Why you are not getting an iPhone

[scotthayes]

While everyone is out queueing for their iPhone's, just wondering why you are not be getting one.

Reasons for me.

1. On a contract with Vodafone until June 2008. would cost me well over £200 to cancel the contract.

2. Don't like the idea of having to use O2, but won't unlock as I'd be gutted if it broke and Apple wouldn't repair under warranty.

3. 3G

[Eraserhead]

Don't like the idea of having to use O2,

Other reasons are good, but O2 are fine in my experience.

[overcast]

Are we running out of thread topic ideas?

[scotthayes]

Other reasons are good, but O2 are fine in my experience.

Can only go on my past experience with O2 (or Cellnet as they were at the time) which was pretty rubbish.

[scotthayes]

Are we running out of thread topic ideas?

Just interested. You can alway continue reading other posts.

[XIII]

1. 3G.

That's all.

[Phil A.]

1. No 3G
2. Only 8GB
3. I'm contracted to Orange for another 12 months (although if 1 & 2 were sorted I'd get it as an additional phone)

[Father Jack]

1. Far too expensive ... :(
2. Don't want a contract ... :mad:

[notjustjay]

1. I live in Canada.

[shecky]

1. waiting for version 2
2. in contract with tmobile

[Matteh117]

1. Still tied in with Vodafone for a couple months.

Done. :)

Of course there is the 3G thing, but EDGE will do just fine.

[Supersonic]

1. No 3g, thats a europewide cockup of biblical proportions. i dont buy this battery thing. Whilst others are looking at 3.5g and beyond, apple are way, way off base technically here. What a lousy web experience 2g will be. It'll be like dialup all over again!

2. Whats with this 'having to buy a handset on contract' thing. Last time i paid more than £100 for a handset on a contract was a Nokia Orange in 1996. Somebody somewhere doesnt understand subsidies...

3. No iChat and no MMS (because of point no.1)

[iguanarama]

Some fair points... and some cognitive dissonance in action. :)

[nokiauk]

much as I would like one, i won't be as

1. £35 is a bit steep for what your getting
2. No PAYG option
3. Will be getting an HTC Kaiser (Tytn II) from work, with all calls/line rental paid.

[G4DP]

It's a total con. Apple at their best.

[nokiauk]

not sure if thats fair, i've had apple computers for a good number of years and find them reliable and value for money, however I agree that from a financial and choice point of view this is probably apple's worst commercial decision.

i think quite a lot will be sold, but by tying people to certain networks and price plans they are excluding a lot of people especially those that prefer PAYG.

[G4DP]

NokiaUK, I have used Apple computers for almosta decade, they are value for money, but all the extra stuff they now do has always been over priced for what it is.

The iPhone is the best example of this. £1000 over the course of 18 months. That is the con.

[Supersonic]

The contact options really suck balls too here in the UK

£35/mth is, well... so-so, but you dont get much for it, 200 mins and 200 SMS, most other providers are throwing upwards of 500m and 1000SMS a month for that kinda money, and usually a cheaper handset. An N95 can be had for about £129 for a £35/mth tariff...

Now if the iPhone was say, £99, then the current tariff wouldnt be too hard to swallow, but £269 and £35...nah....sorry geezer.not my cuppa tea. The current price if it was PAYG, now you'd be talking. It'd wipe the smile off the N95 fanboys in a flash!

Rip off Britain at its best, and we swallow it. Our european comrades are being shafted even worse than us! Awesome! Not!

Dont get me wrong, I'm a big macfanboy, but some pills are way too hard to swallow...

[Marky_Mark]

£289 unlocked, or £100 with a contract...but the worst of both? Come on. :rolleyes:

No MMS - what were they thinking? These are high revenue & margin items for the carriers, so why? :confused:

8GB is far too small these days. I want at least 32GB for it to be my convergence platform of choice.

I'll wait for a choice of carriers, some basic, to-be-expected facilities to be 'unforgotten', and larger storage, thanks.

I like my Apple toys as much as anyone, and having played with a friend's iPhone, it's very desirable, but I think they've been quite cynical about this one. I know a lot of people will get one, and my custom, or lack of, doesn't count for much... but I ain't buyin'.

[siorai]

I'm in Canada so I can't get on even if I wanted one, but I won't get one for one simple reason:

It's too big.

