There Has Been Way Too Much iPhone Bashing!
I'm sick and tired of hearing and reading about how bad of a phone and how bad of a deal the 3G iPhone is. I find it hard to believe that so many people are this uninformed about handsets and the cellular industry. Take a deep breath and think about a few realities:
1. The price of the phone is $199 and $299. Those prices are subsidized just like every other handset. The phone companies pay the other $400 that you don't and make up the money in the life of the contract. There is nothing new or underhanded about that.
2. Of course the pricing plans are more expensive than last years. What isn't? These phones use a much more expensive network that is still at the beginning stages of being rolled out. The original iPhone broke new ground with its industry busting web browser. More people brows the web on the iPhone than any other handset. What do you think is going to happen when they can do it as fast as their crappy DSL connection at home. It is not just a game changer, it's game over. That is a lot of data that At&t has to serve. Of course it costs more money! Calling and data plans are now comparable to all other smartphones. What exactly is the gripe?
3. So we have to pay a little money to upgrade our perfectly good, less than year old hardware. That is standard fare with every carrier in the industry. The only reason we do not have to pay more is because we current iPhone users bought unsubsidized phones. If they had been subsidized, we would probably not be eligible to upgrade so soon and inexpensively. The $18 is half of what At&t charges for activating a phone. I know because I have had my phone shut off a couple of times for being late with my payment and it cost $36 to turn it back on every time. The fact is, moving to the new phone involves setting up a whole new account. It is not like buying an iPod. Apple spoiled us a bit with in-home activation. I too will miss it.
4. Speaking of activation and purchase limits, what did you expect them to do? Did you want them to continue to be robbed blind by the Chinese who would come over by the truckload and illegally resell them. If only they were the only such problems. This is not an unlocked phone. Live with it. This is subsidized by a carrier that loses a lot of money per phone if they do not get the money back through contract use. I do not know if unlocking the phone and using it on another carrier is illegal even when you have signed a legal agreement for a specific term of service. If it is not, it should be. At&t is giving you at least $400 worth of unsecured credit. That is just the price of the phone. You also agreed to a two year contract. If you do not follow through, then you are a big fat lier. I have no use for such as you (and you know who you are) because you make life more expensive for the rest of us. If you don't want the subsidy or the contract, then wait for the unsubsidized phone and pay the piper. If you want to start an illegal side business selling bootleg iPhones, there is a jail cell with your name on it. I can't wait till you get there.
5. As for the hardware; what on earth is there to complain about? The first incarnation was a game changer. The second incarnation is even better. Have they made some compromises that other companies have not made? Sure! But they have something the other companies do not seem to care much about. The iPhone is a smartphone that is a PHONE first and foremost. And that is the smartest thing Apple could have done. I never have to worry about battery life on my iPhone. Say that about any other comparable device. Now flagellate yourself for lying. No other function on the iPhone will ever keep you from receiving a call. Brilliant! No function will ever be allowed to drain the battery so quickly that the phone is a useless brick in your pocket like most other phones in its class. Thank you Apple for putting the phone back into smartphone
6. Finally, why get in bed with At&t? This is only conjecture but think about it for a moment. We know that At&t was not their first choice. Other companies turned them down. Consider what the iPhone can do and how most carriers work. Ever tried to get a picture off your camera with a Sprint phone? In the pre-iPhone days, you would have to go to a special web site and drop a nickel in the collection plate. Does anyone remember what companies were charging to download music to their phones? I do. Does anyone remember how hard it was to get data transfered from your computer to your phone and back again? I do. Does anyone remember how Verizon was notorious for crippling features on handsets and charging you to use the features you paid for? I do. Well, At&t was the only company willing to agree not to do any of that and play ball with Apple. They even found a way to make voicemail useful. At&t sacrificed a lot for this deal and made the iPhone possible without Apple having to get into the carrier business. At&t is treating us a lot better than any of those other carriers. If you think At&t is treating you badly, just imagine what those other carriers would do to you and your precious iPhone.
Feel free to tell me why I am wrong, but I would rather hear a few "Amens." It would be nice to know that the whole world has not gone crazy. Personally, I believe that the iPhone is a victim of its own success. People love to beat up a winner and the iPhone is most certainly that.
