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AT&T Gears Up for the iPhone
ElvaWSJ writes "In preparation for its exclusive launch of the cellphone industry's most anticipated device, AT&T is pulling out all the stops. It is adding about 2,000 temporary employees to cope with the influx of shoppers in the first few months. And it is planning for enhanced security to control the potentially large crowds and avoid theft of the phones, which will go for a steep $499 or $599, depending on memory capacity. Some sales agents expect to see people camping outside the night before. 'Apple, which plans to start selling the phone in all of its 162 retail stores on June 29, did not disclose any plans around training or staffing for the launch. Apple will also start selling the phone online on the launch date, but AT&T will first launch only in its stores ... AT&T, which is requiring iPhone shoppers to sign up for a 2-year contract, has not yet revealed the service fees it will charge iPhone customers.'"
and why have I never heard of it?
Sweet informative mod.
They should set up tattoo kiosks outside the stores so these nutjobs can get ink'd with the Apple or AT&T logo of their choice.
C'mon, people! It's only a phone. And it's version 1.0!
Currently bidding on sig
I'm a fan boy, I'll drink the Kool-Aid and ask for seconds but WE KNOW this... Let me know when we are going to get the pricing info.
tell me when we get the contract terms, and let me know if I can get it pre-paid.
please give me some real info, Mr. Ramero.
It must be something from Google since the little i is the same as in their customizable homepage, iGoogle.
The Farewell Tour II
No.
...as with every phone before it, if it's on AT&T's network, it's GSM. That means no, you can't use it on verizon, yes, you can use it on T-Mobile.
Wow, that means financial troubles next year. Or as Garfield said: "It is incredible the things people have, instead of money"
The iPhone will bomb, and bomb carpetly. The iPod sold well because of music piracy. People needed a portable device to listen to all the music they were downloading off P2P, and the iPod fit the bill perfectly.
The iPhone offers no improvement over the iPod except the opportunity to switch cell providers and play with the shiny touch screen. This device will bomb.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2 007-06-20-at&t-iphone-push_N.htm
I think if AT&T is requiring people to sign up for a 2-year contract AND they are the exclusive launch company, it's safe to say you will probably not be able to use it with Verizon or another carrier.
... without giving money to AT&T. :-(
Not on sale at Apple stores?
So, the user interface is so easy, that a just-hired AT&T customer service person can't screw it up. This user interface must be the best of all time!!
unless they have disposable income they dont care about.
You just described most mac owners. So they'll probably sell a few million of these things.
The Farewell Tour II
What is so special about the Apple phone that it needs "special" service fee? If it's a phone, and if it's using the same GSM spectrum in the same way as any other cellular GSM phone, it should cost the same as plans for their existing phones.
Is data going to cost more? Again, will there be something different in the way this iPhone sends/receives data for such things as mobile internet? If not, why does it need special pricing?
Yep, it's just you.
c ing_the_Apple_iProduct.gif
Everyone knows that the general consumer market for cellphones is made up entirely of this demographic:
http://www.kokogiak.com/thatboxinthecorner/Announ
No,
you get a 2 year deal with AT&T. Then *maybe* you can get it on T-Moble. (Chances are it'll be broke or obsolete, like any other phone)
And, btw, its the same AT&T who is filtering their internet traffic to keep you from seeing the naughty stuff (see article from yesterday).
Of course, this new censorship, and end-run around net neutrality on the basis of helping the MPAA "take a bite outta crime" used to be something slashdot would be pissed about.
The old slashdot, not the new slashdot - which bravely promotes Apple products 24 hours a day.
AT&T is an awesome company, censorship is great. Besides, why would you want access to torrent sites, obviously it's better to buy everything through iTunes. God, I fucking love me some DRM in the morning. Apple has the hippest, trendiest DRM out there.
What is GSM and why can't other providers use it? Some kind of proprietary protocol? Thought all cell providers used the same protocol since you can use their towers for roaming.
More likely, a stolen phone will be programmed to automatically take a picture of the person holding it, read their fingerprints on the touch screen, silently send out its GPS-derived position, and then use a Sony battery to burst into flames in the thief's hands and pockets!
Seriously, if this thing doesn't have the latest security protection against theft and misuse, it's a waste of money.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
That is just nuts!
AT&T is the same company that cooperates with the government, installing multiple secret rooms used to filter (and store?) your Internet communications. Unfortunately, this isn't some kind of big-brother schizophrenic paranoia.. it's real.
I'm an Apple fanboy myself, but for this reason I canceled my AT&T service and will not purchase an iPhone until they can be unlocked or subscribed with another provider.
More here and here. If you want to watch a Frontline about the domestic survellience program, check it out here.
*cough* PS3 *cough*
If an officer ever threatens to taze you, say you have a pacemaker.
Oh, and every Apple Fan bashing web traffic whore posing as a "tech journalist".
Simple put, they want it to fail. They are tired of having every single lame attack on Apple being repulsed by reality of Apple's success. The company that was supposed to be dead 20 years ago continues to make "tech journalists" look like fools and that's a damn good thing. The invented reasons why people don't want an iPhone are now more numerous than the feature set, and most of theses asses have never so much as seen an iPhone in the flesh.
