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iPhone - so...what's the deal?

#31
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6/25/07 at 5:49pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

As long as the phone is quad band, when people get to europe they can simply buy a SIM card from a low cost carrier and pop it in and it should work.
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#32
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6/26/07 at 10:43am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I'm getting itchy after watching the 20 minute iPhone video on the
Apple website.

Having a Mac is making the wish for an iPhone even that more
intensive as I know that migrating all my iCal and Address Book
contacts over and keeping them in synch will be effortless.

Come Friday, I may actually buy myself a phone. I'll buy it online
to avoid store lines.

The problem?

I have Verizon. The termination fee will cost me $175. Additionally,
I am not too happy going with Cingular. I am going to start a thread
in the AFTER HOURS area to find out how happy Cingular users are.
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#33
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6/26/07 at 11:01am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Apple released the plan prices, the cheapest will cost just over $1400 dollars for two years and the most expensive will be around $2400 for two years.

All plans include unlimited data, visual voice mail, 200 SMS text messages, roll-over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling, the companies said. Plan prices rise with the number of minutes of talk time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov
I am not talking about status symbols -- the simple reality is that most people who can't afford a $500 phone can't afford a European vacation and vice/versa. (Note I said *most* -- sure there are ways to travel very cheaply, but *most* travelers pay normal (due to the Dollar/Euro exchange rate, "normal" = "high") prices).

No, I have not commissioned a public opinion research firm to do studies, but I think it is just common sense.
First of all my status symbol comment had to do with the individuals who will buy it as such and had nothing to do with the traveler part of my post.

As for traveling with the phone, simple particle business sense makes it clear that being able to take the phone to Europe and visa versa was not a primary concern for Apple. The segment of the market that actually needs this ability is so small that they are inconsequential. From all that has been published common sense makes it clear that the primary concerns for Apple were the ability to gain total control over the phone and a percentage of the service contracts.

I think initially the phones will be a big success although I’m not so certain it will be able to maintain its success after the initial crazy of it being the next “it” thing to have passes.
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#34
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6/26/07 at 11:23am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick_S
Apple released the plan prices, the cheapest will cost just over $1400 dollars for two years and the most expensive will be around $2400 for two years.

link
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#35
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6/26/07 at 11:33am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I presume the data plans include GPS?

The data plans are reasonable. My Blackberry costs about $40
for 400 minutes and another $40 for unlimited net usage. So the
$60 unlimited plan is not unfair in my eyes.
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#36
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6/26/07 at 12:21pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
I presume the data plans include GPS?
The iPhone doesn't include GPS. That, along with no 3G and no replaceable battery, is one of the things the iPhone nay-sayers are always bringing up.

Despite the iPhone's drawbacks, I've become an Apple geek over the past two years and I want one of these. Bad. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the plan pricing - most of the speculation had the rates starting in the $70-80 range.

OTOH, I'm currently paying Sprint $45 a month, which includes unlimited data access to their speedy 3G EVDO network. And that's not including my 25% company discount.

My contract with Sprint is up next May. It would cost $250 to get out of it. As much as it pains the gadget geek in me, I'm going to have to watch this launch from the sidelines. This is actually a good thing. By that time there's a good chance iPhone 2 will be out or announced, and maybe we'll see 3G and/or GPS added.
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#37
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6/26/07 at 12:23pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

The phone price and plan prices seem in line with other high-end "smart" phones. I'd been eyeing a Treo for a few years, and it was $300 - $600 plus data package.

I think the iPhone looks killer. I believe the iPod is distinctly superior to other MP3 players in its interface. If Apple has wrought the same magic in the iPhone, it will be a new standard for high-end phones.

As for switching to Cingular: Ron, if you want the iPhone you have to do it. No way around it. Besides, they've got a few 10 million customers, right? How horrible could they be? Maybe not as good as Verizon, but surely they have coverage in all major and secondary cities and get your calls connected, bill you correctly, etc?
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#38
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6/26/07 at 12:32pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I guess I misunderstood the GPS capability. I saw the video where
you type in "chinese food" and it maps out exactly where a restaurant
is located within your city.

Dave, you are right....I have no choice.

It will cost me $175 to terminate my Verizon contract (it is up
in October) if I buy the phone now.

On the one hand, at $60 per month x 3 months (till October) I
could just use BOTH services and avoid the extra cost of the
Verizon termination fee.

On the other hand, if I am going to carry over my old number
I'm going to have to cancel Verizon immediately. I don't think
I can have the same number on two services at same time.

