There's no way Apple will make a 4 GB iPhone for Walmart. Here's why:
...
- They discontinued the original 4 GB iPhone because no one wanted it. Even then, Jobs said no one wanted a phone that small. And now, compared with the rest of the iPhone/iPod lineup, 4GB stacks up even worse.
- While I agree $99 is a great price point, I sincerely doubt Apple's going to hand special pricing to a single retailer, let alone Walmart of all people.
This is never giong to happen.
Walmart already sells iPods, for a few pennies less. At $99, I'm more inclined to buy an iPhone. Apple could introduce a 32GB iPhone and discount everything $100. They've already discounted the iPhone price $200.
I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
It's better than the Palm Centro. I tried it, and a few minutes of use and almost owning, was glad the Black Friday special meant not free for me. That tiny keyboard was bothersome, stylus flimsy. Sure it has more feature, but it interface is worse. I've only played with an iPhone. Since phone and iPod don't need a data plan, it's cheaper to get a no-contract phone and iPod. No data plan needed. Tempting, but a $100 iPhone is tempting too. It'll raise my bills, but email and browsing are better on the iPhone, and that can make good use of a data plan.
I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
But none make it as simple as the iPhone/iPod. It's been pointed out many times that the iPod's (and now it seems the iPhone's) success is not from the cool look or having gobs of features, but from being easier to use than the competition. From day one the iPod was neither the cheapest option nor had the most features, but what it did have worked well and and integrated easily with iTunes.
I think there are plenty of people that don't need or want the internet 24/7 and would be very happy with an Apple-branded option that combines their iPod and their cellphone into a single device. As you mention, their are plenty of cellphones that can play audio (and video), but people are still buying iPods and other PMPs to carry along with their cellphones so there is something wrong with the way they are implementing and/or marketing the feature. I don't think it's marketing as we've seen with the Moto ROKR that the hype was there but the functionality was not.
It just makes sense, in that certain phones are designed to use data. I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
There is the cost of the plan that's a bit bothersome, though I think understandable. Even without internet, the iPhone is a good PDA, phone and media player, and that allows some good consolidation right there. But right now, I'm paying the same for data as someone in the metro area, but I only get Edge except when I go shopping. WiFi covers about half of my data needs. Data on the go is handy, but not that important to me.
There are products that do certain things better than iPhone, but I don't think any phone is better overall.
walmart isn't going to offer the knowledge base of apple store, a carrier etc, are they going to give the insight to apple products, most people when they go to walmart know what they want, but if there are questions is someone going to relie on a walmart employee to help???? they sell many phones, try to ask them how to access a menu item.
are they going to help you transfew contacts to the iPhone??? isn't the iphone a high end line for apple? then treat it as such, you don't want returns, you want high end, industry leading customer satisfaction.... tell me how walmart will do this, so will apple have 3 levels of service, apple.....bestbuy.....walmart????
There is the cost of the plan that's a bit bothersome, though I think understandable. Even without internet, the iPhone is a good PDA, phone and media player, and that allows some good consolidation right there. But right now, I'm paying the same for data as someone in the metro area, but I only get Edge except when I go shopping. WiFi covers about half of my data needs. data on the go is nice, but not that important.
There are products that do certain things better than iPhone, but I don't think any phone is better overall.
Right, but it seems to me that the whole idea of ubiquitous connectivity is sort of baked in to the iPhone concept. Apple has made the phone app interact seamlessly with maps and the browser in a way that amplifies the utility of all three.
I guess I just can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I would get this device that makes it trivially easy to, say, look at the web site of a restaurant, then call them up while looking at a map of their location, then, in dunno, purchase tickets for a post meal movie while reading some reviews of that movie-- then want to forgo everything but the "calling up the restaurant" part.
Maybe pre-iPhone, that would have made sense, because doing all those things was actually pretty complicated and only phone geeks would even try. But Apple created a new product category in the iPhone: call it the "mobile ubiquitously connected internet communicator that average people actually use to do stuff." I think the entire iPhone development effort, now and going forward, is predicated on that idea-- it's a device that people always have on their person and it's always online and developers leverage that fact to create new kinds of applications.