I wanted the iPhone to be a success for Apple's sake, but now I want it to be a runaway smash hit just to continue to annoy the naysayers and expose them as the frauds they are. Maybe, someday, they'll stop letting their irrational biases taint their Apple articles and maybe, just maybe, stick to the facts and be the journalists they are actually paid to be.
Yes, I realise that this is a pipe dream.
Fiat Homos et Pereat Theos
If I am one of the lucky ones who score one on the 29th I'm hoping my just ordered TAD Gear Hoodie is here by then. They'll match up perfectly and I'll get to see if the phone will fit in the iPod pocket.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM
Verizon uses CDMA - gross
GSM is one of the three cell protocols in use in America right now. AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM, Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, and Sprint-Nextel uses iDEN/TDMA. When you're roaming, you're probably using the "other network"'s towers
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
I can understand there being a ton of excitement over this thing, since it's supposed to do to cellphones what the iPod did to MP3 players.
HOWEVER...
The current state of cellphone service in the US is such that 90% of existing cellular users will not be able to buy this phone, because only a small handful of users will be nearing the end of their existing contracts. Furthermore, the high price of this phone is going to dissuade some people that were on the fence already. Furthermore...Cingular isn't exactly a shining beacon of customer service these days, and their presence in some markets is outright laughable.
I just really don't see how they can expect a lines-around-buildings type of launch for this thing except in a few urban areas in high-profile stores.
Am I interested in the iPhone? You better believe it.
Am I prepared to get one? Absolutely not.
"Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
Yes, you're the only one.
--Richard
I'd buy one if it was with anyone but AT&T.
Hopefully the EFF will kick their ass and AT&T will no longer be a Nazi stooge. In either case I'll still never do business with them.
Ever heard of locked phones? Just because the phone uses GSM doesn't mean it'll work on anyone but AT&T. There's unlocking methods available, but that doesn't mean they'll work.
AccountKiller
There just isn't anything else to say about Apple's phone. The only thing surprising is how much money Apple is spending to get the constant press coverage or Slashdot type stories all over the Net.
I got to check one out a week ago and after all the silly hype it was like "heh, yea this looks like what one would imagine a phone designed by Apple would be like". There simply isn't anything compelling about the phone. It sure as hell isn't something that would ever compel me to give up my current phone which I love.
You're obviously USian.
b ile_Communications
GSM is the standard protocol that the world uses.
Except for the US. It uses IS-95.
So, because the iPhone uses GSM, it'll only work with two US carries, and THE REST OF THE WORLD.
GSM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_System_for_Mo
IS-95: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS-95
As a former Henrico County Citizen, I can tell you first hand that 2000 extra employees will not be enough!
No you're not the only one. But I wouldn't exactly say it's going to flop. I think it will do well, just as most other smart phones and pda's do well. Nothing overwhelming. It may seem like a flop just from the amount of hype that Apple and AT&T are trying to generate. There certainly will not be any long lines or opening day campers. There will be no fights breaking out and there will not be riots in the streets when the supply iPhones runs short. When people are in the market for a new phone, they will likely look into the iPhone. Some will bite, many won't. I can certainly see market share picking up in the next few years though.
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get." -- H. J. Simpson
You are correct about this phone, but in the past AT&T has used CDMA phones.
The iPhone is pushing in the direction that the cell phone industry should have moved a long time ago. Limitations now are not largely technological. And yet I somehow doubt that, the day of release, they will suddenly be awestruck at the recognition of their horrible, shameful pricing plans. Sure, data plans are poised to become much more main stream, but carriers will keep making arbitrary distinctions between voice and 'data' just because they can, and it will be a cold day in hell when we start paying a flat rate for unfettered wireless access as we do with the internet. Their customers are sheep. It's that that will most hinder the adoption and spread of anything iPhone-like... Perhaps when the day comes that Apple bundles a VoIP client the industry will finally feel fear...you know, some kind of competition that forces them to adopt sane policies. I refuse to pay for cell phone service until that happens.
"Strangers have the best candy" -Me
I hope that ATT is going to use this opportunity to improve it's reputation for customer service. However, I suspect that they will simply create innovative new ways to force people into contracts they don't want. I was kind of up on this iPhone thing, I don't really have a problem with ATT, but as we get closer, I don't know if ATT isn't going to return to it's scumbag roots.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Some Cisco thing, I think.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
i know the feeling - and the fact that there is going to be a min of 2 year contract to get it (from a store manager) yea.. i think i will stick with my 8525 - atleast with WM5 i can write my own stuff for it without much issue
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
They also tweaked the iphone design to make it smaller.
In the past when? I was with them for 10 years and it was never CDMA anywhere around here.
please name me one remotely desirable phone that AT&T has ever had that was not unlocked? It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
Yes, there will be rabid KoolAid-drinking fanboys that will throw away a phone + plan bought yesterday and buy one of these. However, the fans would most likely have held off buying phones since the January announcement. There will be a lot of people who have plans that have expired or will expire in the next few months. Apple can achieve their sales goals within the normal upgrade stream.
