of people who talked about it.
Be nice! That was his first post. He probably isn't as fanatical about getting up to date everything that comes out of Cupertino or linger around these parts much based on that first post.
Not having multiple SMS was a disaster to begin with
I suppose that depend on how important it is to you. You wouldn't be able to send out hundreds of those annoying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" messages.
Quote:
Even if its hard to use on other phones (it isn't though) not having it doesn't make sense.
In my previous Samsung phone to send multiple SMS. You had to go into the submenu of a submenu. Then go to the address book and scroll through to find each person you wanted to send the message to. It was such an arduous process it wasn't even worth bothering with.
Quote:
You have multiple carriers in the US, Tmobile and AT&T to start with.
ATT and T-Mobile are the only two GSM carriers. Verizon and Sprint are CDMA which does not work with the iPhone.
Quote:
You still have to unlock the iphone here in the UK, and if you agree with what Apple has been saying, that'll brick it.
No this is totally wrong. Phones were never bricked from simply being unlocked. Phones that were hacked could have been bricked if the user attempted to update the firmware. The latest firmware update 1.1.3 actually unbricks those same phones.
I've had multiple SMS support on every phone I've ever had and I've never once used it.
You're missing the point! The point is to look for what something doesn't have and then bitch about it endlessly. If it is ever added then your supposed to bitch that it wasn't added sooner while looking for something else to bitch about. But you are to never, under any circumstance, to talk highly about any features it does have.
PS: Not that it's any consolation to anyone here, but the iPhone can receive MMS via AT&T's website. AT&T sends an SMS with a username and password.
PPS: It's just an FYI in case it wasn't known, I'm not in any way defending the lack of MMS.
German T-Mobile has reported that new subscribers were up 14.5% this quarter over last year. It attributes this boost to attention it gained from the iPhone. For them it doesn't matter if people got an iPhone or not just as long as they signed a contract with T-Mobile.
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does.
Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
Again, I called the Euro situation pretty well, though I think a lot of our Euro posters did as well (like Aegis).
ATT and T-Mobile are the only two GSM carriers. Verizon and Sprint are CDMA which does not work with the iPhone.
Not precisely... there are likely still some tiny independent regionals out there using GSM, but the ones of any real size (Suncom, Dobson) have been acquired by either ATT or T-Mobile.
The only large regionals left unacquired are all CDMA (Alltel, USCC, Metro, Cricket).
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does. Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
Well we have to look at it in its full context. The Euro market is a mature market with many advanced smartphones. Many of these phones are given free with 18 month tariffs. The iPhone was sold at a premium with a higher tariff than most phones.
At a premium the iPhone sold 330,000 units over 11 weeks in UK/Germany and 5 weeks in France. From what we've seen of other phones sales this number is not significantly less than other phones which are available in every Euro country from every mobile carrier.
By function the iPhone is not hampered by 3G in reality if at all only by hype. O2 reports by percentage iPhone use more data than all other smartphones combined.
Sales could have been better if the tariff hadn't been so off. O2, T-Mobile, and Orange are all happy that they grew over the past quarter whether directly because of the iPhone or not. Apple is happy as this past quarter was its best quarter in history.
Quote:
Not precisely... there are likely still some tiny independent regionals out there using GSM, but the ones of any real size (Suncom, Dobson) have been acquired by either ATT or T-Mobile.
I'm talking about the major carriers. There is little chance anyone is moving their iPhone to a tiny regional carrier.
By function the iPhone is not hampered by 3G in reality if at all only by hype. O2 reports by percentage iPhone use more data than all other smartphones combined.
This is a no brainer really. There is no option to take an iPhone on O2 without a data plan, so it figures that data usage for the iPhone is going to be a lot more than other phones where users have a choice to take a data package or not.
Incidently, I turned the wifi off on a demo iPhone in an O2 shop last week and tried browsing. It was horrendously slow, far slower than the HSDPA connection I get on my N95-8GB. If that is what edge is like, I say no thanks, and call anyone who says it is as fast as HSDPA a dirty stinking liar :P.
This is a no brainer really. There is no option to take an iPhone on O2 without a data plan, so it figures that data usage for the iPhone is going to be a lot more than other phones where users have a choice to take a data package or not.
Just because you have it does not mean you have to use it. I rarely used much of the features on my previous phones because they were so difficult to use.