Chances are very high that I will buy the iPhone online at 6pm
on Friday. I don't want to wait on a store line. I am sure the
Apple site will be crawling, but I'm hoping to be able to get a
phone that day. I am hearing supplies are VERY limited.

The next decision is the 4GB or 8GB phone. Really, I will not
use the phone as an iPod as 8GB is just not enough storage space.
If I can save $100 and get the 4GB that might work out better for me.
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#39
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6/26/07 at 12:45pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

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#40
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6/26/07 at 12:47pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Couldn't you keep both phones, temporarily have your calls Forwarded to your iPhone from your VZW phone, then when your Verizon contract is up, change your AT&T phone # by having your Verizon # ported over in exchange for your AT&T #?

Ive been debating if I'm going to switch from Verizon or not. problem is, is the iPhone realistic for me, or is it for flashy purposes? I could always just skin an HTC phone to mimic some aspects of the iPhone, or I could wait it out another year for all the knock offs and one ups all the cell carriers will try to produce.

I agree even at 8gigs, its barely touching my music collection. so I'd still need to carry an mp3 player when I need one.
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#41
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6/26/07 at 12:48pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Well, not bad on the plans. Activate at home? Really?

http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation.html
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#42
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6/26/07 at 12:52pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Eric,

I saw that video and it was another clincher to the deal.

Instead of waiting in line to buy the phone and then activate it,
I can simply synch it to iTunes and activate the phone online.

Also, from what I am reading, there will be an announcement
at the time of release with another "surprise" about this phone.
Ronald J Epstein
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#43
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6/26/07 at 1:22pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

were did you read that.

nothing i can find at howardforums.com
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#44
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6/26/07 at 1:37pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
I guess I misunderstood the GPS capability. I saw the video where you type in "chinese food" and it maps out exactly where a restaurant is located within your city.
Yeah, that was a bit misleading. I think it works just like Google Maps on your desktop PC - find a location, enter your start location, and it will give directions. The video left out the 2nd step. At least that's what I guess based on what we know now.

Unless the "secret feature" you alluded to is GPS. Or it could be a removeable battery - if you look at pics of the iPhone there is a now a black section on the bottom rear of the unit that wasn't there in early (January) photos. Doesn't make much sense unless it's a slide-off cap for the battery compartment.

Jobs does like to "under-promise and over-deliver"...

Oh yeah, the at-home activation is sweet. The common-sense cells in my body are struggling mightily against the gadget genes on this one...
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#45
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6/26/07 at 1:50pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig S
Yeah, that was a bit misleading. I think it works just like Google Maps on your desktop PC - find a location, enter your start location, and it will give directions. The video left out the 2nd step. At least that's what I guess based on what we know now.
Even without GPS cell phones have a good idea where you are based on which tower you are connected to -- that might be good enough for Google Maps. That's how 911 operators know your location AFAIK.

The battery (not) being removable is no big deal for me -- I just changed the "non-removable" battery on my 2nd Gen iPod and it was very easy to do (and cost me all of $29 for a battery that gives it 20 hours of playtime). In my cell phone experience, I am yet to have a cell that I didn't break or lose before the battery died. Apart from giving Apple another revenue stream from selling spare batteries, I doubt having a removable battery would help many people in real life.
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#46
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6/26/07 at 1:57pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Good point on the cell phone location.

And you're right - there will be options available for changing the battery. At the very least you'll be able to walk it into an ATT or Apple store I expect.

The only reason I've purchased extra batteries for my last 2 phones was because the standard included batteries seem designed more to maintain a slim profile than to power the phone for an adequate amount of time. I always end up needing the extended battery just to get decent battery life. If Apple's latest numbers are anywhere close to reality there will be no need to replace with an extended battery.
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#47
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6/26/07 at 2:03pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Eric,

I saw that video and it was another clincher to the deal.

Instead of waiting in line to buy the phone and then activate it,
I can simply synch it to iTunes and activate the phone online.

Also, from what I am reading, there will be an announcement
at the time of release with another "surprise" about this phone.

Yep, they know how to buzz don't they. Friday was the guide. I couldn't help thinking `Nice, but the plan will be overpriced' Today we get a very reasonable plan structure (if there is such a thing) and the home setup. Having Apple give Verizon the finger for me sounds sweet. I'm past my agreement, but I'm sure they'll have a lovely new fee of some sort ready for the coming exodus

I'd say thursday they add `One More Thing' so to speak.