AT+T already has almost 60M subscribers. Apple has set a target of selling 10M iphones in 2008. They coupld probably do that within the AT+T client base without getting anyone to switch.
From a manufacturing stand point, the last thing Apple wants is for everyone to dump their phones and buy iphone on the day of release. Manufacturing huge numbers is very difficult. With the goal of selling 10M phones in a year, almost 1M per month, they'd rather have customers roll in slowly than in one big wave. Plan lock in helps because it means that people will wait until their current plan completes (or nears completion), thus providing a smoothing effect.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
And especially since I just got my 8525 for no cash down (they still stick you with that two year contract but try buying something without one these days!) I've been busy installing lots of 3rd party apps and am considering writing my own soon. Only thing that looks better on the iPhone is the internet browsing -- IE is awful and Opera (supposedly the best) doesn't really thrill me that much. But 3G plus google maps? Nice. Really cool stuff.
I'll bite
Huge Apple Fanboy that I am, I just don't think this one is going to fly- it's too pricey for personal use, and it doesn't have the features to attract the business professional. Other similar devices (like the Motorola Q) run about $200, and can integrate nicely into exchange. I just don't know who is actually going to buy these things, other than people looking for a status symbol (ok, that's going to be everyone at first).
I think the amazing Apple marketing machine is stopping right here, folks.
I, for one, hope it doesn't flop. If it is successful, we might see some of the other carriers offer 3G phones in the US sooner than they otherwise might. I have an unlocked RAZR and a T-Mobile contract counting down to month to month. Success of the iPhone might push T-M into offering a competing phone like the MotoRizr Z8. Of course, they'd have to finish their 3G network too.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
please name me one remotely desirable phone that AT&T has ever had that was not unlocked? It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
Given how much rigmarole? Not everyone wants to go through a bunch of nonsense just to unlock a phone, buy some special cable, or whatever.
AccountKiller
Yeah, the data plans will cost more than say buying a Treo on Verizon, but this is Apple you morons.
The data will be better. The packets will be shinyer and better designed. The ICMP packets will be way hipper than the ICMP packets that Pocket PCs use. The bits themselves, individually forged and polished by the finest craftsmen in the world. In individual leather pouches.
So yeah, it costs more. But it's worth more, because the web pages that you view with Apple are BETTER than the shitty ones that all the losers with PCs look at.
It costs a little more to be better than everyone else, so just deal with it, K?
IIRC, around 2000-2001, AT&T announced they were going to start purchasing GSM hardware to upgrade their network instead of switching to CMDA. As I recall, it was a big blow for the adoption of CDMA.
c es/tdma-notification.jsp
Anyways, AT&T still supports TDMA phones, just not for much longer.
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resour
"AT&T will be shutting down our TDMA and Analog networks in early 2008 and will begin that process by turning down TDMA service in about eighteen markets in 2007."
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Good thing you are an AC, or the Legions of Apple Faithful around here would...
OH SHIT! They're at my door! With torches, pitchforks and icons of The Steve...
So, because the iPhone uses GSM, it'll only work with two US carries, and THE REST OF THE WORLD.
Bzzzt.
GSM is a communications standard that doesn't specify the frequency it runs on. For this thing to work with "the rest of the world" it has to support the frequencies in use where you are and it also has to not be locked to a single provider.
Also, GSM isn't as universal as you think. Japan for instance uses GSM + some other layers/technologies.
AccountKiller
Two days ago, Opera released Opera Mini 4 beta. The story didn't make it through Firehose, tho I have no doubts that a v0.01 bump to Firefox or Minimo would immediately get posted on the front page. News about the new Opera Mini have appeared on just about every single tech site, but not Slashdot.
Yes, I know this comment is offtopic. Who cares.
In my area, Cingular (now AT&T) actually turned off TDMA ~1yr ago
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
I know there are worries about this, but I think it will be big (even if it takes a ramp up). Remember that the RAZR was $500 (AFTER $100 rebate) when it first came out. How much was the StarTAC? These phones can be VERY expensive. I'd love one (but I'm not paying that much). I can see this carving out a decent niche in the market. Will it be the new be-all-end-all of phones? I doubt it. It's still expensive, there is the keyboard question, only one carrier, etc.
But the interface is very interesting, it's slim, the talk time is amazing (still quite good if you assume it's inflated by ~10-20%). If nothing else it will push phones to have better interfaces, better screens, and maybe even push towards less subsidized phones.
Plus things like visual voicemail will definitely make it into cheap phones in the next few years.
I don't think it will be a complete flop, but even if it doesn't blow the doors off the market, it will be very interesting to watch.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Today my cell phone change its built-in logo from Cingular to AT&T! Two days ago my son's changed. My Wife's phone has not changed yet. Sure took a long time for the name change.
Never trust a man wearing a coat and tie!
I think iPhone will be less popular than a lot of people think... but to say it will flop is another thing. My prediction is that iPhone will sell OK, but not great. Lots of people on the first few days, but people who need email for work (i.e. the majority of the people who want a smart phone and can justify spending the money) won't want a device without a keyboard.
