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126 Comments
- Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -10/+87I saw a comment on a different Digg thread about the Cingular-exclusive deal that makes a lot of sense....
In essence, the thought was that Apple would use this initial 2 year contract with Cingular as a way to work out the kinks in the iPhone and get their feet wet in the Cell Phone market. The analogy was made to how they handled the iPod. Initially, it was a Mac-only product. That kept the numbers small, and let them refine the design before they opened it up to everyone (ie. Windows users).
Same could be true for the iPhone. Keep the price high and tie it to Cingular. That will get you a small market, but enough to experiment a bit. One those first 2 years are over, you sever the exclusive tie with Cingular, and offer the iPhone version 2 (3, etc.) to everyone -- Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobil, etc.
Who knows if it's what Apple is really thinking, but it makes sense... - drizek, on 10/12/2007, -12/+49You mean more than $600? They are already gouging it to death.
- cal0001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29Cingular CEO brutally beaten to death possibly by apple ninjas
- alanflores, on 10/12/2007, -11/+37oh well, a fly that lands on top of a bull feels taller and mightier than the bull..
- JubbaG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22I knew he was a scumbag since he first stepped on stage at the keynote.
- Dominatus, on 10/12/2007, -9/+30You do know that cingular is a part of AT&T right? You also know that AT&T's market cap is 217 billion dollars, whereas Apple's is 81 billion.
Who's the fly now? - Lixie, on 10/12/2007, -4/+22I had been thinking ever since the announcement, if Cingular is the sole provider for the iPhone, then what's to stop them from gouging their prices?
- HarryGldfarb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20-The contract covers "all models" of the iPhone, including several other devices in the works that may be "coming out very quickly," Lurie said.
so much for keeping Apple's secrets - monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17not exactly a scumbag, more like a tool/robot.
It's painful to hear him say "raising the bar" 10 time through out his speech/infomercial. - resprung, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19"If you want an iPhone, you are going to get the luxury of being on the Cingular network," Lurie said.
That's Cingular's president crowing -- creepy as hell. Thank god the european GSM phone market isn't as crazy as the US. - adam84a, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13he kind of reminded me of a person who had no right being in the position they were in. The whole time I was watching that, I was trying to guess who his uncle or dad had to be to get him that kind of a position, because he was clearly to incompetent to achieve such success on his own.
- cquinnd, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16If you mean what's to stop Cingular from charging more for phone services on the Apple phone versus other brands...
The FCC and the FTC.
Cingular would have to prove that this phone cost them significantly more to support on their network, to have any pricing plans that at that much different from the standard voice and data plans they already offer. - moudig, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Verizon is total sh*t for the Apple iPhone.
1. They LOVE to cripple the phones. They would NEVER tolerate a phone with WiFi and BlueTooth conectivity.
2. The prices for their data network are outrageous - PacketScan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12""If you want an iPhone, you are going to get the luxury of being on the Cingular network," Lurie said.""
Um their Network BLOWS~! - SrLnclt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10How is Cingular/ATT being the only network that will work with the iPhone any different than just about every other phone model by Motorola, Nokia, LG, etc? Almost every model from every brand is exclusive to the network you bought it for.
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+15Wow Cingular (soon to be AT&T again) sure does sound smug from that article. I wanted an iphone until I found it was going to be tied to their ***** network. They have the worst customer service around and their cell service isnt all that great either unless you live directly in a major city.
Ill take my business somewhere else, because unlike the ipod with its scroll wheel a touch screen interface can be easily duplicated and improved upon and so can the features of the phone and service. Its only a matter of time until every provider has a phone exactly like the iphone if not better.
This isnt an ipod, which means Apple cant dominate the same way due to patents and deals.
Cingular can take the iphone and shove it. - rytr23, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Can you say Hubris? I understand he is feeling a little full of himself..but.. to make those kind of statements with your partner being one of the biggest ego-ed CEOs out there (Jobs) does not bode well.. My guess is, Apple releases the phone in europe (GSM) for less money with no real lock or exclusivity, a large number of third party apps in the pipeline and all of the sudden you get a huge import business in the US for the phone that will start showing up on Cingy's network and T-mobile.. And Mr. Lurie looks like a jackass because the only models they(cingy) have available are locked down and over priced and lacking some of the features that are available on the Euro version.. Or at least I can dream..