Quote:
If that is what edge is like, I say no thanks, and call anyone who says it is as fast as HSDPA a dirty stinking liar.
Who has said that?
Most of the time you are using the iPhone will be on EDGE and not on WiFi. EDGE is good enough for mobile safari to have a marketshare short of desktop browsers. Results vary depending on your wireless strength. Testing has shown that the rendering speed of mobile safari helps make up for EDGE slower speed.
Just because you have it does not mean you have to use it. I rarely used much of the features on my previous phones because they were so difficult to use.
And I think people are more inclined to make use of it, not because they necessarilly want to, but are paying for it anyway so might as well do so. The Google maps application would munch through a lot of data and I'm pretty sure that people are likely to be playing with these features.
Quote:
Who has said that?
Most of the time you are using the iPhone will be on EDGE and not on WiFi. EDGE is good enough for mobile safari to have a marketshare short of desktop browsers. Results vary depending on your wireless strength. Testing has shown that the rendering speed of mobile safari helps make up for EDGE slower speed.
I've seen it loads of times in mobile forums. I live in a major city, so I can't believe for a second that the edge signal is anything short of perfect in the centre of town. The rendering speed might make up for edge in comparison to other edge and basic 3G phones, but certainly can't come anywhere near to an HSDPA enabled device (in my experience).
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does.
Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
.
Sure apple gets a cut - they get the cut from China mobile and from all the other future deals they sign which reflect the strong foot traffic generated.
And I think people are more inclined to make use of it, not because they necessarilly want to, but are paying for it anyway so might as well do so.
This makes no sense.
Quote:
The Google maps application would munch through a lot of data and I'm pretty sure that people are likely to be playing with these features.
Yes this is evidenced by iPhone traffic to Google and Google services has surpassed Windows and Blackberry combined. Windows holds 11% and Blackberry 10% of the worldwide mobile market. iPhone is only 2%.
Quote:
I live in a major city, so I can't believe for a second that the edge signal is anything short of perfect in the centre of town.
Not necessarily there is likely a lot of interference in the center of town.
Quote:
The rendering speed might make up for edge in comparison to other edge and basic 3G phones, but certainly can't come anywhere near to an HSDPA enabled device (in my experience).
EDGE is slower in raw speed to HSDPA. That is a fact. But more plays into rendering a website other than wireless bandwidth. The rendering power of the web browser software, the speed of the phones processor and graphics chips if the phone even has a specialized graphics chip. The design of the website and how easy it can be rendered by a phones modest abilities.
Comments
Now if only they allowed free international roaming in countries that support the iPhone (US, UK, France and Germany etc) So for example if a UK iPhone user goes to the US it automatically switches to ATT and calls and data come out of your standard tariff.
Thus far, sales of the iPhone in the UK -- like that of Germany and France -- have underperformed.
Yup, as I've said all along.
Still, these plan tariff changes are exactly what the doctor ordered, and show that Apple and O2 can be aggressive and change course when its obvious that 'Plan A' was not working out as well as hoped.
This is the 'one' in the one-two punch they need in Europe, the other obviously being a 3G- and MMS-capable iPhone... hopefully by summer, fall at the latest.
This should help quite a bit.
.
The Phone sales are poor because the Iphone is great MP3 player with a disappointing phone attached. In order to bring this into focus did anyone notice that during the Jobs keynote he mentioned the 'new function' to allow iphone users to send SMS to multiple recipients. I am sure I have been able to do that with a variety of phones since the last century!
Apple has always maintained that more functionality will come to the phone over time. Apple is more interested in functionality being easy and intuitive over a long feature list. While sending multiple SMS is common on every phone, its not something that is necessarily easy to use on every phone. Something that is difficult to use is worthless.
The cynic in me suggests that this is Apple/O2 clearing the backrooms full of iPhone stock. Having said that, they are making room for the next iPhone for sure.
It doesn't mean this at all. The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
I think this is a great start to get iPhone sales moving, but I think if they really want to get things heated up, they need to tackle the steep asking price.
The asking price isn't out of line with other phones of its class.
Well, I have no issue now with the price. But why the 18 month contact?
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
Something that is difficult to use is worthless.
You mean like MMS? Except that MMS is not at all difficult to use, the Euros (and others) have been asking for it, and the iPhone still does not have it, even after 7 months.
The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
I completely agree.