E
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#48
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6/26/07 at 4:54pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

The first reviews are up!! They're mostly positive, with some caveats.

Walt Mossberg (WSJ)

Bottom line:

Quote:
Expectations for the iPhone have been so high that it can’t possibly meet them all. It isn’t for the average person who just wants a cheap, small phone for calling and texting. But, despite its network limitations, the iPhone is a whole new experience and a pleasure to use.

David Pogue (NYT)

Bottom line:

Quote:

But even in version 1.0, the iPhone is still the most sophisticated, outlook-changing piece of electronics to come along in years. It does so many things so well, and so pleasurably, that you tend to forgive its foibles.

In other words, maybe all the iPhone hype isn’t hype at all. As the ball player Dizzy Dean once said, “It ain’t bragging if you done it.”

Neither is particularly impressed with the ATT network. Edge in particular is called out as being too slow. Also, call quality is only so-so (although this is partly based on the ATT network).

The touch keyboard gets positive marks. They key is (as Jobs has said) to "trust it.".

Battery life is good, very close to Apple's claims, at least according to Mossberg. The screen gets good marks as well - no scratches so far.

Unless both men are under an NDA, it doesn't look like there are any "one more thing" surprises coming Friday. The non-removeable battery and lack of GPS were both mentioned.

I want one, but I don't feel like waiting for version 2 is a bad idea, given the issues with EDGE. And it sounds like AT&T really needs to beef up their network overall.
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#49
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6/26/07 at 5:38pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Both of these respected journalists' reviews back up my disdain for AT&T's dreadfully slow network speeds and inconsistent signal. Despite the praise as they lavish on the rest of the iPhone, I'm happy to stay with my Sprint Treo. As much as I love the kickass features that the iPhone introduces, it's the network that matters. It's sort of like coming out with a spectacular fully loaded sports coupe and then putting a three cylinder gas sipping engine in there.
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#50
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6/26/07 at 6:21pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
I don't know why Verizon, who has the best service, always get
the shittiest phones. Real shame they lost out on iPhone.

day late and a dollar short but.......

apple actually went to verizon first and verizon turned down apple and the iphone. go figure.......

oh and best service really only means verizon covers your area better. all carriers have strong and weak areas with att and verizon having the most strong areas vs. other carriers.

i work in the industry (thank god not in a store) and i will tell someone in a heart beat go with the carrier that best serves your area. there is no point in arguing about who has the best network when it differs so widely from market to market.

listen with your own ears...
watch with your own eyes...
make your own decision.
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#51
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6/26/07 at 6:32pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov
In Europe, I've never heard of people choosing one carrier over another due to reception/coverage issues. Overall coverage is infinitely better than in the US (phones work fine on mountains in Bulgaria and underground in the Paris metro and everywhere in between). Also, different carriers seem to share networks, so your cell phone just connects to the best one available at you current location.

I can't imagine that we are so backward, that we'll never catch up to the European level of service. At that point, carrier starts to become a non-issue, and you will choose on price, features & phone.


the big difference between europe and the u.s. is that most of europe is gsm. as a matter of fact 80 percent of the world utilizes the gsm standard for cellphones. so carriers obviously have agreements to allow subscribers to roam their networks.

here in the u.s. the two biggest players have competing standards. if both were gsm and had agreements to roam one another's network we might very well have a situation similar to many european countries.

and fyi. cdma is a dying format. it is so dead in fact that the worlds leading manufacturer of cell phones, nokia, has stopped making cdma handsets. so sooner or later verizon and sprint are going to have to do something different.

listen with your own ears...
watch with your own eyes...
make your own decision.
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#52
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6/26/07 at 6:44pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
On the other hand, if I am going to carry over my old number
I'm going to have to cancel Verizon immediately. I don't think
I can have the same number on two services at same time.

You can't have the same number on two services at the same time but you can have your old number ported to a new service without canceling the old service. After the transfer if you wanted to make use of the old line Verizon would be willing to issue a new number for it.
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#53
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6/26/07 at 8:38pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diallo B
here in the u.s. the two biggest players have competing standards. if both were gsm and had agreements to roam one another's network we might very well have a situation similar to many european countries.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but here all 3 providers are GSM, but have their own networks and you can't roam on the others' networks. On the rare occasions where I can't get a signal from my own provider, I have found a signal from one of the others, but it doesn't help me. Of course, this is a tiny country, smaller than most US cities, so it's not surprising that coverage is nearly 100% island-wide.