1. The price of the phone is $199 and $299. Those prices are subsidized just like every other handset. The phone companies pay the other $400 that you don't and make up the money in the life of the contract. There is nothing new or underhanded about that.
2. Of course the pricing plans are more expensive than last years. What isn't? These phones use a much more expensive network that is still at the beginning stages of being rolled out. The original iPhone broke new ground with its industry busting web browser. More people brows the web on the iPhone than any other handset. What do you think is going to happen when they can do it as fast as their crappy DSL connection at home. It is not just a game changer, it's game over. That is a lot of data that At&t has to serve. Of course it costs more money! Calling and data plans are now comparable to all other smartphones. What exactly is the gripe?
3. So we have to pay a little money to upgrade our perfectly good, less than year old hardware. That is standard fare with every carrier in the industry. The only reason we do not have to pay more is because we current iPhone users bought unsubsidized phones. If they had been subsidized, we would probably not be eligible to upgrade so soon and inexpensively. The $18 is half of what At&t charges for activating a phone. I know because I have had my phone shut off a couple of times for being late with my payment and it cost $36 to turn it back on every time. The fact is, moving to the new phone involves setting up a whole new account. It is not like buying an iPod. Apple spoiled us a bit with in-home activation. I too will miss it.
4. Speaking of activation and purchase limits, what did you expect them to do? Did you want them to continue to be robbed blind by the Chinese who would come over by the truckload and illegally resell them. If only they were the only such problems. This is not an unlocked phone. Live with it. This is subsidized by a carrier that loses a lot of money per phone if they do not get the money back through contract use. I do not know if unlocking the phone and using it on another carrier is illegal even when you have signed a legal agreement for a specific term of service. If it is not, it should be. At&t is giving you at least $400 worth of unsecured credit. That is just the price of the phone. You also agreed to a two year contract. If you do not follow through, then you are a big fat lier. I have no use for such as you (and you know who you are) because you make life more expensive for the rest of us. If you don't want the subsidy or the contract, then wait for the unsubsidized phone and pay the piper. If you want to start an illegal side business selling bootleg iPhones, there is a jail cell with your name on it. I can't wait till you get there.
5. As for the hardware; what on earth is there to complain about? The first incarnation was a game changer. The second incarnation is even better. Have they made some compromises that other companies have not made? Sure! But they have something the other companies do not seem to care much about. The iPhone is a smartphone that is a PHONE first and foremost. And that is the smartest thing Apple could have done. I never have to worry about battery life on my iPhone. Say that about any other comparable device. Now flagellate yourself for lying. No other function on the iPhone will ever keep you from receiving a call. Brilliant! No function will ever be allowed to drain the battery so quickly that the phone is a useless brick in your pocket like most other phones in its class. Thank you Apple for putting the phone back into smartphone
6. Finally, why get in bed with At&t? This is only conjecture but think about it for a moment. We know that At&t was not their first choice. Other companies turned them down. Consider what the iPhone can do and how most carriers work. Ever tried to get a picture off your camera with a Sprint phone? In the pre-iPhone days, you would have to go to a special web site and drop a nickel in the collection plate. Does anyone remember what companies were charging to download music to their phones? I do. Does anyone remember how hard it was to get data transfered from your computer to your phone and back again? I do. Does anyone remember how Verizon was notorious for crippling features on handsets and charging you to use the features you paid for? I do. Well, At&t was the only company willing to agree not to do any of that and play ball with Apple. They even found a way to make voicemail useful. At&t sacrificed a lot for this deal and made the iPhone possible without Apple having to get into the carrier business. At&t is treating us a lot better than any of those other carriers. If you think At&t is treating you badly, just imagine what those other carriers would do to you and your precious iPhone.
Feel free to tell me why I am wrong, but I would rather hear a few "Amens." It would be nice to know that the whole world has not gone crazy. Personally, I believe that the iPhone is a victim of its own success. People love to beat up a winner and the iPhone is most certainly that.
Comments
I'm sick and tired of hearing and reading about how bad of a phone and how bad of a deal the 3G iPhone is. I find it hard to believe that so many people are this uninformed about handsets and the cellular industry. Take a deep breath and think about a few realities:
1. The price of the phone is $199 and $299. Those prices are subsidized just like every other handset. The phone companies pay the other $400 that you don't and make up the money in the life of the contract. There is nothing new or underhanded about that.