The asking price isn't out of line with other phones of its class.
I'd like to hear what the Euro posters think on that one.
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
True.
.
Yup, as I've said all along.
Well there are a couple of ways to look at that.
German T-Mobile has reported that new subscribers were up 14.5% this quarter over last year. It attributes this boost to attention it gained from the iPhone. For them it doesn't matter if people got an iPhone or not just as long as they signed a contract with T-Mobile.
TIn order to bring this into focus did anyone notice that during the Jobs keynote he mentioned the 'new function' to allow iphone users to send SMS to multiple recipients. I am sure I have been able to do that with a variety of phones since the last century!
Thank you captain-last-month. I'm sure nobody noticed that one, except the hundreds of people who talked about it.
Apple has always maintained that more functionality will come to the phone over time. Apple is more interested in functionality being easy and intuitive over a long feature list. While sending multiple SMS is common on every phone, its not something that is necessarily easy to use on every phone. Something that is difficult to use is worthless.
It doesn't mean this at all. The UK tariff was a terrible deal and needed to be adjusted. This is what it should have been from the beginning.
18 months is nothing. After the 18 months you can take the phone to other carrier options. In the US we have 24 months and only one other carrier option.
Not having multiple SMS was a disaster to begin with. Even if its hard to use on other phones (it isn't though) not having it doesn't make sense. Typing in the same message 5 times is more difficult then using any menu system.
You have multiple carriers in the US, Tmobile and AT&T to start with. You still have to unlock the iphone here in the UK, and if you agree with what Apple has been saying, that'll brick it.
Thank you captain-last-month. I'm sure nobody noticed that one, except the hundreds of people who talked about it.
Be nice! That was his first post. He probably isn't as fanatical about getting up to date everything that comes out of Cupertino or linger around these parts much based on that first post.
PS: Captain-last-month is pretty funny.
Not having multiple SMS was a disaster to begin with
I suppose that depend on how important it is to you. You wouldn't be able to send out hundreds of those annoying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" messages.
Even if its hard to use on other phones (it isn't though) not having it doesn't make sense.
In my previous Samsung phone to send multiple SMS. You had to go into the submenu of a submenu. Then go to the address book and scroll through to find each person you wanted to send the message to. It was such an arduous process it wasn't even worth bothering with.
You have multiple carriers in the US, Tmobile and AT&T to start with.
ATT and T-Mobile are the only two GSM carriers. Verizon and Sprint are CDMA which does not work with the iPhone.
You still have to unlock the iphone here in the UK, and if you agree with what Apple has been saying, that'll brick it.
No this is totally wrong. Phones were never bricked from simply being unlocked. Phones that were hacked could have been bricked if the user attempted to update the firmware. The latest firmware update 1.1.3 actually unbricks those same phones.
I've had multiple SMS support on every phone I've ever had and I've never once used it.
You're missing the point! The point is to look for what something doesn't have and then bitch about it endlessly. If it is ever added then your supposed to bitch that it wasn't added sooner while looking for something else to bitch about. But you are to never, under any circumstance, to talk highly about any features it does have.
PS: Not that it's any consolation to anyone here, but the iPhone can receive MMS via AT&T's website. AT&T sends an SMS with a username and password.
PPS: It's just an FYI in case it wasn't known, I'm not in any way defending the lack of MMS.
I've had multiple SMS support on every phone I've ever had and I've never once used it.
Is that because you've only got one friend?
Well there are a couple of ways to look at that.
German T-Mobile has reported that new subscribers were up 14.5% this quarter over last year. It attributes this boost to attention it gained from the iPhone. For them it doesn't matter if people got an iPhone or not just as long as they signed a contract with T-Mobile.
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does.
Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
Again, I called the Euro situation pretty well, though I think a lot of our Euro posters did as well (like Aegis).
.
ATT and T-Mobile are the only two GSM carriers. Verizon and Sprint are CDMA which does not work with the iPhone.
Not precisely... there are likely still some tiny independent regionals out there using GSM, but the ones of any real size (Suncom, Dobson) have been acquired by either ATT or T-Mobile.
The only large regionals left unacquired are all CDMA (Alltel, USCC, Metro, Cricket).
.
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does. Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
Well we have to look at it in its full context. The Euro market is a mature market with many advanced smartphones. Many of these phones are given free with 18 month tariffs. The iPhone was sold at a premium with a higher tariff than most phones.