In the way that the iPod changed a lot of things about how people interact with their music, I think the iPhone changes a lot of things about how people interact with, and think about, the internet-- but that's only true if the internet is always available.
Yeah, I get that "some people" might want to save some money and get an iPhone without a data plan, but that's not the device that Apple is interested in, as far as I can see.
Yeah, I get that "some people" might want to save some money and get an iPhone without a data plan, but that's not the device that Apple is interested in, as far as I can see.
I think that's unkind and elitist, but I'm not entirely sure you meant it to come out that way.
Look, we're very sorry we're not as cool as you but frankly, we don't give a flying you know what whether iPhone connects to the internet in a seamless dance of the sort where they're not supposed to move their arms or not. We have no earthly use for internet on our telephone, period.
We don't even wish we did! :-)
All my wife wants is a phone that's also an iPod. How frigging hard is that to do?
I think that's unkind and elitist, but I'm not entirely sure you meant it to come out that way.
I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you somehow personally affronted that I put "some people" in quotations, because you suspect that's some kind of obscure slur?
I did that because, in internet conversations, there is often a lot of citing of what "people" want or demand, without any sense of how many or who or why.
Or maybe you should just switch to decaf.
Quote:
Look, we're very sorry we're not as cool as you but frankly, we don't give a flying you know what whether iPhone connects to the internet in a seamless dance of the sort where they're not supposed to move their arms or not. We have no earthly use for internet on our telephone, period.
Jesus, and now you're going to follow up being inexplicably offended by being offensive? How does being appreciative of the way the iPhone integrates its functionality make me someone who thinks he's "cooler" than the next poster?
If you have no earthly use for the internet on your telephone, I would guess the iPhone is a poor choice, for you, seeing as how much of it's design philosophy is built around internet access. I guess noticing that makes me a terribly overbearing bore, or something, but it's still true.
Quote:
We don't even wish we did! :-)
.
OK!
Quote:
All my wife wants is a phone that's also an iPod. How frigging hard is that to do?
I'm sure it's trivially easy, but then it wouldn't be the iPhone that Apple wants to sell, would it?
I'd prefer a laptop without a glossy screen, but it looks like I'm shit out of luck, with Apple.
So that means I have to weigh the advantages of OS X against my dislike of glossy screens, and be mildly irritated. It doesn't mean that Apple owes me a matte screen, or that anyone that points that out is talking down to me.
I'm sure it's trivially easy, but then it wouldn't be the iPhone that Apple wants to sell, would it?
I'd prefer a laptop without a glossy screen, but it looks like I'm shit out of luck, with Apple.
So that means I have to weigh the advantages of OS X against my dislike of glossy screens, and be mildly irritated. It doesn't mean that Apple owes me a matte screen, or that anyone that points that out is talking down to me.
Sort of confirms my points but no matter.
The sad part is that people in Communist China have more freedom of choice than those of us here in the good ol' US of A because of "the iPhone that Apple wants to sell," rather than the iPhone Apple must sell because of local laws:
Apple is selling the iPhone 3G on its Apple Store Web site in Hong Kong, promising the phones "can be activated with any wireless carrier."
The Apple Store in Hong Kong is selling the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G models for HK$5,400 (US$695) and HK$6,200, respectively, with free shipping. The store advertises the compatibility of the phones with any carrier, saying, "Simply insert the SIM [subscriber identity module] from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation."
On the Apple Store's main page for Hong Kong, the site says, "Buy directly from Apple. And choose your carrier."
"Customer response to the iPhone 3G has been off the charts, and we are thrilled to offer our customers in Hong Kong another way to get their hands on this revolutionary device," an Apple spokeswoman said in an e-mail response to questions.
The company did not comment on whether online iPhone 3G sales and activation will be extended to other markets.
The iPhone 3G has been available in Hong Kong since July 11 through Hutchison Telecommunications. The cheapest monthly plan offered by the operator charges HK$2,938 for the 8GB version and HK$3,738 for the 16GB one, along with a two-year contract that costs HK$188 per month.
Where Apple is forced to play nice with the citizenry, they can and they do. Like magic, an iPhone that's a phone & an iPod, without mandatory internet access, appears and sales are "off the charts." Amazing! Imagine that. It can be done - just not here.