But in the long run, I think Apple will be very successful in the phone business. Apple can come out with lower end phones with the apple brand that people will buy (more like iPod phones than a complete smart phone.) And in the medium/longer term the iPhone will get cheaper. Plus, they can always fix the "no keyboard" problem on a phone aimed at business users.
I don't think this is the newton all over again. With newton, no one had proved the market existed. With cell phones and smart phones other companies have been successful. Even if Apple fails/doesn't live up to expectations at first, it will stay in the market because its 100% proven there is money to be made there.
I live in the UK, and when I walk into a mobile phone shop, I get shown a selection of phones, all of which work on every tarriff (orange, o2, virgin etc.) and I look, and a nice helper comes up and explains all the features, and after a lonhg explanation I choose a phone I would like. After this, we sit down and I say how much I will use the phone, and the sales assistant will say, well, you could go for pay and go, and that means the phone will cost you £150 (average high end example) and that I can top up any time I want and the amount I top up will give me so many minutes. He will also say you can get this phone on contract, and will present me with several 1 or 2 year contracts for this phone ranging from £15-£50, and of course minutes, and off-peak minutes and data transfer provided will vary. However, what will not happen is when they ask me if I want a contract, they will never charge me for that phone, that's how it works, the phones don't cost them much to produce, and they are gaurenteed your income for 1-2 years so they don't charge for the phone, in absolute extreme cases they will charge £50 for a top end phone on a short contract. Does that really not happen in America? Or does it work the same way for everyone but Apple in America? I mean $600 on a phone where you are probably paying out $75 a month for 2 years anyway?!
No, you're not.
I own a nice iMac, have bootcamp installed, bought a copy of XP so I could do Windows stuff on it, so I can't rightfully be called a 'Mac fanboy', though I will say I like their products.
I, however, have my doubts about how successful this product will be due to the limitations imposed on it by AT&T's network speed, Apple's refusal to add API hooks ( and by shooting their own developers by throwing everyone a bone by insisting that AJAX is the way to get your product/software on the machine ).
I have a feeling it'll be a PS3 thing. There'll be a huge fuss when it's released, but it'll peter out once the 'shiney' is gone and people realise that, despite the great interface, it doesn't really offer that much of an advantage in usability. Yahoo Mail? YouTube?
Uh, thanks, but I'll skip paying $600 for the dubious privilege of watching really badly made crap over a slow connection.
-On the internet, no one cares if you're a dog.-
yea the IE is crap but i like Opera (got a free licence from that promotion a while back)
and i reallllly like 3G + MS Live Search + Blue Tooth GPS
MS Live Search for WM5 seems alot more polished than using google maps on it..
and MS Live Search is free (amazed me) http://ls.windowsmobile.com/ they even supprised me that you can download the cab file directly instead of having to use active sync to install the app..
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
Who thinks this is going to flop? and by flop I mean be nowhere near as successful as the I-pod and probably less successful than the Mac? maybe more successful than the newton?
I use a Mac and an iPod and love both but this doesn't have the same appeal. I like the design of the iPhone and it's software. But I'm repulsed by the notion of breaking a contract and signing a new contract. I'm not very keen on the new contract being with AT&T either. I don't understand why AT&T has exclusivity. So what if Apple would have to make different versions for other providers?
The joke I heard 20 years ago was some guy was trying to get a job with AT&T but they found out his parents were married when he was born and wouldn't hire him.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
I don't know, but it seems to have become a little bit smaller recently.
Apple uses big-handed model to "shrink" iPhone
...a phone that is locked to one network?
Seriously, people, monopolies are bad. Sure, it looks like a nice device, but I sure as hell wouldn't get one until I can shove any company's sim card in it and be sure that it will work.
-- Even if a god did exist, why the fsck should I worship it?
Thanks, will check it out. This looks promising, but too bad they closed the beta. (And the tech looks pretty young too).
I agree, it is overhyped.
I have mostly positive to things to say about the iPhone, get annoyed at the naysayers predicting its doom for shortsighted geek reasons (same things were said about the iPod), but isn't all this overkill on at&t's part?
I can see the iPhone being a good seller, I don't think it will be an albatross like the PS3, but I don't see it reaching Wii/iPod popularity until the 3rd or 4rd revision where the price comes down to about $299.
The joke I heard 20 years ago was some guy was trying to get a job with AT&T but they found out his parents were married when he was born and wouldn't hire him.
Wansu,
I honestly don't understand the joke. Could you please explain it?
Carl
"There certainly will not be any long lines or opening day campers."
Apparently you're not familiar with the ferocity of Apple fans. Lots of people will buy this phone not because it's so much better than anything else out there but simply because it's Apple branded. To fans, the Apple brand means "wonderful user experience." That's worth quite a bit of extra pocket change. Just ask anyone who has been buying Apple products over the years (myself included).
I was a former AT&T wireless customer and everyone remembers what happened then. I choose not to relive it. I am not wasting my money for a $499 phone.
Somebody had an article about how the iPhone will "Fly then Flop." I didn't read it, but I think it's a good point.
