O2 sweetens service plans for UK iPhone customers

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 75
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:

    The stock's down 35 percent in a month.



    Keep up Baggins we were talking about Orange and O2. They are the ones who made the projections that were not met.



    Quote:

    It's almost like you don't read my posts before you respond. What part of "the iPhone is a breakthrough Internet device that greatly improves user experience and drives data/Internet usage" did you not get?



    I wasn't talking about the iPhone. I was talking about Euros and their demands for 3G. They talk about it more than they actually use it.



    Quote:

    Do you honestly believe that data usage has been low on those phones because of 3G? That's hilarious.



    That's not what I said at all. Once again, "you taking what I've said out of context as you do to confuse the issue when you don't have solid argument".



    Quote:

    Linux? Apple and oranges? WTF? That makes no sense.







    "The numbers seem small…until you put them into perspective. The iPhone was launched in late June — about seven months ago — and since then has captured almost .2% of the web-using world. When you look at Net Applications’ numbers and see that Linux itself — which has been around for centuries — only has .63% of the web market, such a dramatic seven-month gain is nothing short of incredible. (Either that, or there are only, like, 100 Linux users in the world.)"







    Windows XP\t 78.37%

    Windows Vista\t 9.19%

    Mac OS\t 6.81%

    Windows 2000\t 2.97%

    Windows 98\t 0.76%

    Windows NT\t 0.63%

    Linux\t 0.57%

    Windows ME\t 0.43%

    iPhone\t 0.09%

    Hiptop\t0.02%

    Windows 95\t0.02%





    "And it doesn't stop there. Desktop platforms are starting to come into the iPhone's blast radius. Windows 95 has less than a quarter of the marketshare of the iPhone. And all of the Linux variants combined, just over five times (.57%) the market. Broken out over Red Hat, Novel, Ubuntu, etc, someone is losing to the iPhone right now. At this rate, the iPhone/iPod platform should be the third largest computing platform by the end of next year. Remember, the iPod touch is only three months old. Oh, and it is Christmas. Not a bad first five months for Apple's new handheld OSX devices."





    Quote:

    Honestly Teno, what's your point? That Apple can stick Safari on a pair of styrofoam cups with a string running between them, and that alone will make the user experience delightful? Egads



    Looking at the charts above. My point is that 3G helps but is not the primary technology for a good mobile internet usage.
  • Reply 62 of 75
    This tariff change leaves me completely cold, I'll be honest. I don't care about extra free minutes, or extra texts, I'd never use up even the original allowance. I want a competitive feature-rich phone.



    As a long-standing Mac fanboy who has recently returned to Europe after four years in North America I was in the market for a new phone. Obviously I was drawn to the iPhone but a little serious consideration was all I needed to dismiss it. The iPhone simply doesn't compete. I've gone with the Nokia N73, which despite being a two-year-old model does far more than the iPhone - 3G, user-installed apps being the main advantages, plus SD memory and a decent camera sweetening the deal - and it cost less unlocked than the iPhone does locked. The Symbian OS may not be as pretty as mobile OSX but imo it has more to offer - a lot more. Last but definitely not least, I can use my unlocked N73 with a pay-as-you-go SIM which is crucial if you travel much, and with a bargain basement monthly contract of 5 euro, with data access as and when I need it (and proper data access, not EDGE, because I need to use my phone as a modem for my macbook pro).



    I think I'm a fairly typical phone user and I don't understand why Apple haven't invested more time in trying to understand the market here. No wonder the iPhone is tanking in Europe. This move by O2 doesn't change a thing - we need unlocked hardware with competitive features and third party applications. Otherwise the iPhone will never make it.
  • Reply 63 of 75
    hutchohutcho Posts: 132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mono View Post


    Well, I have no issue now with the price. But why the 18 month contact? Get it to 12 months and you have a deal O2. I'd only accept an 18 month contact for a MASSIVE subsidy on the handset cost.



    Ha! In Germany not only do we have a 24 month contract, but now get 6 times less minutes and 10 times less SMS's than you. Seriously, you have nothing to complain about.



    I'm sure that isn't the only reason stopping uptake here though. Like others have said, the device is last generation technology until it comes out with 3G.
  • Reply 64 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ottocrat View Post


    This tariff change leaves me completely cold, I'll be honest. I don't care about extra free minutes, or extra texts, I'd never use up even the original allowance. I want a competitive feature-rich phone.



    As a long-standing Mac fanboy who has recently returned to Europe after four years in North America I was in the market for a new phone. Obviously I was drawn to the iPhone but a little serious consideration was all I needed to dismiss it. The iPhone simply doesn't compete. I've gone with the Nokia N73, which despite being a two-year-old model does far more than the iPhone - 3G, user-installed apps being the main advantages, plus SD memory and a decent camera sweetening the deal - and it cost less unlocked than the iPhone does locked. The Symbian OS may not be as pretty as mobile OSX but imo it has more to offer - a lot more. Last but definitely not least, I can use my unlocked N73 with a pay-as-you-go SIM which is crucial if you travel much, and with a bargain basement monthly contract of 5 euro, with data access as and when I need it (and proper data access, not EDGE, because I need to use my phone as a modem for my macbook pro).