Where the citizens are less informed or educated about their options, or for some reason don't care to provide themselves the freedoms that many over long years suffered, died and fought hard for, Apple locks it all down and AT&T forces mandatory services down the citizen's throats, even when unwanted.
You see, it's not so much "the iPhone Apple wants to sell," it's more akin to the iPhone crapola we allow Apple to get away with. They will take as much as they can from us.
As long as we allow greedy corporations to dictate to us, guess what? We better learn to take dictation!
"Apple will never open brick-and-mortar stores. It would be a disaster."
"Apple will never make the eMac available to non-educational buyers."
"Apple would never get into the music business. They can't legally do it."
"Apple would never offer iPods for Windows users."
"Apple would never discontinue the iPod Mini. It's way too popular."
"Apple would never create their own browser. They need Internet Explorer on the Mac."
"Apple would never offer iTunes for Windows."
"Apple would never create a 24" iMac. It would be too top-heavy."
"Apple would never create their own office suite. It would make Microsoft angry."
"Apple would never offer a headless Mac."
"Apple would never switch to Intel chips."
"Apple will never get into the cell phone market. It's way too competitive."
"Apple will never create another handheld platform. The Newton was a disaster."
"Apple will never let people run Windows on a Mac."
"Apple will never make Safari for Windows."
"Apple will never let developers into the iPhone. It's a security problem."
"Apple would never call something the Macbook Air. That's horrible sounding."
"Apple will never release a 3G iPhone. It's too power-hungry."
And:
"Apple will never make a video iPod. The screen is too small".
"Apple will never merge TV with a Mac. No way they will converge".
And the list goes on... Actually, almost every single time that Steve Jobs has said something about "Apple will never... whatever", that thing was being developed by Apple and was released afterwards. So, a good sign that Apple will release something is when they say that they will not release it. When Apple says NO, it means YES.
The sad part is that people in Communist China have more freedom of choice than those of us here in the good ol' US of A because of "the iPhone that Apple wants to sell," rather than the iPhone Apple must sell because of local laws:
Apple is selling the iPhone 3G on its Apple Store Web site in Hong Kong, promising the phones "can be activated with any wireless carrier."
The Apple Store in Hong Kong is selling the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G models for HK$5,400 (US$695) and HK$6,200, respectively, with free shipping. The store advertises the compatibility of the phones with any carrier, saying, "Simply insert the SIM [subscriber identity module] from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation."
On the Apple Store's main page for Hong Kong, the site says, "Buy directly from Apple. And choose your carrier."
"Customer response to the iPhone 3G has been off the charts, and we are thrilled to offer our customers in Hong Kong another way to get their hands on this revolutionary device," an Apple spokeswoman said in an e-mail response to questions.
The company did not comment on whether online iPhone 3G sales and activation will be extended to other markets.
The iPhone 3G has been available in Hong Kong since July 11 through Hutchison Telecommunications. The cheapest monthly plan offered by the operator charges HK$2,938 for the 8GB version and HK$3,738 for the 16GB one, along with a two-year contract that costs HK$188 per month.
Where Apple is forced to play nice with the citizenry, they can and they do. Like magic, an iPhone that's a phone & an iPod, without mandatory internet access, appears and sales are "off the charts." Amazing! Imagine that. It can be done - just not here.
Where the citizens are less informed or educated about their options, or for some reason don't care to provide themselves the freedoms that many over long years suffered, died and fought hard for, Apple locks it all down and AT&T forces mandatory services down the citizen's throats, even when unwanted.
You see, it's not so much "the iPhone Apple wants to sell," it's more akin to the iPhone crapola we allow Apple to get away with. They will take as much as they can from us.
As long as we allow greedy corporations to dictate to us, guess what? We better learn to take dictation!
Huh. Well, in that you see ATT's refusal to sell you an iPhone without a data plan to be evidence of some kind of creeping totalitarianism, I suspect we're never going to see eye to eye on this.
"Apple will never make a video iPod. The screen is too small".
"Apple will never merge TV with a Mac. No way they will converge".
And the list goes on... Actually, almost every single time that Steve Jobs has said something about "Apple will never... whatever", that thing was being developed by Apple and was released afterwards. So, a good sign that Apple will release something is when they say that they will not release it. When Apple says NO, it means YES.