2. Of course the pricing plans are more expensive than last years. What isn't? These phones use a much more expensive network that is still at the beginning stages of being rolled out. The original iPhone broke new ground with its industry busting web browser. More people brows the web on the iPhone than any other handset. What do you think is going to happen when they can do it as fast as their crappy DSL connection at home. It is not just a game changer, it's game over. That is a lot of data that At&t has to serve. Of course it costs more money! Calling and data plans are now comparable to all other smartphones. What exactly is the gripe?
3. So we have to pay a little money to upgrade our perfectly good, less than year old hardware. That is standard fare with every carrier in the industry. The only reason we do not have to pay more is because we current iPhone users bought unsubsidized phones. If they had been subsidized, we would probably not be eligible to upgrade so soon and inexpensively. The $18 is half of what At&t charges for activating a phone. I know because I have had my phone shut off a couple of times for being late with my payment and it cost $36 to turn it back on every time. The fact is, moving to the new phone involves setting up a whole new account. It is not like buying an iPod. Apple spoiled us a bit with in-home activation. I too will miss it.
4. Speaking of activation and purchase limits, what did you expect them to do? Did you want them to continue to be robbed blind by the Chinese who would come over by the truckload and illegally resell them. If only they were the only such problems. This is not an unlocked phone. Live with it. This is subsidized by a carrier that loses a lot of money per phone if they do not get the money back through contract use. I do not know if unlocking the phone and using it on another carrier is illegal even when you have signed a legal agreement for a specific term of service. If it is not, it should be. At&t is giving you at least $400 worth of unsecured credit. That is just the price of the phone. You also agreed to a two year contract. If you do not follow through, then you are a big fat lier. I have no use for such as you (and you know who you are) because you make life more expensive for the rest of us. If you don't want the subsidy or the contract, then wait for the unsubsidized phone and pay the piper. If you want to start an illegal side business selling bootleg iPhones, there is a jail cell with your name on it. I can't wait till you get there.
5. As for the hardware; what on earth is there to complain about? The first incarnation was a game changer. The second incarnation is even better. Have they made some compromises that other companies have not made? Sure! But they have something the other companies do not seem to care much about. The iPhone is a smartphone that is a PHONE first and foremost. And that is the smartest thing Apple could have done. I never have to worry about battery life on my iPhone. Say that about any other comparable device. Now flagellate yourself for lying. No other function on the iPhone will ever keep you from receiving a call. Brilliant! No function will ever be allowed to drain the battery so quickly that the phone is a useless brick in your pocket like most other phones in its class. Thank you Apple for putting the phone back into smartphone
6. Finally, why get in bed with At&t? This is only conjecture but think about it for a moment. We know that At&t was not their first choice. Other companies turned them down. Consider what the iPhone can do and how most carriers work. Ever tried to get a picture off your camera with a Sprint phone? In the pre-iPhone days, you would have to go to a special web site and drop a nickel in the collection plate. Does anyone remember what companies were charging to download music to their phones? I do. Does anyone remember how hard it was to get data transfered from your computer to your phone and back again? I do. Does anyone remember how Verizon was notorious for crippling features on handsets and charging you to use the features you paid for? I do. Well, At&t was the only company willing to agree not to do any of that and play ball with Apple. They even found a way to make voicemail useful. At&t sacrificed a lot for this deal and made the iPhone possible without Apple having to get into the carrier business. At&t is treating us a lot better than any of those other carriers. If you think At&t is treating you badly, just imagine what those other carriers would do to you and your precious iPhone.
Feel free to tell me why I am wrong, but I would rather hear a few "Amens." It would be nice to know that the whole world has not gone crazy. Personally, I believe that the iPhone is a victim of its own success. People love to beat up a winner and the iPhone is most certainly that.
wow, who wizzed on your iphone?
wow, who wizzed on your iphone?
Perhaps you could clarify. Does that mean you agree, disagree, or just think I'm nuts? I'm OK either way. Just prefer to know what you really think.
