The WSJ review by Mr Mossburg is just super and a fine review of a fine product.. What comes through loud and clear. When will Apple do something about this handicap it is lugging around called AT&T? The damage it must be doing to Apple sales is very obvious . There are customers out there who would buy an iPhone in a flash, but they are holding off because of AT&T's poor quality of product.
It makes no sense at all. If I was in their shoes (I am not} i would also decline. Why would I buy a Rolls Royce grade product which only contains a small underpowered engine?
Unfortunately, though, people are crazy over the iPhone. Supply is way lower than demand. Apple won't even give it a second look until they come out with a product that does not get people in line or until they get more supply than demand. At this point, they can't produce enough iPhones, so they don't have any reason to look at a different carrier.
Maybe Verizon would have had the same issues. The point is AT&T does have these issues. It is well past time for Apple to move the iPhone to all 4 networks to spread the demand out. One network obviously cannot handle the load.
I don't have super high expectations - I just want to make calls. The whole 3 years I've had an iPhone my wife has had a crap feature phone on T-Mobile. Everywhere we went we had to bring both phones because whenever the iPhone didn't have a signal her phone always did.
Finally, the iPhone is not "a phone that works, and works well" for many, many people - because of the network. The chorus of people calling for Apple to move past AT&T has been consistent and growing louder. While you may have had good experiences with your phone, many people have not. It is no accident that every single one of the major reviewers mentioned AT&T as a huge drawback to adoption of the iPhone.
As far as Android, you can laugh all you want, but you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal
Every wireless carrier has its issues. For every complaint one has about AT&T, the same can be said by someone else on another network.
Even though I will be replacing my 2g iPhone with the iPhone4, my 2g has been trusty with phone calls, and I even live in San Francisco where so many people complain about the reception. I have experienced one one-block radius in San Francisco where the reception does not work. That's it.
So while I can understand the frustration that people have with AT&T, everyone I know in the bay area has not had those issues, or to that level that people here complain about. Perhaps we have lower-expectations or others have way-too-high expectations that no carrier can ever realistically reach.
I'll bet money that if Verizon had the iPhone, it will have a serious meltdown too with the same number of users. In the back room, VZW executives are sighing relief that they dodged the bandwidth-hogging bullet.
I'll take the new iPhone's quality and scalability over the fragmented mess that is called Android. If you want a phone that works, and works well.. it's the one to use. If you need an environment to satisfy your broken PC-Model and ADHD urges, Android is for you.
1. Your right - Apple could care less about the 90 million people on Verizon and the millions more phones they could sell there. 30,000 sold and 600,00 pre-orders is good enough, right?
Verizon had its shot back in 2007 but their arrogance bit them in the backside. VZW demanded too much and would have crippled the iPhone like they did with all the other phones that were running on their network. The rest of the world runs on GSM making the iPhone a true "world" phone. That's the hard reality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadash
2. No one is saying that Apple should leave AT&T. Spreading out the bandwidth hogging phone is what would make everyone happier (including those staying with AT&T.)
In an ideal world, one phone runs on multiple networks. Besides the political issues, I can only guess that Apple is running the hardware/logistical numbers of supporting different protocols.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadash
3. It's not inferior if I can actually make a phone call on it. I have been an iPhone owner for 3 years. It's not like I don't have experience with the crap that is AT&T's service.
I've been a very happy AT&T customer since the Cingular days. I have no issues with it and an I know many happy iPhone owners. AT&T has their problems, but so does other carriers.
... you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
Bought my first mac prior to '89, so I may have missed out on something. When was it that Microsoft finally provided its users a "superior experience"?
I only have to wait one more year before I can upgrade from my 3G because in Canada, you have to sign a 3 year contract!
On the flip side, we can actually make calls
speak for yourself! i can't wait to end my contract with rogers (one year left. don't care) and switch to telus. where i live rogers STILL doesn't offer 3G, and drops my calls every second to third time, at least at my house/work. it's a little better at the beach, but EDGE only.
i went with telus for my ipad and get 5 bars all the time AND 3G. it always depends on where you live i guess. the fact that rogers ignores the rural market with no 3G after 2 years of having the iphone gave telus an opening when they switched on their new network a few months ago.
don't dispair at&t victims! there's hope yet when the competition heats up!