I have a Sony Ericsson W810i right now. I find it to be a bit on the chunky side. The iphone is far bigger so it would never work for me.

[ksolano]

1. O2, on orange and very happy.
2. waiting for the phone to be free! (after mac world o2 will be giving them away)
3. 3g
4. blue tooth syncing
5. back to my via on the iphone (hopefully in the next rev we'll see that)

Other reasons, but rev 2 will be leaps ahead of this one.. Cant wait.

[fisha]

no "To Do" list
no MMS
no 3G.


its really neat as a computing device, I'm soooo tempted to head out and get it, but at the moment, no to-do list is a must have feature for me on a phone like that ( i.e. the central hub of your communications and your day ) its quite frankly crazy they dont have it in there.

[spinstorm]

I bought an iPhone this evening.

I already have an unlocked US phone but I am fed up of constantly hacking it. I like the idea of it working without any problems and if it does go wrong getting Apple to replace it with one visit to an Apple store.

I also like the unlimited data and wi-fi BUT I can't justify an additional £35pm for the contract.

It either has to offer me a cheaper contract or more minutes and more messages. I would consider adding bolt ons but that is even more expensive!

Maybe I would consider the £45 pm IF I could transfer my contract over without a fee but I just started a new contract so I can't even do that!

O2 should not penalise those of us that are willing to pay EVEN more money to them if we want to transfer our contracts BUT THEY ARE.

So I have a UK iPhone that I am just gonna stare at and consider my options...

[spinstorm]

I am thinking I will sign up to a contract have a play with the phone and if I decide I can't afford it cancel it within the 14 days I have.

I don't really want to do that but I am not sure I can afford two contracts so I may just try it out!

Any thoughts on cancelling within 14 days!?

[Ish]

It's too expensive.
I don't want a contract.
It's too big. I've recently bought a nice, slim Nokia 6300 and it's the right size for me.

[quadgirl]

O2 coverage and call quality is generally pretty good, but the iPhone tariff is far to expensive. Also, I have a white Blackberry pearl on t-mobile with the Blackberry BIS and Web n walk and get more than twice the texts/call minutes with unlimited data. One more thing ..... I can't even type quickly or accurately on the iPhone, but I can on my Blackberry

[benfilan]

£289 unlocked, or £100 with a contract...but the worst of both? Come on. :rolleyes:

No MMS - what were they thinking? These are high revenue & margin items for the carriers, so why? :confused:

8GB is far too small these days. I want at least 32GB for it to be my convergence platform of choice.

I'll wait for a choice of carriers, some basic, to-be-expected facilities to be 'unforgotten', and larger storage, thanks.

I like my Apple toys as much as anyone, and having played with a friend's iPhone, it's very desirable, but I think they've been quite cynical about this one. I know a lot of people will get one, and my custom, or lack of, doesn't count for much... but I ain't buyin'.

I still really, REALLY can't grasp why theres no MMS. its seems like such an obvious, standard thing. why not have it?!

[jSunbeam]

i'm not enough of a mug to spend near enough £300 on a phone and then a further £35 per month for 200 texts and 200 minutes.

Wow, i get 'unlimited' data. Well, when you find a 'data' source that allows me to call or text the 99.99% of my friends who have normal phones then hey! get me an iphone.

I feel sorry for the people who've bought iphones in the uk - they must have stinging pains where the sun don't shine.

[dipper-the-cat]

I love it to bits but an 18 month contract is way too long. I can live with 12 months because I know my mobile will still be ok spec wise in a years time. But tie me to an 18 month contract way too long, esp when there's no subsidy from O2.

[skp574]

I'm not going to be getting an iPhone just yet, although I have been sucked in by all the hype. I have to keep reminding myself that it isn't a 3G handset.

I'm on 3 at the moment with a Nokia N73. I have Skype and push email. The software sucks but it works. My contract doesn't finish until the middle of next year and can't afford to get out of it.

The iPhone is only 8GB, I could see myself filling that up from day one and wanting more space. No external memory storage is a bummer.


I've opted for a 16GB iPT for the time being. I'm probably going to unlock it to get mail installed and notes so I can use it as a PDA. I have WiFi at home and work and can use a hotspot if necessary.

I still don't believe that a true PDA/Phone/Media Player has been made.... I'm still waiting.... The iPhone is the closest so far IMO, but it could do a lot better. So I'll wait for the next version, hopefully with 3G, better camera and Skype.