I think the iPhone will fly off the shelves due to the fanboy influence. But there's a point where it will stop. Between the price, no third-party apps (limited capabilities), slow internet access, etc. there's only so much that the non-Fanboy will accept to have a shiny toy.
But I also think that Apple is in this for the long haul. They will correct as many deficiencies as they can and the iPhone 2 will bring in more of the masses.
Paying $500 for the entry-level iPhone is like paying $600 for a PS3.
You might be thinking of TDMA. As far as I know, AT&T/Cingular/AT&T Wireless has never used CDMA.
Mod parent up, informative/interesting.
Yes, I think I got confused. My roommate had a GSM phone with Verizon in California, and I mixed that instance up with another roommate who has Cingular/ATT.
bastard: n. 1. a fatherless child. 2. a not nice person.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
rigamarole? It's called head to ebay and buy one that's already unlocked.
I will take my 8525 any day. I wish I new how that other poster got their 8525 for free... I left a $100 rebate on the table to keep using my cheaper unlimited data plan, but my total price ended up near $300.
I haven't written anything for it yet... I haven't had any needs or wants that weren't already covered by free software. I AM looking forward to WM6 so that IE will support the full DOM.
If the iPhone had 3G and a querty keyboard it would be in the running. But the 8525 works too well as a modem (using the new AT&T branded firmware replaces the modem application with an Internet sharing application that is great) to be stuck with EDGE. The difference when only browsing is night and day. I can use putty or remote desktop to fix things from lunch without having to use a laptop.
I have had month-to-month plans with a number of people now, for years.
I love the pricing (very low, or it can be with the right plan). But what sucks, is that so far almost no plans support real data (like using the phone as a modem or anything else but the integrated browser which is horrid) and generally you can't get the plan extended internationally, even if your phone supports international GSM.
I'm buying an iPhone, knowing the plans will cost a lot more but also looking forward to the increased flexibility the carriers are loathe to give month-to-month customers.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
bastard: n. 1. a fatherless child.
Actually, bastards have a father. Bastards are children born out of wedlock.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
Just to clarify, AT&T has basically four different data plans based on the type and -- so they say -- intended usage of the device. The cheapest one is for "smartphones," which covers all phones without keyboards. The "PDA" plan is the next most expensive, for all phones with keyboards (HTC phones, Treos, etc.) except for Blackberries, which have their own plan. The most expensive is the "computer" plan, which covers their HSPDA/EDGE PC Cards for use in laptops. Some of the plans have a tethered option, where if you pay extra, you can use your phone as a network gateway for your computer. I had heard they were planning on dispensing with the Blackberry plan and rolling it into the PDA plan, but that's second-hand from a CSR, so take it with a grain of salt.
The price of the plan is primarily based on the expected data usage. Additionally, all smartphones have to go through a WAP gateway (MediaNET) for their Internet access. It's an open secret that AT&T will hit you up with per-kb data charges or demand you upgrade to a more costly plan if you use a large amount of transfer for your type of device or if they catch you using their direct connection servers on the cheap smartphone data plan.
Unless Apple has a special deal for the iPhones, they'll be charged either per-kb or on the PDA Connect plan, which is currently $39.95/mo. for unlimited data. They *might* end up creating an iPhone specific plan on the grounds that they may not support XpressMail/GoodMail/DirectPush and thus will use less data than your average business smartphone, but I doubt it. I don't suspect AT&T will apply an additional fee to iPhone users.
The Freelance Wizard
Fsck the shitty phone gimmicks and huge contract commitments. Where the fsck is a decent video ipod?
Wow modded flame bait, just for stating my opinion. Oh well maybe if I mentioned having karma to burn, I would have been modded insightful. I think its going to flop much like the ps3. Its too damn pricey for most people to just pick it up and it isn't going to play nicely with business people who are hooked into their crackberries anyhow. I don't *want* it to fail, I want a reasonable facsimile at a reasonable price with a reasonable amount of openness. If its iphone or something else I don't care.
...we'd all just happily ignore apple and their irrelevant computers...Well, OSX is BSD-based, and certain quarters have been harping on about BSD's supposed Netcraft-confirmed death for years... ;)
...while feeling superior because our portable music players sound better, look cooler, and do more for less than an ipod.Meh - I have a lot of Apple products because they do what their makers say they do, have nice uptimes, don't fall over and go 'splat', don't require an OS reload periodically (I've been running OSX 10.3 on my home box ever since 2004 or so), and they don't get turned into some script kiddie's lil' spam-bot at the drop of an exploit. While some/most of this may/may not change over time, it's been rather great in the meanwhile.
Kind of why I like using Linux and *BSD both personally and professionally, come to think of it...
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Yeah, you know what I mean. By definition, all children have a father. That doesn't necessarily mean that all children have a father....
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Secondly, at $600 this phone is clearly not subsidized, so what's the excuse for the lengthy contract?
Ok. All I need now are the reviews. We know that mossberg has one; I wager other influencial tech gurus also posess one at this point.
The questions I want answered:
Is it good?
Does it keep its charge?
Does it feel solid?
Are there any happykilling bugs?
Does it feel like its worth the money?
Will these be answered before the 29th? How early do I have to show up at my local at&t to get one?