- christormey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Quote:While "there are bad guys out there that unlock phones," Lurie said, Apple and Cingular are taking unspecified steps to make the phone more difficult to unlock and use on other GSM carriers in the US.
Bad guys?! It's my phone! I can do what the heck I want for it. It's 600 bucks for Christ's sake, let me have the freedom to do what I want! - confusionbliss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11The biggest disappointment for me here is that Apple is now bending to the will of the NSA.
Yes, the phone is a bit expensive. Yes, the functionality has been done before. But the price will come down, and likely no one has done this type of phone in such a convenient, sleek-looking package. But by agreeing to Cingular, and ONLY Cingular, Apple is supporting a company which has NO respect for its customers, and indeed NO respect for the American Constitution. Cingular is essentially AT&T, and a little Wikipedia searching reminds us:
In May 2006, USA Today reported that all international and domestic calling records had been handed over to the National Security Agency by AT&T, Verizon, SBC, and BellSouth for the purpose of creating a massive calling database.[7] . . . On June 21, 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that AT&T had rewritten rules on their privacy policy. The policy, to take effect June 23, 2006, says that "AT&T -- not customers -- owns customers' confidential info and can use it 'to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.'"[8]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T#Privacy_controversy
My S/O and I switched from AT&T home phone service *SPECIFICALLY* because we value our privacy. Neither of us is terrorists, is selling drugs, etc. We just believe that we're entitled to our privacy unless due process has deemed it necessary to remove that privacy. We don't feel our lives should inch ever-closer to a nation where you just automatically assume the government knows every little niggling detail, embarrassing and ultimately criminally inconsequential, about our lives. By agreeing to an exclusive partnership with Cingular, Apple has acquiesced to a policy that is far more sinister than any RIAA-fueled DRM -- a digital police state. - alanflores, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9sorry. i was talking technology-wise. its like sure "Microsoft has billions, but they are not apple" type of a thing.
- tzon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Glenn Lurie is an ass.
- da_bradler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8"While "there are bad guys out there that unlock phones," Lurie said, Apple and Cingular are taking unspecified steps to make the phone more difficult to unlock and use on other GSM carriers in the US."
yes god forbid people try to do what they want with the product they paid 600 dollars for. - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8He shouldn't be real proud. Ive got a feeling this is going to work out bad for him. Sure he's going to get extra business by the people who just plain want the iPhone, but, what happens when those people realise they can't make good use of their $600 baby becaus they don't get any signal 40% of the time?
Cingular had better pray that they can beef up their coverage. From what I hear, they're a long way off from having the service they advertise. - Magic07, on 10/12/2007, -7/+14They went with Cingular because Steve Jobs is old buddies with Cingular's CEO Stan Sigman. Cingular didn't actually bid on it, one of those lunch times. This is no trial period or testing period, Steve just played favorites with his friend. The iPhone was never even open to other providers as an option. Cingular isn't a small market either, its not like Boost mobile. Its customer base in the market, why shouldn't Apple go with the most people. And the fact that its locked is hardly a new concept in the world of cell phones.
- subliminalurge, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9@somebitches
"Did I also mention that these other phones have 3rd party apps and record video, send and receive email, and browse the net? No? Perhaps I also forgot to mention that they come with 3G and are available right now, not in 6 months."
Yes, other phones can do that. My Treo does darn near everything the iPhone will do. The thing with Apple products isn't the features, it's the experience of using those features. Even though my Treo can accomplish all the same tasks that the iPhone can (except for visual voicemail), I will be dropping down my $600 and switching to Cingular on the day the iPhone is released.