Therefore, Apple will shortly release shortly release an Apple branded vacuum cleaner, because some people thought they wouldn't.
The trouble with lists like the one you quoted is that they can be used to "prove" that Apple is about to do pretty much anything. The fact that Apple has done some things in the past that defied conventional wisdom doesn't tell us anything at all about the likelihood of what they might do next, in particular, other than it will probably, over time, continue to include some unexpected things.
But nobody expects Apple to release, say, a 22" laptop, and that lack of expectation in no way constitutes evidence that they will.
Therefore, Apple will shortly release shortly release an Apple branded vacuum cleaner, because some people thought they wouldn't.
Still, it's surprising how adamant some Apple fans can be about Apple not making something, it comes up so often it's not funny. Even something so simple as whether the "fatboy" or "vertical screen" nanos, those had to be fake because Apple wasn't going to do something so dumb like that.
You'd think more people would learn to not use absolutes. Apple not only defies conventional wisdom, they seem to defy the understanding of their own most ardent customers and fans, like those customers and fans really don't understand Apple as much as they like to think they do.
Still, it's surprising how adamant some Apple fans can be about Apple not making something, it comes up so often it's not funny. Even something so simple as whether the "fatboy" or "vertical screen" nanos, those had to be fake because Apple wasn't going to do something so dumb like that.
You'd think more people would learn to not use absolutes. Apple not only defies conventional wisdom, they seem to defy the understanding of their own most ardent customers and fans, like those customers and fans really don't understand Apple as much as they like to think they do.
True enough, and we can agree that, when it comes to Apple, "never say never", so anyone claiming that Apple would never do a particular thing are probably on shaky ground (well, within reason).
Still, there's another contingent that will reliably trot out "and Steve said they'd never make a video iPod!" as proof that Apple is about to release whatever tablet/nano-phone/appliance/temporal disruptor they happen to favor.
So probably the best thing is to continue to judge the likelihood of given product from Apple on the merits, rather than they never will/they always do.
not to cheapen the brand there must be a hellacious model for june coming up
I'm not feeling it. While I think that $99 would be an ideal price point in the future or for a non-data iPhone Nano that only has a $39/month subscription, dropping 4GB from the iPhone doesn't cost $100. Apple would be losing a lot of profit margin.
I have no issue with Wal?Mart selling iPhones. they already sell iPods, including the Touch, have a phone center, and they are being sold in Best Buy so the weakening of the brand due to the locale it's sold in seems to be a myth.
I do think that Wal?Mart will sell the iPhone, just not at $99 for a 4GB version.
Huh. Well, in that you see ATT's refusal to sell you an iPhone without a data plan to be evidence of some kind of creeping totalitarianism, I suspect we're never going to see eye to eye on this.
That's the opposite of what I was writing about - actually, nearly a perfect 180 degrees. Again, no matter.
Comments
There's no way Apple will make a 4 GB iPhone for Walmart. Here's why:
...
- They discontinued the original 4 GB iPhone because no one wanted it. Even then, Jobs said no one wanted a phone that small. And now, compared with the rest of the iPhone/iPod lineup, 4GB stacks up even worse.
- While I agree $99 is a great price point, I sincerely doubt Apple's going to hand special pricing to a single retailer, let alone Walmart of all people.
This is never giong to happen.
Walmart already sells iPods, for a few pennies less. At $99, I'm more inclined to buy an iPhone. Apple could introduce a 32GB iPhone and discount everything $100. They've already discounted the iPhone price $200.
LOL, the elitist don't want their toy sold at Wal-mart.
iPods are already available at Walmart; only pennies cheaper.
...
I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
It's better than the Palm Centro. I tried it, and a few minutes of use and almost owning, was glad the Black Friday special meant not free for me. That tiny keyboard was bothersome, stylus flimsy. Sure it has more feature, but it interface is worse. I've only played with an iPhone. Since phone and iPod don't need a data plan, it's cheaper to get a no-contract phone and iPod. No data plan needed. Tempting, but a $100 iPhone is tempting too. It'll raise my bills, but email and browsing are better on the iPhone, and that can make good use of a data plan.
