whoneedsmj
@privacyfoundation.de
| Whither Magicjack?
I think mj will wither whether Dan likes it or not.
Why? Because as voip gets better - sounds better and is more reliable and is cheaper, people who have mj or are thinking of buying it will start to think: hey, I know mj only cost me $20 / year, and voip.ms (to take one example) costs me $1.05 / minute, but voip.ms sounds a lot better than mj and my pc doesn't have to be on, and the ATA only costs $30, and it isn't a sleazy outfit like mj, and it has a ton of features like callerid filtering, call-routing via a 'receptionist', sub-accounts, etc.
They will start thinking things like that, and you will see mj sales and renewals drop like a stone.
mj will stay around, but it will be for poor people who can't afford anything better. Sort of like someone who has a 12-inch b&w tv she bought from the Salvation Army store because she wants to watch tv but can't afford anything better. |
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PX Eliezer
Premium
join:2008-08-09
New Jersey
 ·Optimum Voice
·callwithus
·voip.ms
·Callcentric
| said by whoneedsmj :
mj will stay around, but it will be for poor people who can't afford anything better. Sort of like someone who has a 12-inch b&w tv she bought from the Salvation Army store because she wants to watch tv but can't afford anything better.
But MJ needs a computer and a broadband internet connection! So there is an inherent contradiction. |
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whoneedsmj
@blixtvik.se | Good point, so I may be spouting rubbish.
But I have the feeling that people have rising expectations with anything, and will eventually want more from a voip service than mj provides and be willing to pay for it. |
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amigo_boy
join:2005-07-22
Tempe, AZ
 ·Cox HSI
·magicjack.com
| said by whoneedsmj :
But I have the feeling that people have rising expectations with anything, and will eventually want more from a voip service than mj provides and be willing to pay for it.
I agree with you. MJ had a very loyal following when it was first released. Dan has done a lot to tell that *asset* that he doesn't want it. One of the first things he did was kick the user support forum off the MJ web site.
He's lied to his users a number of times, with planned improvements just 2-3 months away (for years).
Personally, I haven't seen a single improvement in MJ since it was in "beta for sale" mode two years ago. The quality and reliability seem the same. No new features. (In fact, fewer features when you consider "do not disturb" was removed without any hint why.).
Many speculated Dan was just trying to build out a concept (with a large customer base) so he could sell it. Google and Walmart were often named as potential buyers. With Google launching "Google Voice," that appears to be one buyer gone (and, turned a significant competitor).
I don't have a lot of enthusiasm about MJ's future. It was (not so much "is" anymore) a great idea. The problem was that it was Dan's idea. He seems to be a poor businessman. He didn't capitalize on his almost cult-like user base. He alienated them instead of listening to them and *using* them as free resources (for suggestions, testing, forum support, etc.). He's done things that even the most couch-jumping, Tom Cruise-like fanatic has had to admit was inexcusable.
And like you said, there are a lot of people who, when it comes down to the difference between $2 and $7 a month, it's not worth the drama that comes with MJ. There's a certain point where a race to the bottom isn't a big selling point. I often use the example of the 50-cent salad where the chef may spit in it. It's a terrific bargain for the price. But, most people I know will opt for the $2 salad.
Mark |
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rizzo2dial
Premium
join:2004-08-05
| reply to whoneedsmj
said by whoneedsmj :
and voip.ms (to take one example) costs me $1.05 / minute One dollar and five cents per MINUTE huh? Yeah, that's cheap.  |
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Gaurav Srivastva
@cox.net
| reply to whoneedsmj
I've used magicjack for a while now and for the price it is good (more since my PC keeps running the whole day anyway).
However, when my parents needed one, I decided to get them an ATA with callcentric.com since it is cheap if you don't make too many calls and they don't need the PC to be on (or re-plug MJ dongle if PC is restarted). |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO
·VOIPo
| reply to PX Eliezer
IDK about all ISPs, but with some you can get 768 for $20 and an old pc from a friend/family member will work if need be, or maybe even a new one a good sale if you can afford $500. I know a lot of people cannot afford $20 a month, but if they are paying $25 for phone now they could drop it get internet and MJ and save like $3 a month. I know not much but for some $3($36 a year) may be more than it seems. |
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pandora
Premium
join:2001-06-01
Outland
·ooma
·Future Nine Corpor..