Why? For the features? No. For a product that makes those features pleasant to use, rather than a chore. - 4NDr01D, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6T-mobile just bought up a huge band of broadcast spectrum
they are going to be the company to watch in the next two years
I'm hoping the iphone will be hackable to run on T-mobile
I'd trade my visual voicemail for that...
cingular and verizon suck - WindyT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7There is no Cingular, there is only Zuul, er, AT&T
(AT&T is dropping the Cingular name)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-070112cingular-story,0,6376760.story?coll=chi-business-hed - belfastbiker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6The UK one will have 3G apparently. Like to think so!
- xxdesmus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Can someone explain to me how it's legal for Cingular and Apple to prevent unlocking of the iPhone when the US recently passed that law requiring carriers facilitate that very thing? Maybe I am missing something...
- monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Well I guess I'll just avoid iPhone for the initial 2 years then.
- chicbicyclist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah, but a grass can easily be eaten by a grasshopper or a cow. A COW!
- xxdesmus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5No, I know you can get them, but I am just how the hell Apple/Cingular things they can get away with not allowing the phone to be unlocked.
It's the ***** law unless I missed something (or if Apple thinks it is somehow special). - UltimaNut, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Then Ill stick with my ***** V60 on Verizon until I can get it from some other provider.
*gives cingular the middle finger* - Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"the luxury of being on the Cingular network"???
I have a cingular phone that won't even work from my (quite urban) home location. Hours of calls and multiple visits to their (only "non-associate") cingular store have provided no results.
I'm so far up to my neck in "luxury" with these jerks, I've thought of winging that POS phone through their store window! - pabster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Cingular can lick my nut sack.
Probably the ***** of the major providers. - frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Let the ***** bragg all he wants. I've stated before my cingular contratc ends in march and will not be renewed, no matter how much lust I may have for the apple phone.
And if this ***** really said the things the article quotes, then i don't see why any cingular customers stay. I pity the fools who join cingular for the sake of a 'gadget'. - frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Freedom!!! This is the United States of America! We invented freedom for christ sakes and we can sell it and you to any corporation we wish to!! God damned communist!
/sarcasm - JavertHolmes, on 10/12/2007, -10/+15"You mean more than $600? They are already gouging it to death."
If you think $600 is gouging, imagine what it would have cost if Apple didn't go with an exclusive network provider. They sold out to Cingular and are able to charge a cheaper price because of it. Cingular's happy because they hope the rabid fanboyism of iPhone buyers will spread to rabid fanboyism about the quality of their phone network. (This could backfire as rabid fanboys are also the greatest rabid complainers when something's wrong.)
Cell phone tech is expensive -- though you wouldn't think so with all the people thinking they're getting great deals by buying a $400 cell phone for $25 and paying into a 3 year overpriced contract. - dirkstoop, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Inaccurate: Lurie is not Cingular's CEO. Their CEO is called Stan Sigman.
- theorydigital, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Yeah, find me one person that is happy about the Cingular thing..
- moudig, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5AFAIK, they *really* have the best network, only that their customer service is *very* ***** and you also might get overbilled for no reason.
- plasmadis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Cingular might be what kills the iPhone. Reading msg board comments, everyone's been totally ***** on Cingular; "Oh god, why Cingular? Terrible coverage, terrible service, they're complete *****, I was so glad I got rid of them", etc. I haven't seen ONE comment from someone to the effect of "Gee, I'm a happy Cingular customer, and I'm glad we're getting the iPhone."
Plus, I'd have to agree with the above poster who thinks there's gouging afoot. $500-600, AFTER Cingular's supposed subsidy from a 2 year contract? So, this is actually a $700-800 phone? (What you'd pay if you broke your contract.) Ouch. For another 2 Benjamins, I'd rather have another Mac OS X running, music and movie playing, Internet communication device. The MacBook.
Check the LG KE850, this might be the iPhone "for the rest of us", while we wait for the 2nd gen iPhone not tied to a specific carrier, with a better price. - insomniac8400, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Apple and Cingular are taking unspecified steps to make the phone more difficult to unlock and use on other GSM carriers in the US."