The WSJ review by Mr Mossburg is just super and a fine review of a fine product.. What comes through loud and clear. When will Apple do something about this handicap it is lugging around called AT&T? The damage it must be doing to Apple sales is very obvious . There are customers out there who would buy an iPhone in a flash, but they are holding off because of AT&T's poor quality of product.
It makes no sense at all. If I was in their shoes (I am not} i would also decline. Why would I buy a Rolls Royce grade product which only contains a small underpowered engine?
LOL...dude they just PREORDERED over 600,000 iPhone 4s...how exactly are Apples sales hindered? Unfortunately AT&T is benefiting from being the only carrier willing to take a chance on the original, and being the only carrier running standard GSM bands. If Verizon had not passed on the iPhone, and if they did not require a unique CDMA radio that unfortunately does not support a feature that Apple heavily advertised (simultaneous voice and data), I'm sure they would have had one by now.
Either way, Apple is in no way hurting in the sales department...to say otherwise is about as stupid as buying an iPhone when you get horrible coverage with AT&T, which is an unfortunate reality for some, but not nearly as many as angry bloggers would have you think.
Bought my first mac prior to '89, so I may have missed out on something. When was it that Microsoft finally provided its users a "superior experience"?
I only have to wait one more year before I can upgrade from my 3G because in Canada, you have to sign a 3 year contract!
On the flip side, we can actually make calls
perhaps, but you are still getting killed by ROGERS, which although may have better coverage than ATT, they charge their customers through the nose.
As for APPLE and ATT WIRELESS, i hate ATT wireless coverage. its a big reason why i haven't set to upgrade to a new phone yet. I am hoping in the fall Apple goes agnostic to all the carriers. which is the right thing to do. allow consumers to choose their wireless service, not beholden customers to one.
"To reinforce the claim that the iPhone 4's glass is 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic an "Apple executive dropped it in front of me."
Why is it that supposedly tech-savvy people do not understand the meanings of "stiffer" and "harder" neither one of these has anything to do with dropping them. Standard window glass is both stiffer and harder than plastic. I.e. - it is resistant to bending and much more resistant to scratching than plastic. It will still shatter much more readily when dropped, because it is more brittle. Apparently, this new glass is not. Still - why can't we use the proper terminology. Shatter-resistant or even "stronger" would suffice.
While being anal-retentive about language here, I might as well point out that there would be "fewer" dropped calls, not "less."
What's amazing to me is the way people are so in the tank for SJ and his business savvy but blame AT&T for all the iPhone ills. If it was good for Apple, wouldn't SJ be doing it? I for one would love for Verizon and tMobile to get the iPhone just so people can start bitching about them too.
I had Verizon for years until I switched to the iPhone. I actually have had equal or better reception (Philadelphia marketplace primarily). My wife still has a Verizon phone...I can make calls at my vacation home in the mountains where she can't.
People who think Verizon is some kind of paradise are in for a rude awakening. Their customer service sucks, they do everything they can to cripple their phones and they were more expensive.
Finally, the iPhone is not "a phone that works, and works well" for many, many people - because of the network. The chorus of people calling for Apple to move past AT&T has been consistent and growing louder. While you may have had good experiences with your phone, many people have not. It is no accident that every single one of the major reviewers mentioned AT&T as a huge drawback to adoption of the iPhone.
And yet many millions of people globally continue purchasing a product that many claim is inferior for using as a phone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadash
As far as Android, you can laugh all you want, but you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, I've been a software engineer for 25+ years working on Windows systems. Still doing it in fact. I've used Mac desktops/Macbooks at work for the past few years and only recently purchased my first iMac (i7). Before all that, it's been custom-built PC-rigs. I'm actually a recent switcher and the move has been a wonderful experience. I even use Windows7 on VMware Fusion and while it's an improvement over XP, it's still a joke. And Android, yes... I'm still laughing at it.
Comments
The WSJ review by Mr Mossburg is just super and a fine review of a fine product.. What comes through loud and clear. When will Apple do something about this handicap it is lugging around called AT&T? The damage it must be doing to Apple sales is very obvious . There are customers out there who would buy an iPhone in a flash, but they are holding off because of AT&T's poor quality of product.
