Mac.Blorge (via Slashdot) is shocked that when iPhone drops later this month users will need to sign a contract and sign up for EDGE broadband service if they want to use the device's Wi-Fi functionality. It's not very surprising that AT&T wants you using their data network rather than just buying the device to use its Wi-Fi functionality.
The fact that the unit is using the clunkier EDGE network as opposed to HSDPA is the biggest gripe about the device amongst broadband lovers, but it's one we assume will be rectified in later models. Meanwhile, the Consumerist shares an internal memo that states initial sales of the unit will only be via Apple.com and select stores.
I agree, I hate AT&T with a passion. I remember having to travel around the country and service would be patchy in a lot places, not to mention it would always say roaming. One month I had a $1800 bill because my minutes didnt catch up to me for a few months. I refused to pay that much, so they dropped it to $300, and then I dropped them after that. I like the concept of the IPhone, but not until it comes down in price, I am sure it is going to be expensive at the beginning.
Keep in mind that this is actually Cingular's and AT&T's networks combined, not just the old AT&T Wireless network, which was actually better that Cingular in NY at the time. Hate to say it, but their service works everywhere I go now.
As for the iPhone, I'll pass. Too many hoops to jump through, too many mandatory fees and a 2 yr contract to boot with no discount for it is complete horse shit.
quote:The fact that the unit is using the clunkier EDGE network as opposed to HSDPA is the biggest gripe
My biggest gripe it that it's AT&T
AT&T was always the worst of all carriers.
BUT.. To be far to AT&T.. there will hords of IDIOTS running out, paying ETF's to thier current carrier to jump ship just to get this device . I'll sit back and wait to see what the "other" carriers will do and what phones they will offer to "counter" this iCrap device.. Hope new users have enough money left to buy boxes of "wipes" to keep that screen clean . Anyone want to start a pool on what will be the first complaint? "Easy to scratch screen" or "poor battery life"? I'll go with both..
quote:The fact that the unit is using the clunkier EDGE network as opposed to HSDPA is the biggest gripe
My biggest gripe it that it's AT&T
AT&T was always the worst of all carriers.
Ironically the one thing AT&T always treasured most was the "brand". For many years it was one of the most prestigious, most respected names there was. The first incarnation of the wireless and AT&T broadband ruined that.
not a chance in heck that i will buy this phone. Phones never seem to last two years so no reason to spend this kind of money for something I will toss around on my desk every single day and drop all the time. So it would be a poor bit of judgement for me to buy this for myself.
giving second thought to this if they would have dropped the phone part of this and made it a personal video player type of next gen video ipod then yes I would have bought it but not as a phone.
giving second thought to this if they would have dropped the phone part of this and made it a personal video player type of next gen video ipod then yes I would have bought it but not as a phone.
It only has 8GB of storage.. not very functional at all.
I'm a Mac user and extremely incensed that Apple ignored our requests for a widescreen video iPod.
I doubt we'll even see one for Christmas because of their relationship to AT&T.
Your world, absorbed.
Well, I only have about 8GB of music,videos, movies that I care to carry around .. so that's fine for me.
Apple didn't ignore it, just chose to introduce their first widescreen video iPod in combo with the iPhone.
My world, absorbed? Have no clue what you are "trying" to say.... In my world, people have a choice, and you can choose to not buy one, and others can choose to buy one, end of story ---
No. A std FREE phone that comes with the svc contract is fine by me. FREE and it has picture, video, speakerphone, external micro/SD & bluetooth capabilities. Who needs an iPhone. LG VX8300.
No. A std FREE phone that comes with the svc contract is fine by me. FREE and it has picture, video, speakerphone, external micro/SD & bluetooth capabilities. Who needs an iPhone. LG VX8300.
I agree. I have Verizon and right now I have some Motorolla phone that was $50 or $75 25 months ago when I got it. It still works, and still does all I need it to just fine. Granted, I replaced the battery for the first time 2 months ago because it couldn't hold a charge more than a few hours. But now with the new battery, phone is like new.
The iPhone I think has the cool appeal, but I just don't see it as practical. I have an iPod already, and while I know the iPhone is more than that, it's just not for me. I'm sure it will sell pretty well though. Even if I wanted it, I wouldn't even touch it right away.
The iPhone I think has the cool appeal, but I just don't see it as practical.
Putting all of your eggs in one basket is never practical. Putting all of your eggs in an overpriced, gaudy (shouts "steal me!") basket that will be passé in six months is downright stupid. But as long as there are enough hipster doofus types out there with access to their parent's credit cards, Apple will make money...
i find it amusing that you'd talk crap about the iphone, but yet you'd waste money buying an ipod !!??