5. As for the hardware; what on earth is there to complain about? The first incarnation was a game changer. The second incarnation is even better. Have they made some compromises that other companies have not made? Sure! But they have something the other companies do not seem to care much about. The iPhone is a smartphone that is a PHONE first and foremost. And that is the smartest thing Apple could have done. I never have to worry about battery life on my iPhone. Say that about any other comparable device. Now flagellate yourself for lying. No other function on the iPhone will ever keep you from receiving a call. Brilliant! No function will ever be allowed to drain the battery so quickly that the phone is a useless brick in your pocket like most other phones in its class.
Okay, so playing Spore, taking photos, surfing the web won't drain the battery quickly? Or the phone will stop you from doing those things when it thinks you do too much of them? Fact of the matter is, it's still up to *you* to decide what things are worth using your power for. You are suggesting that Apple is trying to help us, the consumers, by narrowing down that choice.
By that logic, my Nokia is infinitely superior to the iPhone, because it has no 3G, no GPS, no camera, no MP3 player, no support for 3rd party applications of any kind, or anything else that's extraneous to the phone function and could eat power. It even has a better user interface for a cellphone.
The next big step forward in mobile phones is moving from voice to pure data. Apple's strategy, aimed at grabbing money (not a bad thing as such - that's what businesses do right?), pushes the voice->data transition further into the future.
It's great that they are in the smartphone business now, forcing others to step up their game. But I'll strongly prefer alternatives that allow me to run apps I see fit to run, instead of those Apple authorizes me to run.
5. As for the hardware; what on earth is there to complain about?
Well that depends on what you want to use your iphone for I guess.
For me the thing (on Earth) for me to complain about is the Camera. I currently own an n95 and jolly good phone it is to. I love the quality of the camera on this puppy and have used the video many times on it also.
I wasn't expecting a full on video / camera / front camera ichat, update this time around but they could have at least tried a little. How hard could it have really been to stick a 3.2MP cam in with auto focus just to tide us over until the... "Wow...... how did Apple fit an DLR camera into the iphone3?!?" next year.
Oh... secondly... Memory. A 32GB option would have been nice to see also, but again I guess this will come out a few months later like the 16GB iphone did last year just to keep sales ticking over.
I have a question for you also... as a consumer why shouldn't you want to see the very best features in a product? Seems like an odd thing to do to me... You wouldn't buy a cool t-shirt with a stain on it and think... well it's still a damn good shirt. You'd either hope they could provide a perfect shirt (or as near to it as possible) or go and find a different shirt.
Well that depends on what you want to use your iphone for I guess...
I have a question for you also... as a consumer why shouldn't you want to see the very best features in a product? Seems like an odd thing to do to me... You wouldn't buy a cool t-shirt with a stain on it and think... well it's still a damn good shirt. You'd either hope they could provide a perfect shirt (or as near to it as possible) or go and find a different shirt.
For the most part, I want to use my phone as a phone, secondly, as an mp3 player. The iPhone is the best convergence device for those two purposes IMO.
I would love to have the very best hardware that does not compromise the usefulness as a phone. I know of plenty of N95 users who have all kinds of problems with their phones crashing and battery life that is practically none existent. What good is turn-by-turn GPS if you have to recharge your phone when you get where you are going? I have a good GPS in the car. I have an even better camera. The Jack of all trades tends to be the master of none. The iPhone is the master of the trades it boasts. It is a great phone with the best contact syncing in the business. It is the best mobil internet device. Finally, it is an outstanding mp3 player.
For the most part, I want to use my phone as a phone, secondly, as an mp3 player. The iPhone is the best convergence device for those two purposes IMO.
I fully agree.
I know of plenty of N95 users who have all kinds of problems with their phones crashing and battery life that is practically none existent.
Sounds like your friends haven't worked out how to upgrade to the latest firmware. I've NEVER had any problems with crashing and the latest firmware gives me a battery life that's fine. Hey I can even pop another battery in there if It's a really long trip... What a funny idea I know but it's true!
The iPhone is the master of the trades it boasts.
Yes you've already said this. But your thread wasn't about this. You were talking about it's lack of features being ok, not that the ones already there were great.
I still say to you that there's nothing wrong with users wanting more features. Pushing apple for more. You seem to think there is something wrong and we should be all happy with what is in there. Until Apple has a great camera and video in there I wont be.
Regards,
Simon