    I think I'm a fairly typical phone user and I don't understand why Apple haven't invested more time in trying to understand the market here. No wonder the iPhone is tanking in Europe. This move by O2 doesn't change a thing - we need unlocked hardware with competitive features and third party applications. Otherwise the iPhone will never make it.





    Exactly. The O2 tariff changes help a lot but I'd still have to carry around an unlocked 3G phone to tether with my Mac anyway which makes the iPhone a vanity dongle.



    I emailed a friend of mine the new O2 tariffs yesterday. He said he was still getting an HTC Tytan - free, better minutes/text still, £25 a month and 'enough' data allowance. What sold it though was he can operate it with one hand, something he couldn't do with an iPhone.



    I think he'll end up frustrated with WinMo personally but again it just shows some people value cheap over flashy.
  • Reply 65 of 75
    The internet experience consists of 2 critical parts. The speed, and the user experience. The iPhone has the user experience nailed, but is way off the mark in terms of speed. Other phones, such as the N95, are far more balanced because they have both a fairly decent user experience, and fairly decent speed.



    In America simply having the internet on your mobile to begin with seems like a miracle has been performed, and I think that's why it has sold well. In Europe we are already far more accustomed to using the internet on our phones so we aren't repared to sacrifice speed for a jazzy interface. It needs to have both.
  • Reply 66 of 75
    At last O2 listen.....



    First new price plans and now new bolt ons.. making a much better deal..



    new Bolt Ons:



    "We're also offering the following Bolt Ons for our iPhone customers and it'll be available from 01 February 2008 onwards:



    - 1) Unlimited O2 O2 Calls for £7.50.

    - 2) Unlimited weekend calls for £7.50.

    - 3) Unlimited anytime texts for £7.50.

    - 4) Unlimited fixed line calls for £7.50.

    - 5) An extra 200 anytime minutes for £7.50



    If you would like to take advantage of one of these great offers, please reply to this email with your selection on or after 01 February 2008. We'll then add this to your account."
  • Reply 67 of 75
    Well its about time O2 done this. To be honest a move like this was always on the cards. I mean 200 mintues and texts for 35 a month is plain stupid. I would have thought they will drop the price of the handset around Easter time.
  • Reply 68 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrochester View Post


    In America simply having the internet on your mobile to begin with seems like a miracle has been performed, and I think that's why it has sold well. In Europe we are already far more accustomed to using the internet on our phones so we aren't repared to sacrifice speed for a jazzy interface. It needs to have both.



    Fair enough, but my iPhone on O2's EDGE service is quicker than my SE V600i 3G Vodafone phone at downloading websites. Bandwidth does not mean speed, just like high resolution cameras does not mean great picture quality... there are so many different factors.
  • Reply 69 of 75
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Keep up Baggins we were talking about Orange and O2. They are the ones who made the projections that were not met.



    Teno, no one CARES much about Orange and O2, beyond QoS/network/pricing issues... they are mainly just orifices for Apple to sell iPhones through, far as Apple investors are concerned.



    But I guess if I didn't want to talk about how Apple's stock did indeed get punished by investors in part for sub-par European iPhone sales and a soft Euro sales outlook going forward, then changing the subject to the Euro carriers' stock price would be one way to do it.





    Quote:

    I wasn't talking about the iPhone. I was talking about Euros and their demands for 3G. They talk about it more than they actually use it.



    Sigh. Teno, you've been told repeatedly that the very nature of the iPhone drives data usage dramatically, and that the better Internet experience on the iPhone is a game-changer in terms of data usage (much more so if given a data connection that isn't crap slow).



    You even own one, so you know this. So I'm just going to assume that you're being willfully obtuse here, and are ignoring some very obvious facts here only because they don't fit in with your argument. Sad.





    Quote:

    That's not what I said at all. Once again, "you taking what I've said out of context as you do to confuse the issue when you don't have solid argument".



    LOL. Give it a rest, Teno. It was no accident that you said



    Data use has been low on phones with 3G because the user experience has been bad.



    You were trying to give the impression that 3G had something to do with the user experience being bad, which is silly. The Internet user experience on smartphones was bad due to (take your pick) crippled minibrowsers, smallish screens (in some cases), and poor ease-of-use.



    3G is actually a bright spot for said smartphones. The user experience is bad in other ways, but at least it isn't compounded by having a crap slow connection. \





    Quote:

    blah buh blah tortured linux comparisons, even I don't know what I'm saying anymore



    Fixed.





    Quote:

    Looking at the charts above. My point is that 3G helps but is not the primary technology for a good mobile internet usage.



    Teno, teno, teno... have you learned nothing from our little chats? It's all about user experience. GPRS does not help provide a good one, and thus hobbles Apple's awesome mobile Safari browser and great ease-of-use. 3G, on the other hand, complements Apple's otherwise stellar user experience.



    You can pull up all the Linux comparo charts you wish, but it doesn't alter that central fact. And until you can grok that user experience is what really matters, you'll never 'get it'.