(same things were said about the iPod)
People said the iPod was entering a mature market with more established, larger competitors whose products were universally cheaper and many of which had more features?
Wow, I'd forgotten that. I feel so dumb for buying an iPod now.
Secondly, at $600 this phone is clearly not subsidized, so what's the excuse for the lengthy contract?
The answer to your first question: Not everyone is perpetually in contract. Myself, I've been out of contract for years. My plan is still an original AT&T Wireless plan (pre-cingular merger). I've never wanted an upgrade until around December of '06, at which point I started looking. I'd settled on a nice Nokia, but put it off a few months. I'm glad I did. I will be entering into a contract on-or-about the 29th, to get myself one of these devices.That's all they need.
The real money is in version 2.0
Ver 1.0 is just to get a foot in the door. It didn't matter if it was wildly successful but the fact that it is, just means 2.0 will be easier (and more profitable).
Since the necessary cable is required for the phone to be useful (iPod dock connector still), someone could probably write up an app to do all the dirty work for the end user
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
Whoa, not quite accurate there.
Sprint is CDMA. Nextel is iDEN. I believe Alltel and Qwest are CDMA also.
Also, the new Verizon BlackBerry 8830 "World Phone" is CDMA and GSM. (Isn't that like admitting defeat, Verizon? *g*)
Re-read the post. I said Sprint was CDMA. Sprint/Nextel (as in Nextel, owned by Sprint) uses iDEN. Sorry if I was a bit unclear.
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
Does iPhone FIT in GOATSE.CX hole? I think it might.
AFAIK you'll still be SOL on the international thing, since they don't have any international carriers...
Basically they have cross agreements, they just need to be willing to let you roam and pay extra. My carriers have not been willing to do so unless I bought a longer plan with them. Not tech, but policy limits that ability.
Or, I'll simply take the SIM card I already have from a phone I bougt in the UK, and use that when abroad (it's set up as a pay as you go) with reduced functionality, and rely on finding WiFi if I really want to check mail or do anything else.
Since the iPhone is full-on four band GSM, it will work just about anywhere in the world... that was the reason to go with GSM.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I find it hard to believe ... after wading through all the comments ... that not ONE person appears to know that AT&T **DROPPED** the two-year contract requirement. This happened some time ago.
Don't believe me? Take a look at the ads. The original ads had the two-year requirement in small print at the bottom of the last frames. Now it's gone.
Apple HAS locked this phone to AT&T. No other carrier in the US is going to work.
You can feel about that any way you like, but the contract requirement IS NO LONGER THERE.
This is a good illustration of the difference between journalists and bloggers. Bloggers just repeat what they (think they) know; journalists pick up the phone and CONFIRM THINGS.
5 or 6 hundred, depending on the amount of flash. 2 year contract where you pay for a really expensive plan. Prepaid plan for iPhones. Pardon me while I laugh until my lungs bleed.
jX [ Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. - Einstein ]
You know what I don't understand? How everyone is so excited to pay $499 or $599 for a CELLPHONE, but everybody bitches about paying $499 or $599 for a Playstation 3. One allows to you talk, surf the internet, and play music on a tiny screen; the other allows you to play Playstation games, surf the internet, watch blu-ray discs, upscale DVDs to 1080p, etc. Oh yeah - its easy to understand - hate Sony, love Apple. Am I the only one who can't comprehend spending that much money for a cell phone? I mean, I know everyone wants to eat up whatever Jobs is offering, but come on...its still a cell phone. It's going to have a new version released in a year or two at most.
You know what I don't understand? How everyone is so excited to pay $499 or $599 for a CELL PHONE, but everybody bitches about paying $499 or $599 for a Playstation 3. One allows to you talk, surf the internet, and play music on a tiny screen; the other allows you to play Playstation games, surf the internet, watch blu-ray discs, upscale DVDs to 1080p, etc. Oh yeah - its easy to understand - hate Sony, love Apple. Am I the only one who can't comprehend spending that much money for a cell phone? I mean, I know everyone wants to eat up whatever Jobs is offering, but come on...its still a cell phone. It's going to have a new version released in a year or two at most.
I don't mean to turn this into a rant on Sony or anything, but come on, really? I'm sure the iPhone will be a beautiful device, given Apple's track record - but again, it's a cell phone.
I'm not just pointing out that AT&T works for the government, I'm noting that they are cooperating WITH the government in an *illegal* surveillance program to tap American citizens without a warrant. Other telecommunications companies such as Qwest *REFUSED* to do so.
I don't know, but it seems to have become a little bit smaller recently.
This has been discussed a lot. The size is the same, but they did a heavily photoshopped ad where it had a different scale. The consensus is that the model of the ad just has bigger hands. The specs are the same.
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Let go of your stereotypes, dood. I f*cking hate Apple even worse than I hate Microsoft, which doesn't make me a Redmond fan.
It isn't a dualistic world. We don't have to choose from either Apple or Microsoft any longer. They're both pretty ugly companies with generally mediocre product lines.
I can't stop laughing :D
for iPhone.