At a premium the iPhone sold 330,000 units over 11 weeks in UK/Germany and 5 weeks in France. From what we've seen of other phones sales this number is not significantly less than other phones which are available in every Euro country from every mobile carrier.
By function the iPhone is not hampered by 3G in reality if at all only by hype. O2 reports by percentage iPhone use more data than all other smartphones combined.
Sales could have been better if the tariff hadn't been so off. O2, T-Mobile, and Orange are all happy that they grew over the past quarter whether directly because of the iPhone or not. Apple is happy as this past quarter was its best quarter in history.
Not precisely... there are likely still some tiny independent regionals out there using GSM, but the ones of any real size (Suncom, Dobson) have been acquired by either ATT or T-Mobile.
I'm talking about the major carriers. There is little chance anyone is moving their iPhone to a tiny regional carrier.
By function the iPhone is not hampered by 3G in reality if at all only by hype. O2 reports by percentage iPhone use more data than all other smartphones combined.
This is a no brainer really. There is no option to take an iPhone on O2 without a data plan, so it figures that data usage for the iPhone is going to be a lot more than other phones where users have a choice to take a data package or not.
Incidently, I turned the wifi off on a demo iPhone in an O2 shop last week and tried browsing. It was horrendously slow, far slower than the HSDPA connection I get on my N95-8GB. If that is what edge is like, I say no thanks, and call anyone who says it is as fast as HSDPA a dirty stinking liar :P.
This is a no brainer really. There is no option to take an iPhone on O2 without a data plan, so it figures that data usage for the iPhone is going to be a lot more than other phones where users have a choice to take a data package or not.
Just because you have it does not mean you have to use it. I rarely used much of the features on my previous phones because they were so difficult to use.
If that is what edge is like, I say no thanks, and call anyone who says it is as fast as HSDPA a dirty stinking liar.
Who has said that?
Most of the time you are using the iPhone will be on EDGE and not on WiFi. EDGE is good enough for mobile safari to have a marketshare short of desktop browsers. Results vary depending on your wireless strength. Testing has shown that the rendering speed of mobile safari helps make up for EDGE slower speed.
Just because you have it does not mean you have to use it. I rarely used much of the features on my previous phones because they were so difficult to use.
And I think people are more inclined to make use of it, not because they necessarilly want to, but are paying for it anyway so might as well do so. The Google maps application would munch through a lot of data and I'm pretty sure that people are likely to be playing with these features.
Who has said that?
Most of the time you are using the iPhone will be on EDGE and not on WiFi. EDGE is good enough for mobile safari to have a marketshare short of desktop browsers. Results vary depending on your wireless strength. Testing has shown that the rendering speed of mobile safari helps make up for EDGE slower speed.
I've seen it loads of times in mobile forums. I live in a major city, so I can't believe for a second that the edge signal is anything short of perfect in the centre of town. The rendering speed might make up for edge in comparison to other edge and basic 3G phones, but certainly can't come anywhere near to an HSDPA enabled device (in my experience).
For German T-Mobile, it doesn't matter. For Apple, it does.
Apple doesn't get a cut of revenue from new subscribers who don't purchase iPhones. And German iPhone sales have been weak.
.
Sure apple gets a cut - they get the cut from China mobile and from all the other future deals they sign which reflect the strong foot traffic generated.
And I think people are more inclined to make use of it, not because they necessarilly want to, but are paying for it anyway so might as well do so.
This makes no sense.
The Google maps application would munch through a lot of data and I'm pretty sure that people are likely to be playing with these features.
Yes this is evidenced by iPhone traffic to Google and Google services has surpassed Windows and Blackberry combined. Windows holds 11% and Blackberry 10% of the worldwide mobile market. iPhone is only 2%.
I live in a major city, so I can't believe for a second that the edge signal is anything short of perfect in the centre of town.
Not necessarily there is likely a lot of interference in the center of town.
The rendering speed might make up for edge in comparison to other edge and basic 3G phones, but certainly can't come anywhere near to an HSDPA enabled device (in my experience).
EDGE is slower in raw speed to HSDPA. That is a fact. But more plays into rendering a website other than wireless bandwidth. The rendering power of the web browser software, the speed of the phones processor and graphics chips if the phone even has a specialized graphics chip. The design of the website and how easy it can be rendered by a phones modest abilities.