I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
But none make it as simple as the iPhone/iPod. It's been pointed out many times that the iPod's (and now it seems the iPhone's) success is not from the cool look or having gobs of features, but from being easier to use than the competition. From day one the iPod was neither the cheapest option nor had the most features, but what it did have worked well and and integrated easily with iTunes.
I think there are plenty of people that don't need or want the internet 24/7 and would be very happy with an Apple-branded option that combines their iPod and their cellphone into a single device. As you mention, their are plenty of cellphones that can play audio (and video), but people are still buying iPods and other PMPs to carry along with their cellphones so there is something wrong with the way they are implementing and/or marketing the feature. I don't think it's marketing as we've seen with the Moto ROKR that the hype was there but the functionality was not.
It just makes sense, in that certain phones are designed to use data. I'm not sure why anyone would want an iPhone to use as a phone and an iPod-- there are much cheaper alternatives that play music just fine, and are probably better phones, too boot.
There is the cost of the plan that's a bit bothersome, though I think understandable. Even without internet, the iPhone is a good PDA, phone and media player, and that allows some good consolidation right there. But right now, I'm paying the same for data as someone in the metro area, but I only get Edge except when I go shopping. WiFi covers about half of my data needs. Data on the go is handy, but not that important to me.
There are products that do certain things better than iPhone, but I don't think any phone is better overall.
are they going to help you transfew contacts to the iPhone??? isn't the iphone a high end line for apple? then treat it as such, you don't want returns, you want high end, industry leading customer satisfaction.... tell me how walmart will do this, so will apple have 3 levels of service, apple.....bestbuy.....walmart????
There is the cost of the plan that's a bit bothersome, though I think understandable. Even without internet, the iPhone is a good PDA, phone and media player, and that allows some good consolidation right there. But right now, I'm paying the same for data as someone in the metro area, but I only get Edge except when I go shopping. WiFi covers about half of my data needs. data on the go is nice, but not that important.
There are products that do certain things better than iPhone, but I don't think any phone is better overall.
Right, but it seems to me that the whole idea of ubiquitous connectivity is sort of baked in to the iPhone concept. Apple has made the phone app interact seamlessly with maps and the browser in a way that amplifies the utility of all three.
I guess I just can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I would get this device that makes it trivially easy to, say, look at the web site of a restaurant, then call them up while looking at a map of their location, then, in dunno, purchase tickets for a post meal movie while reading some reviews of that movie-- then want to forgo everything but the "calling up the restaurant" part.
Maybe pre-iPhone, that would have made sense, because doing all those things was actually pretty complicated and only phone geeks would even try. But Apple created a new product category in the iPhone: call it the "mobile ubiquitously connected internet communicator that average people actually use to do stuff." I think the entire iPhone development effort, now and going forward, is predicated on that idea-- it's a device that people always have on their person and it's always online and developers leverage that fact to create new kinds of applications.
In the way that the iPod changed a lot of things about how people interact with their music, I think the iPhone changes a lot of things about how people interact with, and think about, the internet-- but that's only true if the internet is always available.
Yeah, I get that "some people" might want to save some money and get an iPhone without a data plan, but that's not the device that Apple is interested in, as far as I can see.
Yeah, I get that "some people" might want to save some money and get an iPhone without a data plan, but that's not the device that Apple is interested in, as far as I can see.
I think that's unkind and elitist, but I'm not entirely sure you meant it to come out that way.
Look, we're very sorry we're not as cool as you but frankly, we don't give a flying you know what whether iPhone connects to the internet in a seamless dance of the sort where they're not supposed to move their arms or not. We have no earthly use for internet on our telephone, period.
We don't even wish we did! :-)
All my wife wants is a phone that's also an iPod. How frigging hard is that to do?
I think that's unkind and elitist, but I'm not entirely sure you meant it to come out that way.
I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you somehow personally affronted that I put "some people" in quotations, because you suspect that's some kind of obscure slur?
I did that because, in internet conversations, there is often a lot of citing of what "people" want or demand, without any sense of how many or who or why.
Or maybe you should just switch to decaf.