Having a constant Internet connection with an experience much better (I assume) than Opera Mini *is* a pretty big deal. What it needs to really be worth that price? Apple should add flash soon, that's a big part of the web, like it or not. And it needs Google Gears on it, so apps can be written that don't rely on a connection. And it needs to be able to talk to Exchange, lots of potential users need this to justify getting an iPhone instead of a Blackberry. Then expose the phone features (eg, address book, iPhone screen UI) through a javascript API, and we won't miss J2ME/Java ME.
Yeah, I know I'm getting ripped off for spending so much money, but assuming the ipod functionality is good, it's not *so* outrageous a price. I should wait for the next gen version, but I can't -- it's just too interesting and radical a change in the mobile device market.
Go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/ then watch the launch keynote. Then try to honestly say you'd rather have that current ugly lump you call a phone. I am not a fanboy, but I realise that there is the iphone and there is the rest.
Yeah, it's great if pictures and apps aren't important to you. I had a no flash 2MP camera phone over a year ago (Motorola A1200 linux phone). It also had blurry, grainy, small images and no third party software to speak of. Of course, Mac support sucked too, so I know how the PC users who dare buy this thing will feel. After a couple of weeks when the new wore off, owning it was a real let down.
It was a touch screen too. Major problem that... no actual buttons means you always have to see the screen to do anything. You can't feel the buttons without needing to look. And I'm sure Steve's vegan fingers are quite deft on that touch screen keypad, but I know some meat & potatoes people that are going to find that interface quite difficult to deal with.
But since it runs OS X it should work with standard portable third party bluetooth keyboards...? Right? Oh, damn, that's right... no third party apps or drivers... You've got to wait on Apple to support competitor's hardware and admit that their interface isn't always the most desirable. So yeah, good luck on that...
If the iPhone does AMAZINGLY well, I hope it will do what nobody else has been able to - destroy CDMA and get everyone using GSM!
..don't panic
News in brief http://planetlinux.no-ip.org/
GSM networks in the rest of the world use 3 frequencies, and in the US a 4th is used. iPhone is a quad band phone, and it will work just fine in the rest of the world.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Fake Bill Gates says the iPhone can be a total flop, but it's still going to shake up the cell phone industry.
Your BlackJack cost you more than $50, but some of its actual cost ($500.00) was spread out over the life of your contract and hidden from you by your carrier. Besides, you got ripped off. Everybody else is getting paid $75 to take one of these hunks of junk off their hands.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
test
We all seeming to make predictions, so here is one.
Yes there will be people camping outside. Yes, they will go for inflated prices on day 2 on Ebay.
Sometime around week 2. there will be no crowds.
By the end of week 3 the extra staff will have been laid off. Mac fans will be saying that anyone who says this is poor sales and below expectations is an Apple hater and knocker and in the pay of MS, and that sales will pick up in week 4 and are anyway much better than they seem.
In week 4 an article will appear on Roughly Drafted pointing out that when you combine the sales of phones with those of unpasteurized low fat organic milk, Apple has in fact got a 65% share of the market, and that actually, the whole concept of market share is a myth.
By week 5, those who bought long term puts will start to cash in.
Sometime in week 7 someone will say 'Those who the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad'. His post will be modded down to -5 and classed as flamebait.
deepfish isn't all that. opera mini's better for extended use, and the samsung picsel browser's pretty much the same as deepfish and doesn't need MS registration. it's available at xda-developers.com...
its called a MAC TAX.
Don't you guys rememeber anything around here?
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Then you must love Gartner - who published a missive today stating categorically that all corporations must shun the iPhone as it will be evil for their infrastructures.
I love the smell of a garbagecan full of uncapped highlighters in the morning. It's the smell of..........delusions.
People. Calm down. This is a telephone. A device to make and receive phone calls. To talk to people over distances greater than earshot. WE'VE HAD THEM FOR OVER 50 FUCKING YEARS! Plays YouTube videos you say? Well, my PC had been doing that since YouTube.com was registered. And the iPhone cannot dream of approaching the video quality I already have there. So there's little substance behind all this hype. Have fun with your $500 "good little consumer" toy though....
Wait. So now using a bigger model when you take your photograph is considered photoshopping?
From TFA:
"AT&T, which is requiring iPhone shoppers to sign up for a 2-year contract, has not yet revealed the service fees it will charge iPhone customers."
I know a word for what the service fees will be like. It's not pleasant, it's illegal almost everywhere, and it's something we commonly associate as something that happens to effeminate guys in prison.
I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
Thank iPhone you iPhone Slashdot iPhone for iPhone all iPhone the iPhone new iPhone about iPhone stuff iPhone that iPhone matters iPhone.
Me: six months from now when the bugs are worked out.
I guess since the sale starts at 6PM, maybe first thing in the morning. Its supposed to be easier to get one from a Cingular store, but more classy to buy it form an Apple store.
Personally, I hope Iphone is a hit and other manufacturers copy the features and brings down the price. Of course, the copy makers will get sued. It won't matter. I also suspect that the 'onerous' DRM will not be in the copies. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Normally I ascribe all life to intelligent design, but in your case I'll make an exception.