Of course, being on a GSM network means whenever I travel I can usually roam seamlessly. The exceptions being Japan/South Korea, who have some other system, and the US which even though partly GSM, dictates that the phone must be at least tri-band (GSM1900 I think being the clincher, when older dual-band phones here only support 900 and 1800).

I guess that's another reason Apple might have gone with AT&T, the iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone which can therefore be sold just about everywhere else in the world without any changes required (save for Japan/South Korea).

Oh, and have I said I want one?
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#54
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6/26/07 at 8:45pm
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diallo B
the big difference between europe and the u.s. is that most of europe is gsm. as a matter of fact 80 percent of the world utilizes the gsm standard for cellphones. so carriers obviously have agreements to allow subscribers to roam their networks.

here in the u.s. the two biggest players have competing standards. if both were gsm and had agreements to roam one another's network we might very well have a situation similar to many european countries.

and fyi. cdma is a dying format. it is so dead in fact that the worlds leading manufacturer of cell phones, nokia, has stopped making cdma handsets. so sooner or later verizon and sprint are going to have to do something different.


Perhaps old news to a few of us. The US is all about who's getting the money - not who's providing the best service.

It should be obvious that Apple had major politics to hurdle
trying to wedge in to this market. It will improve, but well behind the curve of Europe and Japan. Same Ol'
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#55
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6/27/07 at 5:48am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
and fyi. cdma is a dying format. it is so dead in fact that the worlds leading manufacturer of cell phones, nokia, has stopped making cdma handsets. so sooner or later verizon and sprint are going to have to do something different.
Is this partially due to the new ruling that a cell carrier has to unlock their phones so consumers can use it with another carrier? and also because of the Qualcom importing ban thats going on?
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#56
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6/27/07 at 6:07am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Here we are two days away from the release of iPhone and
my decision to buy one seems to change by the minute.

The Pros are of course the fact that this is a state-of-the-art phone
that has a huge appeal quality to it.

The Cons are mainly Cingular. In fact, having to leave Verizon to
go to an undependable carrier that most people can't stand (see thread
in AFTER HOURS) has me worried sick.

Right now, I own a Blackberry with Verizon. I just bought a Jawbone
bluetooth headset that works perfectly (though Jawbone works with iPhone
as well). I'm going on a business trip in 4 weeks where I will need to be
in cellphone touch with up to 60 other attendees out in Las Vegas. My
Blackberry and my Verizon service has performed flawlessly for me. Do I
really want to risk it to go with a new product and a carrier whose reputation
falls far below Verizon?!

One thought....

Can the iPhone be unlocked to work with Verizon service?

If I were to predict if I were going to buy this or not, I would say this....

I'll be waiting at Apple's online store at 6pm Friday. If I can get in and
a phone is available at that moment, I'm sure it will be an impulse buy.
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#57
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6/27/07 at 6:33am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

wow. no MP3's as ringtones

As far as I know, you cant use a Cingular/AT&T phone w/ Verizon, due to Verizon using CDMA.

Found two video reviews of the iPhone:
Mossberg's
and
Pogue's
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#58
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6/27/07 at 6:39am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
Can the iPhone be unlocked to work with Verizon service?
Definitely not. The Phone is a GSM phone which requires a SIM card to operate. Verizon (and Sprint) are CDMA carriers. It's a completely different technology.

AT&T/Cingular is the largest mobile provider in the US. I can't believe they suck across the board - why would people keep going with them if that was the case? I would concentrate on seeing how their network works in your area (and in Vegas as well). Filter out the comments from other places (you don't care if the net sucks in Houston, or Kansas City, or Denver...). I guarantee you, I have seen horror stories about every carrier - you're happy with Verizon, but I see people trashing them online all the time.

Good luck on your decision. I'm actually glad I'm in the middle of my Sprint contract period - makes it easier to hold off and wait for V2.

If you do get it - be prepared to give lots of demos in Vegas!!
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#59
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6/27/07 at 6:41am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Quote:
wow. no MP3's as ringtones
I can almost guarantee this is an AT&T restriction. The mobile companies make big bucks selling ringtones. If they let iPhone users just choose ringtones from their existing library that whole stream of revenue goes away.
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#60
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6/27/07 at 6:49am
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Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Jean - Thanks
The Pogue vid is perhaps the most honest review, with it's comedy at the end about what you can't get right now. Good Find
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