Look, we're very sorry we're not as cool as you but frankly, we don't give a flying you know what whether iPhone connects to the internet in a seamless dance of the sort where they're not supposed to move their arms or not. We have no earthly use for internet on our telephone, period.
Jesus, and now you're going to follow up being inexplicably offended by being offensive? How does being appreciative of the way the iPhone integrates its functionality make me someone who thinks he's "cooler" than the next poster?
If you have no earthly use for the internet on your telephone, I would guess the iPhone is a poor choice, for you, seeing as how much of it's design philosophy is built around internet access. I guess noticing that makes me a terribly overbearing bore, or something, but it's still true.
We don't even wish we did! :-)
.
OK!
All my wife wants is a phone that's also an iPod. How frigging hard is that to do?
I'm sure it's trivially easy, but then it wouldn't be the iPhone that Apple wants to sell, would it?
I'd prefer a laptop without a glossy screen, but it looks like I'm shit out of luck, with Apple.
So that means I have to weigh the advantages of OS X against my dislike of glossy screens, and be mildly irritated. It doesn't mean that Apple owes me a matte screen, or that anyone that points that out is talking down to me.
I'm sure it's trivially easy, but then it wouldn't be the iPhone that Apple wants to sell, would it?
I'd prefer a laptop without a glossy screen, but it looks like I'm shit out of luck, with Apple.
So that means I have to weigh the advantages of OS X against my dislike of glossy screens, and be mildly irritated. It doesn't mean that Apple owes me a matte screen, or that anyone that points that out is talking down to me.
Sort of confirms my points but no matter.
The sad part is that people in Communist China have more freedom of choice than those of us here in the good ol' US of A because of "the iPhone that Apple wants to sell," rather than the iPhone Apple must sell because of local laws: HK$188 is around US$25 a month, BTW.
Whole article can be found here.
Where Apple is forced to play nice with the citizenry, they can and they do. Like magic, an iPhone that's a phone & an iPod, without mandatory internet access, appears and sales are "off the charts." Amazing! Imagine that. It can be done - just not here.
Where the citizens are less informed or educated about their options, or for some reason don't care to provide themselves the freedoms that many over long years suffered, died and fought hard for, Apple locks it all down and AT&T forces mandatory services down the citizen's throats, even when unwanted.
You see, it's not so much "the iPhone Apple wants to sell," it's more akin to the iPhone crapola we allow Apple to get away with. They will take as much as they can from us.
As long as we allow greedy corporations to dictate to us, guess what? We better learn to take dictation!
"Apple would never kill off Classic completely."
"Apple will never open brick-and-mortar stores. It would be a disaster."
"Apple will never make the eMac available to non-educational buyers."
"Apple would never get into the music business. They can't legally do it."
"Apple would never offer iPods for Windows users."
"Apple would never discontinue the iPod Mini. It's way too popular."
"Apple would never create their own browser. They need Internet Explorer on the Mac."
"Apple would never offer iTunes for Windows."
"Apple would never create a 24" iMac. It would be too top-heavy."
"Apple would never create their own office suite. It would make Microsoft angry."
"Apple would never offer a headless Mac."
"Apple would never switch to Intel chips."
"Apple will never get into the cell phone market. It's way too competitive."
"Apple will never create another handheld platform. The Newton was a disaster."
"Apple will never let people run Windows on a Mac."
"Apple will never make Safari for Windows."
"Apple will never let developers into the iPhone. It's a security problem."
"Apple would never call something the Macbook Air. That's horrible sounding."
"Apple will never release a 3G iPhone. It's too power-hungry."
And:
"Apple will never make a video iPod. The screen is too small".
"Apple will never merge TV with a Mac. No way they will converge".
And the list goes on... Actually, almost every single time that Steve Jobs has said something about "Apple will never... whatever", that thing was being developed by Apple and was released afterwards. So, a good sign that Apple will release something is when they say that they will not release it. When Apple says NO, it means YES.
Sort of confirms my points but no matter.
The sad part is that people in Communist China have more freedom of choice than those of us here in the good ol' US of A because of "the iPhone that Apple wants to sell," rather than the iPhone Apple must sell because of local laws: HK$188 is around US$25 a month, BTW.
Whole article can be found here.