I fail to see or understand your argument. First, I'm not talking crap about the iPhone. I hope Apple succeeds with it. I just won't be buying it.
The iPhone is a phone, mp3 player and more. It's a new, unproven, multifunctional device. And putting all of your eggs in one basket isn't smart.
I happen to think the iPod is a pretty cool device, and it does one thing - play music. Holds all the music I want it too, and it's easier than carrying around 100 CDs. I can take it in the car, and it plugs into my car's stereo. I can take it on the plane. Rest assured, if the iPod had a phone, I wouldn't have it.
The iPhone is a phone, mp3 player and more. It's a new, unproven, multifunctional device.
There have been many cell phones which can play mp3s, browse the web and do all sorts of other things for quite some time now. I wouldn't say the the Apple iPhone is "new and unproven" as many other companies have made similar devices prior to Apple.
The iPhone is a phone, mp3 player and more. It's a new, unproven, multifunctional device.
There have been many cell phones which can play mp3s, browse the web and do all sorts of other things for quite some time now. I wouldn't say the the Apple iPhone is "new and unproven" as many other companies have made similar devices prior to Apple.
Its not just a phone that plays MP3s .... It is being marketed as the 3.5" widescreen iPod as well....so it does everything the video iPod does (which includes playing movies, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, etc) .... iPod owners have been waiting a long time for a widescreen iPod, and now they have one, with a bigger screen than the majority of cell phones out there...
One feature that does set it apart from the rest is the browser. Safari on board for browsing will be far more efficient than any other wireless browser. I just hope that the data network will be able to sustain the it's functionality.
Seconded. A very solid phone. May not look as fancy as a pda or razr or the iPhone but what it does it does well.
I don't even have Verizon anymore, but I still use the heck out of my ol' VX8300. Best pictures for a 1.3 megapixel camera. Great MP3 audio (easy to hack that feature). I miss that darn phone, but the internet on it was too expensive. Thank god for Sprint Sero plans, and Moto Q's for $99 (at that time). Oh, and that VX8300 is the easiest to hack so you can use it as a USB modem, and it was pretty darn quick too. Ahh, I miss it already, and only been out of service for 3 months. I wonder if I can find some hacked Sprint software for it.
I'm waiting for future models to maybe hit other carries *sometime* because with how everything is turning out, this isn't going to go as well as expected.
I'm not in need of a giant touch screen phone yet. This one well...cripples too many features I get now from Verizon if I switched to Cingular, let alone the fact its not using 3G.
Looking at it now vs when it was first unveiled, I think Verizon did make a smart move in not taking the iPhone now. The first gen models have too many issues that need to be ironed out by the 2nd or 3rd gen models hit.
It's not hard to spot the Apple zealots around here. Always on the offensive, always rude, always clueless.
One more reason to pass on this product. I wouldn't want to be mistaken for one.
Or haters....... just because someone buys an Apple product and actually "likes" it does not make them a zealot - Except to haters, most of whom DO NOT even own or have even tried the product(s) they are continually bashing... LOL
You missed the WWDC07 keynote. It was announced that there will be 3rd party software and they demoed how 'easy' it was going to be for 3rd party developers to integrate iPhone's features and look into their 3rd party apps.
You missed the WWDC07 keynote. It was announced that there will be 3rd party software and they demoed how 'easy' it was going to be for 3rd party developers to integrate iPhone's features and look into their 3rd party apps.
You don't want to confuse the haters with the "FACTS", gawd forbid...
I could care less for 3rd party software. That's just icing on the crap cake. The fact that the iPhone is ineligible for similar repair/insurance policies like other phones just kills the deal for me.
I need to have a functional phone avaliable ASAP, regardless of how it gets broken. Mailing it off to Apple for a week or two and praying they don't slate off your claim as user-inflicted damage...yeah, that's just not acceptable for me.
But yeah. The lack of software AND slower broadband capabilities just really kills it for me. My Treo 755 does all the iPhone's (and iPods) capabilities smashingly.
not a chance in heck that i will buy this phone. Phones never seem to last two years so no reason to spend this kind of money for something I will toss around on my desk every single day and drop all the time. So it would be a poor bit of judgement for me to buy this for myself.
Wow, maybe you should play with a coconut instead of a cell phone. I never "toss" my electronics around or "drop" them all the time. Who are you people that do this?
I think many of you will be proven wrong (some again, twice), and it will be a success. I heard all of this before (with the iPod), and it sure feels good to say, "I told you so" ....
My phone already does everything this phone does, just not as fancy. My phone uses 3G as well, and I can setup my own mail servers to fetch email, exchange and more. My phone only holds 2 gigs of music, but I have yet to even use that much. I see no need for it other than a $600 keep up with the Jones charge. I like my phone better, I'd consider this a downgrade.