    On the plus side, I look forward to you comparing 3G to Solaris, the BeOS, and chicken-fried steak in your next posting. Should be terribly relevant.



    .
  • Reply 70 of 75
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrochester View Post


    In America simply having the internet on your mobile to begin with seems like a miracle has been performed, and I think that's why it has sold well.



    In Europe we are already far more accustomed to using the internet on our phones so we aren't repared to sacrifice speed for a jazzy interface. It needs to have both.





    Well said.



    .
  • Reply 71 of 75
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hdasmith View Post


    Fair enough, but my iPhone on O2's EDGE service is quicker than my SE V600i 3G Vodafone phone at downloading websites. Bandwidth does not mean speed, just like high resolution cameras does not mean great picture quality... there are so many different factors.





    Basically, much of what you're saying is that your Sony-Ericson has a crap browser. Fair enough, software does matter.



    But, imagine the iPhone's mobile Safari browser over 3G, rather than O2's hodgepodge of GPRS and EDGE. Would that not completely blow your SE away?



    .
  • Reply 72 of 75
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ottocrat


    This tariff change leaves me completely cold, I'll be honest. I don't care about extra free minutes, or extra texts, I'd never use up even the original allowance. I want a competitive feature-rich phone.



    As a long-standing Mac fanboy who has recently returned to Europe after four years in North America I was in the market for a new phone. Obviously I was drawn to the iPhone but a little serious consideration was all I needed to dismiss it. The iPhone simply doesn't compete. I've gone with the Nokia N73, which despite being a two-year-old model does far more than the iPhone - 3G, user-installed apps being the main advantages, plus SD memory and a decent camera sweetening the deal - and it cost less unlocked than the iPhone does locked. The Symbian OS may not be as pretty as mobile OSX but imo it has more to offer - a lot more. Last but definitely not least, I can use my unlocked N73 with a pay-as-you-go SIM which is crucial if you travel much, and with a bargain basement monthly contract of 5 euro, with data access as and when I need it (and proper data access, not EDGE, because I need to use my phone as a modem for my macbook pro).



    I think I'm a fairly typical phone user and I don't understand why Apple haven't invested more time in trying to understand the market here. No wonder the iPhone is tanking in Europe. This move by O2 doesn't change a thing - we need unlocked hardware with competitive features and third party applications. Otherwise the iPhone will never make it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    Exactly. The O2 tariff changes help a lot but I'd still have to carry around an unlocked 3G phone to tether with my Mac anyway which makes the iPhone a vanity dongle.



    I emailed a friend of mine the new O2 tariffs yesterday. He said he was still getting an HTC Tytan - free, better minutes/text still, £25 a month and 'enough' data allowance. What sold it though was he can operate it with one hand, something he couldn't do with an iPhone.



    I think he'll end up frustrated with WinMo personally but again it just shows some people value cheap over flashy.





    Yeah, it's sad, you hear stories like this over and over and over again... Euro iPhone sales lost to competitors simply because Apple doesn't quite seem to understand the market over there.



    The pricing issues are being solved, but they've got to understand the feature sets that Euro users expect and demand as well. That's just par for the course if you want to be an agile global competitor in, what is for you, a new market (Euro cellphones).



    To be fair, Apple is not alone in not quite 'getting' a foreign market. Nokia has had poor results in the US over the past few years, on account of favoring bar phones for the longest time (Americans tend to like flips) and not having much good CDMA product (CDMA is more popular than GSM in the US).



    Hopefully, Apple does not emulate Nokia's tone deafness to a foreign market, and end up becoming an also-ran in Europe in the same way that Nokia is pretty much an also-ran in the States. \



    Here is a cautionary tale for Apple:





    Nokia wants its US market share back

    Written by Doug Aamoth

    December 10th, 2007




    Remember back when everyone basically had the same cell phone? Those old, brickey Nokias? Well Nokia misses that feeling and wants to claw its way back into the US market again.



    Its market share here in the states is about 10%, down from 28% five years ago according to the New York Times. Much of the reasoning behind Nokia’s fall from grace has to do with "its refusal to adapt its strategy to the market’s idiosyncrasies," a claim that Nokia agrees with.



    “We felt we could teach the U.S. market how we do business elsewhere, and frankly, that failed. Now we just want to act, based on the needs and requirements of the market,” said Nokia’s chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.




    .
  • Reply 73 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hdasmith View Post


    Fair enough, but my iPhone on O2's EDGE service is quicker than my SE V600i 3G Vodafone phone at downloading websites. Bandwidth does not mean speed, just like high resolution cameras does not mean great picture quality... there are so many different factors.



    Ah, but which one is fastest for data attached to your Mac/PC ?



    Wait.... You can't attach the iPhone.....
  • Reply 74 of 75
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    Ah, but which one is fastest for data attached to your Mac/PC ?



    Wait.... You can't attach the iPhone.....





    In the US, we call it 'tethering'.



    And... good point. \





    .
  • Reply 75 of 75
    ob1ob1 Posts: 1member
    With the new software available for the Touch, I have met people (including Apple employee) who have bought a Touch and the relevant software and stuck with their normal phone and contract. Wonder what impact this might have on iPhone sales
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