Isn't that illegal? I thought all carriers have to unlock phones upon request. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4FTA: "While "there are bad guys out there that unlock phones," Lurie said, Apple and Cingular are taking unspecified steps to make the phone more difficult to unlock and use on other GSM carriers in the US."
You are not a valued customer to Apple or Cingular, you are a guaranteed revenue stream that pimps the product they provide in the manner they determine. I'm not making that assertion....they are. - wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm kind of disappointed in Apple. I was thinking that they would not bow to the will of any carrier, but sell their cell phone as an unlocked quad band GSM phone, able to be used anywhere in the world. This may have been a start weaning the American public away from carrier subsidies, and *****, crippeled phones. Verizon is the worst here, but they are all guilty of removing functionality from phones when they think it may cut into their ability to sell overpriced crappy services. Best example is Verizon locking out bluetooth and cable transfers of MP3s, so you can't use them as ringtones.
I guess that they figured that a $800 phone wouldn't sell. Even though it pains me to say this, I think they could have sold well enough at that price. There are enough Apple fans who would plunk down their money now for a pre-order on a $800 phone right now. I don't think that the contract issue enters, either. If a customer has a contract with, say Verizon and wants an Apple phone, they are going to have to pay a contract termination fee or wait, doesn't matter if they are paying $800 for an unlocked phone and don't sign a contract, or $600 for a two year contract with data plan (note: I bet that price is for a 2 year voice and unlimited data plan. The current Cingular unlimited data is $45 a month, for their crappy service: the current Apple phone doesn't even do HSDPA. Verizon sucks, but EVDO wipes the floor with Edge.).
The good part is for non Apple users like me, this should drive down the price of the Smart phones I'm currently looking at. - frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5well said.... JUST SAY NO TO CINGULAR!!! ATT!!! OR WHATEVER THEY CALL THEMSELFS!!!
and as to the patents, they have to be pretty specific in nature because this is not the first PDA, not the first Touch screen, not the first auto sensing device, which means that no one will be able to make a phone exactly like the iPhone, but they will be able to make one very similar. And all they really need to do to close the deal is not have it on cingular, and i'm sold! - Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4People know cell phones have dead spots. It's the "dead spots" between the CSR's ears that are causing most of the complaints.
- o2o2o2o2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Good point, I heard you have to let people unlock phones if requested
Here are the cell phone companies I've used:
Tmobile - No problems, its who I use now, I love the pre-paid sim cards. I do the $100 cards, good for 365 days
Cellular One - No problems
Sprint - No problems
Nextel - No problems
Unicel - No problems
Ive never had a problem with billing or anything else. Bills have always been accurate, signal has been "good" but not great will every provider. Yes, dead spots here and there with all of them, but I really don't mind, that is what voicemail is for. I have no desire to be on the phone all the time.
They say these days that cell phone brands dont really matter anymore. Everyone is very vocal about the cell phone company they HATE, but no one ever talks about the cell phone companies they like. - h2d2, on 10/12/2007, -8/+12@Chewie67: That's the most fanboyish-fantasy-roughlydrafted way of thinking I have seen about the iPhone.
Apple offered the iPod on the mAC because they wanted to lock-in people to their OS. They thought it would help them sell more computers, but that didn't happen. So they had no choice but to offer the iPod to the rest of the 95% computer users. Although iPod was much touted because it was ported to Windows, the real success of it didn't start until after that step was taken.
Also, they keep saying "multi-year" contract, so who knows how many "multi" years that is?
Finally, it would be interesting to see if the phone will be offered to authorized dealers, or be limited to AT&T's own stores. Because if you do some price comparisons, a mall kiosk would sell a Samsung phone for FREE, where as AT&T would sell it directly for no cheaper that $150, both with a contract (that's because ADs get $200-300 on every contract sold). So although dealers are probably wishing they'll be able to sell the phone, I doubt that Apple would allow that... a kiosk in front of an Apple store selling the 4GB iPhone for $250 with a two year contract. - Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3God forbid, somebody might try to install SKYPE on one of those things.
Nothing receeds like success, and Jobs has really put his foot in it this time. -
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