·Comcast
|  reply to amigo_boy
I seriously considered MagicJack a bit over a year ago. At the time it didn't support number porting, and required a Windows machine to be on 24/7 (or for a customer to perform a hack and violate TOS to get service on an ATA).
Since last year the only real change seems to have been a MagicJack assault on Magic hacks (ATA hacks). Other than that it appears to be the same MagicJack it was a year ago.
Some people don't need number porting, don't mind a PC on 24/7, and don't mind adware (some such as myself would call it spyware). There is no doubt MagicJack is inexpensive, but IMO it is not, never was, and my guess is never will be a full service VOIP company.
The concept of MagicJack is IMO a good one. Too many people pay too much for basic landline phone services. MagicJack offers one of the lowest cost alternatives.
I don't consider Google Voice as yet competing with MagicJack as there is no desire by Google to provide full VOIP service and dial tone via ATA at this time. Google could benefit by purchasing a proprietary solution like MagicJack IMO to complement Google Voice. Time will tell.
For $20 a year, for some people, MagicJack is undoubtedly a great alternative to anything else. Each of us has to evaluate VOIP alternatives with our own needs and personality.
--
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." |
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prestonlewis
Premium,MVM
join:2003-04-13
Sacramento, CA
·VoiceStick
·Comcast
 ·Pacific Bell - SBC
·DSL EXTREME
·Vonage
·VoicePulse
| reply to whoneedsmj
If you don't like the product, move on. MJ isn't for everyone. They're selling 10,000 MJs per day so they must be doing something right.
Comments like MJ being "sleazy" and as soon as people realize it, "you will see mj sales and renewals drop like a stone" seem pretty audacious if you ask me. Making your own comment is fine, of course. But then saying you are right and other people will come around to your line of thinking eventually is in poor taste.
Is MJ perfect? Of course not. Far from it. But at least for me, MJ is reliable and cheap. |
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REDunbar
@comcast.net
| reply to whoneedsmj
I think you are blowing smoke. I've had magicJack nearly a year, and while I did see a few glitches early on, it's working reliably and clearly now. The voice quality is indistinguishable from the standard POTS line which I retained while testing MJ. There are a couple of features I'd like to see, like support for Linux, caller ID call waiting, and better customer service, but as long as they continue the service, it's going to gain customers, not lose them. I find more and more people using it or thinking about using it all the time.people are fed up with the exorbitant rates charged by other companies, and that won't change. The low MJ international rates are a boon to folks who make a lot of transatlantic calls. At least one acquaintance of mine bought it just for that. |
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ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
clubs: | reply to whoneedsmj
»www.businessinsider.com/magicjac···r-2009-6 |
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whoneedsmj
@foebud.org
| reply to REDunbar
said by REDunbar :
I think you are blowing smoke.
Maybe so. It's just that in my experience people always want more and will pay more, within reason, to get it.
MJ is a basic service that has to go through your pc to work, so right there it is pretty klunky.
If people can afford $11 month for N.American calling plus a DID, I think they will eventually be willing to pay it rather than pay the $1.80 a month, or whatever it is, that they pay for MJ.
They will say to themselves (in my scenario): hey, I like callcentric - I can get a DID in my relatives' home town that is local for them, instead of the distant DID that mj gave me; I can block people using callerid; I can have messages go to voicemail; I can see who is calling via callerid; I can use callcentric's calling card feature; callcentric is almost never down; I can leave my pc off; customer service is excellent, etc.
It's like somebody with a black and white tv, who doesn't want to spend money on a new colour model because he feels black and white gives him all he needs for tv entertainment; but after watching programs on his friend's colour tv or seeing them at a store, he gets hooked and spends the money, and will never go back to the junky (as he now views it) black and white tv. |
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BlueMagic
join:2008-03-30
| reply to ptrowski
Ptrowksi has seen the light and has moved from the dark side to the side of light, goodness and all things magicJack. My magicJack service has cleared up and is now perfect however my wife and I have switched to Skype on our respective Iphone 3G s phones.
Dan is be be congratulated for winning. Of course in a capitalistic society, money is its own reward and Dan is swimming in money while his poor little competitors with their inferior old technology ATA solutions must hang their collective heads in shame and accept the bitter taste of defeat.
I hail Dan and salute him. He truly is the greatest and most highly respected businessman in the modern day telephony business.  |
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ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
clubs: | Not quite, Blue. It was on the homepage.  |
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