My phone is a T-Mobile Wing, it does all the iPhone does and more as well, considering how the only way to run third party applications on the iPhone is through a web browser...it is starting to sound like a PSP with new firmware.
Since this phone will not be on verizon i will not be buying this phone. I want a great phone on a great network. not a great phone on a crappy network.
Hmmm, No ! The more I read about this thing here and elsewhere, I'm not impressed. To much $ for to little. The lack of real broadband is a show stopper. Sure looks pretty on TV though. Surely the Mac fanatics will go crazy over it. And that's ok, their use to spending to much for their toys.
Yes, definitely interested in getting one... Am I getting one ? Nope. If they had agreed to go with a provider that actually had a decent wireless broadband network like, I don't know, Sprint (who I use for work), I might be on board. As it stands though, ATT's wireless broadband sucks.
Rich people with alot of money and the desire for the latest thing will drive us to buy at least 12. Even though we are a fully dedicated Blackberry shop they still want it. Even after all the talks of it not supporting BES/BIS(initially)and all the other features lost they still want it.
Oh well who am I to argue. I get a free one!
Honestly I do not expect to use the phone for that long. Just a novelty item that will eventually collect dust. But.... I could be suprised by it and really enjoy it. We shall see.
Absolutely Dreadwing... no unlock no buy. On paper at least, this phone is just not that attractive. I was expecting the iphone to be at the top of its class, not somewhere near the middle.
If Verizon Wireless had it, the iPhone would look just like any other Verizon Wireless phone, with its 'standardized' UI.
Exactly. Verizon is the worst provider for anyone who is into cutting edge.
It still sickens me that verizon DISABLES the BUILT IN GPS functions of the Blackberry 8xxx series merely because they don't want customers to be able to freely use Google/Blackberry Maps. Yet you buy the same exact blackberry for Sprint and the features work perfectly at no extra charge.
That is just one of the many reasons my company dropped Verizon as our Blackberry provider as soon as our contracts were up.
There is a insane, and it only reinforces my decision not to get one. Firstly I don't like AT&T/Cingular, but second I don't like the idea that a built in function on the device is only usable if I sign up for more expensive service. Apple managed the one thing that could keep me from getting one, they put it on AT&T/Cingular.
If you buy this piece of crap your a MORON! These two companies deserve to take a BATH on this P.O.S!! You will end up with a crap lemon just like the Playstation 3 and backing the wrong horse (AT&T). They want to attach their contractual hooks into you so good before you know it, your into them for $$$ THOUSANDS $$$ AND TO BOOT you'll have NO PRIVACY, these two companies want to make it perfectly clear they want your money and offer as little as possible for their overhyped and WAY OVERPRICED piece of SH_T. BOYCOTT THESE TWO COMPANIES BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!
They can't do that! Where are all the fuckers saying that this isn't the old ATT of yore? This is EXACTLY what people said would happen when the Deathstar sailed again!
I'm sorry, but you can't force anyone to get a data plan if they buy the phone outright....in fact, if they buy the phone outright, ATT is obligated under copyright law to unlock the phone for them.
Remember some people will pay a small fortune for coprolite.
I got a 8830 from Verizon on May 28 for $99 after rebate and so far have been very pleased with exception of GPS issue. Once you get used to it typing is not difficult. Question is will the iPhone be worth more than $99 on the AT&T network? Verizon is the best network for the places I travel to with one exception. If I ever had to switch it would be to T-Mobile. Just random thoughts that will most likely turn into a coprolite in a couple of million years.
I notice most of you aren't from New York. New York and the NYC area operate in a different purchasing mode that anywhere else. iphone sales will have nothing to do with which carrier it has or if it's too large or etc. People here want the latest toy and they want it now - cost isn't a factor. The market for these is the ipod generation, and they will eat this up. Is it perfect, no. Can it be better, yes. Will they care - no!
Believe it or not, NYC doesn't hold a monopoly on fashion victims. The world is full of people who will do anything to be different, just like everyone else.
All of this information is based on a $10/hr manager at some ATT store. I wouldn't trust him with anything, and I definitely wouldn't believe his interpretation of ATT & Apple plans of service for the iPhone. Wait and see. As for sales, yes-- this iPhone is going to sell like hell. Hold on to your @ss.
Who cares! I mean really. It's a phone! A PHONE! A friggin $500 phone! Then you gotta sign up for expensive services. It's a friggin phone! Like there aren't other less expensive and more capable phones out there. Yea touch screen yada yada, whopdedoo!