It makes no sense at all. If I was in their shoes (I am not} i would also decline. Why would I buy a Rolls Royce grade product which only contains a small underpowered engine?
Unfortunately, though, people are crazy over the iPhone. Supply is way lower than demand. Apple won't even give it a second look until they come out with a product that does not get people in line or until they get more supply than demand. At this point, they can't produce enough iPhones, so they don't have any reason to look at a different carrier.
I don't have super high expectations - I just want to make calls. The whole 3 years I've had an iPhone my wife has had a crap feature phone on T-Mobile. Everywhere we went we had to bring both phones because whenever the iPhone didn't have a signal her phone always did.
Finally, the iPhone is not "a phone that works, and works well" for many, many people - because of the network. The chorus of people calling for Apple to move past AT&T has been consistent and growing louder. While you may have had good experiences with your phone, many people have not. It is no accident that every single one of the major reviewers mentioned AT&T as a huge drawback to adoption of the iPhone.
As far as Android, you can laugh all you want, but you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
Every wireless carrier has its issues. For every complaint one has about AT&T, the same can be said by someone else on another network.
Even though I will be replacing my 2g iPhone with the iPhone4, my 2g has been trusty with phone calls, and I even live in San Francisco where so many people complain about the reception. I have experienced one one-block radius in San Francisco where the reception does not work. That's it.
So while I can understand the frustration that people have with AT&T, everyone I know in the bay area has not had those issues, or to that level that people here complain about. Perhaps we have lower-expectations or others have way-too-high expectations that no carrier can ever realistically reach.
I'll bet money that if Verizon had the iPhone, it will have a serious meltdown too with the same number of users. In the back room, VZW executives are sighing relief that they dodged the bandwidth-hogging bullet.
I'll take the new iPhone's quality and scalability over the fragmented mess that is called Android. If you want a phone that works, and works well.. it's the one to use. If you need an environment to satisfy your broken PC-Model and ADHD urges, Android is for you.
1. Your right - Apple could care less about the 90 million people on Verizon and the millions more phones they could sell there. 30,000 sold and 600,00 pre-orders is good enough, right?
Verizon had its shot back in 2007 but their arrogance bit them in the backside. VZW demanded too much and would have crippled the iPhone like they did with all the other phones that were running on their network. The rest of the world runs on GSM making the iPhone a true "world" phone. That's the hard reality.
2. No one is saying that Apple should leave AT&T. Spreading out the bandwidth hogging phone is what would make everyone happier (including those staying with AT&T.)
In an ideal world, one phone runs on multiple networks. Besides the political issues, I can only guess that Apple is running the hardware/logistical numbers of supporting different protocols.
3. It's not inferior if I can actually make a phone call on it. I have been an iPhone owner for 3 years. It's not like I don't have experience with the crap that is AT&T's service.
I've been a very happy AT&T customer since the Cingular days. I have no issues with it and an I know many happy iPhone owners. AT&T has their problems, but so does other carriers.
Does anyone know the secret new field test mode to find out their true signal reception? I know only how to get it by upgrading from 3.1.3 to 4.0.
That would tell Walt the "TRUE SHIT SIGNAL STRENGTH" that AT&T has.
Yeah, keep complaining, it must be a huge deal with 600,000 phones reserved on the first day.
Yeah, keep complaining, it must be a huge deal with 600,000 phones reserved on the first day.
Too bad most of them went through hell trying to get through on AT&T network.
... you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
Bought my first mac prior to '89, so I may have missed out on something. When was it that Microsoft finally provided its users a "superior experience"?
Looks like a winner!
I only have to wait one more year before I can upgrade from my 3G because in Canada, you have to sign a 3 year contract!
On the flip side, we can actually make calls
speak for yourself! i can't wait to end my contract with rogers (one year left. don't care) and switch to telus. where i live rogers STILL doesn't offer 3G, and drops my calls every second to third time, at least at my house/work. it's a little better at the beach, but EDGE only.
i went with telus for my ipad and get 5 bars all the time AND 3G. it always depends on where you live i guess. the fact that rogers ignores the rural market with no 3G after 2 years of having the iphone gave telus an opening when they switched on their new network a few months ago.
don't dispair at&t victims! there's hope yet when the competition heats up!