AT & T used to be the long distance provider on my Southwestern Bell Telephone service.
They charged me some ridiculous fee every month just to carry me as a customer. And thanks
to the federal taxes on that fee, and more fees either legitimately or otherwise passed on, the
long distance portion of my phone bill was nearly $20 each month with zero minutes of usage.
It took several months and eventually use of the words "slamming" and "cramming" to rid myself
of their service despite many, many repeated requests.
Cingular used to be my cell-phone provider but I had no idea what a premium I was paying
until I tried to switch my phones from one employee plan to another. Here's what they do:
1) They get your permission to remove your former employer's discount from your plan, 2) then they
say "OK now just fax us this written document stating who you work for now, and we'll get right
on that *two year* contract extension to give you your new discount." Classic bait and switch.
This forced me to start shopping around for a new provider. Wow Cingular thanks for totally shafting me!
Cingular was charging me $79.95/mo for a "family" plan, but with a $9.95/mo fee to add
my wife's phone to the plan (i.e. I was a family of one, LOL) They also charged an eye popping fee
for blackberry data service. Switching saved me something like $50-$60/mo all told before any fees or taxes.
I now pay less per month to T-mobile for two blackberries and more minutes. Well done Cingular; I'm so
impressed with their customer service that anything you mail me is now dropped directly into my shredder.
Clearly they feel the same way as Cingular has never faxed me the unlock code for my Blackberry 7100 despite
the fact that I have made multiple faxed / written requests for this and paid full retail for that phone
qualifying for an immediate unlock.
Japan actually uses WCDMA, the successor to GSM. They use the same 3G that most of the world (except for America) uses.
OSx86 FTW
When I saw the article title, I got my hopes up thinking that "gearing up" might mean expanding their network capacity to handle the influx of new users switching to get the iPhone. But instead, all they are doing is adding people to SELL the iPhone. In other words, they are hoping to sell the crap out of it and then walk away with pockets full while their already heavily loaded network struggles to cope with the load. I'm already getting "network busy" frequently on At&t/cinglular when I try to make calls...I can't imagine what it will be like when there are 10,000 more users in the area running around with iPhones. I for one plan to switch off Cingular as soon as my contract is up.
Remember the iPod nano? That was pretty darn pricey, and people flocked to it. People are still paying $250 for that thing.
You can rest assured that MANY companies work for the federal government
Doing things that are deemed illegal by that same government? No. Your post is sensationalistic bullshit.
Twinstiq, game news
I spoke with a AT&T rep yesterday and he said because they consider it a PDA type device, the fees would be consistent with that. $39.99 for unlimited data. (the 5, 10, and 15 meg plans arent a good idea with this phone) Couple that with a normal phone service of also $39.99 and you have about $80. Fees and such will push it closer to $90. The initial cost doesn't bother me as much as the monthly fee. I had considered getting one at launch but another $100 a month bill just doesn't sit well with me.
www.unofficiall.com
seen an iPhone in the flesh
The iPhone is made of flesh? Ew. I didn't see that on the spec sheet. I don't think I want one after all.
They did both things. The article was on Digg. They switched hand models and also photoshopped the phone and it had a different aspect ratio.p ic
Check out http://digg.com/apple/Did_the_iPhone_Get_Smaller_
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Thanks for the link, I'll check it out It looked like deepfish was pretty alpha, but I like the idea of loading a page pretty much as an image and zooming in which opera doesn't have. (I'll definately agree its the best I've tried so far) I want to use the nice scroll wheel on the side and just have that fine tune zoom in on things. I'll check out picsel, thanks for the info.
Well, I never saw the photo in question on apple's website, but from what several people are claiming, the aspect ratio problem was because the poster of the article was sloppy (or deliberately deceptive) in resizing the image and didn't maintain the same aspect ratio. He stretched the photo disproportionately and made the iPhone appear wider than it really is.
I just did a quick check. I copied that image into photoshop, then went to apple website and copied some of the navbar images. I scaled down the navbar images to the same height as the ones shown in that photo. What I was left with was an image that wasn't as wide as the one in the supposedly photoshopped (by apple) photo. Unless apple has rescaled their navbar since then, I think that supports the claim that the submitter was the photoshopper, and not apple.
And thus points out my biggest annoyance by far with Digg. There are WAY too many people submitting false/incorrect articles, and then people go around spouting off the incorrect stuff as fact. The same happens on slashdot, but not nearly as often, and at least here the article summary gets updated (often fairly quickly) so that people who read just the article and not the comments can find out the truth. You would think the problem could be solved by burying the articles, but I've seen so many times when an article gets 1000+ diggs even though the first or second comment posted pointed out the error.
+5 Sad but true, yet funny and well-articulated. Fuck it, Dude, lets go bowling.
sudo eat my shorts
Parent is a simple fact, backed up with a link to prove it. Please, take your biased mods and go to digg where you belong.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Naw. Some of us just don't really care one way or the other about some cellphone Apple is putting out.
Why do some people think the whole world is holy warriors for one cause or another?
I thought everyone knw that Steve Job's secretly grows his products in Proien Banks....
Fiat Homos et Pereat Theos