Where Apple is forced to play nice with the citizenry, they can and they do. Like magic, an iPhone that's a phone & an iPod, without mandatory internet access, appears and sales are "off the charts." Amazing! Imagine that. It can be done - just not here.
Where the citizens are less informed or educated about their options, or for some reason don't care to provide themselves the freedoms that many over long years suffered, died and fought hard for, Apple locks it all down and AT&T forces mandatory services down the citizen's throats, even when unwanted.
You see, it's not so much "the iPhone Apple wants to sell," it's more akin to the iPhone crapola we allow Apple to get away with. They will take as much as they can from us.
As long as we allow greedy corporations to dictate to us, guess what? We better learn to take dictation!
Huh. Well, in that you see ATT's refusal to sell you an iPhone without a data plan to be evidence of some kind of creeping totalitarianism, I suspect we're never going to see eye to eye on this.
And:
"Apple will never make a video iPod. The screen is too small".
"Apple will never merge TV with a Mac. No way they will converge".
And the list goes on... Actually, almost every single time that Steve Jobs has said something about "Apple will never... whatever", that thing was being developed by Apple and was released afterwards. So, a good sign that Apple will release something is when they say that they will not release it. When Apple says NO, it means YES.
Therefore, Apple will shortly release shortly release an Apple branded vacuum cleaner, because some people thought they wouldn't.
The trouble with lists like the one you quoted is that they can be used to "prove" that Apple is about to do pretty much anything. The fact that Apple has done some things in the past that defied conventional wisdom doesn't tell us anything at all about the likelihood of what they might do next, in particular, other than it will probably, over time, continue to include some unexpected things.
But nobody expects Apple to release, say, a 22" laptop, and that lack of expectation in no way constitutes evidence that they will.
Therefore, Apple will shortly release shortly release an Apple branded vacuum cleaner, because some people thought they wouldn't.
Still, it's surprising how adamant some Apple fans can be about Apple not making something, it comes up so often it's not funny. Even something so simple as whether the "fatboy" or "vertical screen" nanos, those had to be fake because Apple wasn't going to do something so dumb like that.
You'd think more people would learn to not use absolutes. Apple not only defies conventional wisdom, they seem to defy the understanding of their own most ardent customers and fans, like those customers and fans really don't understand Apple as much as they like to think they do.
Still, it's surprising how adamant some Apple fans can be about Apple not making something, it comes up so often it's not funny. Even something so simple as whether the "fatboy" or "vertical screen" nanos, those had to be fake because Apple wasn't going to do something so dumb like that.
You'd think more people would learn to not use absolutes. Apple not only defies conventional wisdom, they seem to defy the understanding of their own most ardent customers and fans, like those customers and fans really don't understand Apple as much as they like to think they do.
True enough, and we can agree that, when it comes to Apple, "never say never", so anyone claiming that Apple would never do a particular thing are probably on shaky ground (well, within reason).
Still, there's another contingent that will reliably trot out "and Steve said they'd never make a video iPod!" as proof that Apple is about to release whatever tablet/nano-phone/appliance/temporal disruptor they happen to favor.
So probably the best thing is to continue to judge the likelihood of given product from Apple on the merits, rather than they never will/they always do.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...wlk&refer=home
not to cheapen the brand there must be a hellacious model for june coming up
bloomberg news says walmart by end of month sell TWO MODELS of the iphone
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...wlk&refer=home
not to cheapen the brand there must be a hellacious model for june coming up
I'm not feeling it. While I think that $99 would be an ideal price point in the future or for a non-data iPhone Nano that only has a $39/month subscription, dropping 4GB from the iPhone doesn't cost $100. Apple would be losing a lot of profit margin.
I have no issue with Wal?Mart selling iPhones. they already sell iPods, including the Touch, have a phone center, and they are being sold in Best Buy so the weakening of the brand due to the locale it's sold in seems to be a myth.
I do think that Wal?Mart will sell the iPhone, just not at $99 for a 4GB version.
Huh. Well, in that you see ATT's refusal to sell you an iPhone without a data plan to be evidence of some kind of creeping totalitarianism, I suspect we're never going to see eye to eye on this.
That's the opposite of what I was writing about - actually, nearly a perfect 180 degrees. Again, no matter.
Have a wonderful holiday.