The WSJ review by Mr Mossburg is just super and a fine review of a fine product.. What comes through loud and clear. When will Apple do something about this handicap it is lugging around called AT&T? The damage it must be doing to Apple sales is very obvious . There are customers out there who would buy an iPhone in a flash, but they are holding off because of AT&T's poor quality of product.
It makes no sense at all. If I was in their shoes (I am not} i would also decline. Why would I buy a Rolls Royce grade product which only contains a small underpowered engine?
LOL...dude they just PREORDERED over 600,000 iPhone 4s...how exactly are Apples sales hindered? Unfortunately AT&T is benefiting from being the only carrier willing to take a chance on the original, and being the only carrier running standard GSM bands. If Verizon had not passed on the iPhone, and if they did not require a unique CDMA radio that unfortunately does not support a feature that Apple heavily advertised (simultaneous voice and data), I'm sure they would have had one by now.
Either way, Apple is in no way hurting in the sales department...to say otherwise is about as stupid as buying an iPhone when you get horrible coverage with AT&T, which is an unfortunate reality for some, but not nearly as many as angry bloggers would have you think.
Bought my first mac prior to '89, so I may have missed out on something. When was it that Microsoft finally provided its users a "superior experience"?
maybe back when IBM picked their DOS over CP/M?
Did I say that?
Not in so many words, but yes, you did.
Looks like a winner!
I only have to wait one more year before I can upgrade from my 3G because in Canada, you have to sign a 3 year contract!
On the flip side, we can actually make calls
perhaps, but you are still getting killed by ROGERS, which although may have better coverage than ATT, they charge their customers through the nose.
As for APPLE and ATT WIRELESS, i hate ATT wireless coverage. its a big reason why i haven't set to upgrade to a new phone yet. I am hoping in the fall Apple goes agnostic to all the carriers. which is the right thing to do. allow consumers to choose their wireless service, not beholden customers to one.
ie Blackberry, which has all major carriers.
Why is it that supposedly tech-savvy people do not understand the meanings of "stiffer" and "harder" neither one of these has anything to do with dropping them. Standard window glass is both stiffer and harder than plastic. I.e. - it is resistant to bending and much more resistant to scratching than plastic. It will still shatter much more readily when dropped, because it is more brittle. Apparently, this new glass is not. Still - why can't we use the proper terminology. Shatter-resistant or even "stronger" would suffice.
While being anal-retentive about language here, I might as well point out that there would be "fewer" dropped calls, not "less."
4. AT&T is just a greedy corporation to switch their plans and try to suck our wallets dry.
Verizon's going to do the same thing. It's capitalism and you live in a capitalist society. Get over it or don't pay.
Which is precisely why I don't own a cell phone of any flavor. But you do not hear me whining about it.
[whine...] But I DO wish I could get an iPhone 4 without a plan.
People who think Verizon is some kind of paradise are in for a rude awakening. Their customer service sucks, they do everything they can to cripple their phones and they were more expensive.
Be careful what you wish for.
Finally, the iPhone is not "a phone that works, and works well" for many, many people - because of the network. The chorus of people calling for Apple to move past AT&T has been consistent and growing louder. While you may have had good experiences with your phone, many people have not. It is no accident that every single one of the major reviewers mentioned AT&T as a huge drawback to adoption of the iPhone.
And yet many millions of people globally continue purchasing a product that many claim is inferior for using as a phone.
As far as Android, you can laugh all you want, but you sound like the self-contented Mac users circa 1989 who were sure that Microsoft would never be able to duplicate their superior experience. Unfortunately for Apple, they did.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, I've been a software engineer for 25+ years working on Windows systems. Still doing it in fact. I've used Mac desktops/Macbooks at work for the past few years and only recently purchased my first iMac (i7). Before all that, it's been custom-built PC-rigs. I'm actually a recent switcher and the move has been a wonderful experience. I even use Windows7 on VMware Fusion and while it's an improvement over XP, it's still a joke. And Android, yes... I'm still laughing at it.