[Rodimus Prime]

Cost
No G3
The greed of apple lack of free ringtone support.

[puckhead193]

1. no 3g
2. rev a....rev b will be so much better
3. price
4. contract with the devil red... aka verizon

[Stella]

1. Live in Canada ( but that doesn't stop people - buy and unlock )
2. Too locked down.

If (2) changes when the SDK comes out then I'll reconsider. I'm already impressed that Apple did not break iToner in 1.1.2.... so I'm being a bit more optimistic.

Also it depends on how 3rd party apps are distributed. if they are distributed like any other smartphone applications, such as Symbian - via websites, alternatively free downloads ( for freeware ) over iTunes then thats good. If they are paid downloads from iTunes, forget it - still too controlled.

If I did buy one, it would be for unlocking and switching my existing SIM card.

[emotion]

I wouldn't say it's a bargain or anything but I'm super-pleased with my new iPhone.

V2 will of course be better. When that arrives I'll be getting that too.

I'm very much looking forward to a significant update to the firmware. The potential of this device is huge, it's difficult to compare this with other phones (at least for me - of course other opinions are available :) ).

[ntrigue]

I entered this thread because I can't think of a reason not to get one. After reading through it. I would still go out and buy one tomorrow. In fact, after using mine for a 100+ days; I'd pay much more than I did!

90% of my MR posts are on my iPhone including this one. I mean my laptop doesn't autocorrect spelling in Forums?!

[cheekyspanky]

1. No 3G/HSDPA
2. I'd pay a small amount for the phone with an expensive tariff OR a high price for the phone with a cheap tariff. But no where near the current prices.
3. I work for one of the other 4 rivals, and I get whatever phone I like and don't pay any bills at all!
4. Not enough space yet, 32GB seems the perfect size for my music and tv shows/movies.
5. Camera isn't up to standard with current phones.

[Monty Pavement]

Will be getting one in January, after Macworld.

My current contract expires on December 13th, and it's only a couple of weeks until Macworld, where I have a feeling they'll demo iPhone 2, then announce the availability of a 16Gb version of v1. Pure guess work, but I'm happy to wait a couple of weeks to find out.

[thejadedmonkey]

For me, the question is worded incorrectly. For me, it's "Why should I get an iPhone?"

I've played with them, they're cool. But so what? How is it any better then my free sony W300i. I have an iPod for my car, an iPod for running... I don't need the iPod part. I don't need a web browser on me 24/7.. hell, I'd like to get away from the net, not spend more time on it!

iPod... Safari... useless....

I'll keep my phone for calls and texting, as the crossgrade to an iPhone (lose MMS, gain QWERTY) isn't worth $400 to me.

[djellison]

Far far too expensive. £269 unlocked would be OK, or £35 a month contract with the phone for free would be OK - but £35/month AND £269 is simply too much.
3G. Edge is fine, but even O2 admit there is more than 2/3rds of the country doesn't even have Edge
Camera. I've seen results from the iPhone...it's crap - and it can't take movies. Utterly pathetic.
Storage - 8 Gig is not enough. 16 Gig would be just about OK - but I have a small music collection and few movies on my iPod classic but it's >10 gig already.
MMS - I want to send pictures to other mobile. MMS has been in phones for years and years.
The disgusting treatment of talented developers by Apple in locking the phone and bricking phones because people DARE to use their phone in the way they choose.

[t22design]

Why am I not getting an iPhone: (Yet)

Basically it comes down to the O2 contract.

I'm on a cheap Vodafone contract (£20 p/m), and have a fairly small calling circle.
The 'Friends and Family' add-on Vodafone offers, means that for £5 p/m I can call 3 other people for free.

With O2 I'd easily break the 200 mins the £35 p/m contract supplies, just calling my 'Friends and Family'.

Some personal opinions:


No MMS - I'm not bothered, the pictures are usually resized, and look poor.
No Video - So what? all the video I've seen recorded on mobile phone is useless.
No Free/Custom Ringtones - as someone who writes music, this does suck.
No Games (yet) - I need my solitaire fix, hopefully this will change.
8GB - It would be nice to have more, but I can live with syncing/swapping.

Anyway, I'd love an iPhone, and I'm still tempted. More minutes, or some sort of 'Bolt on' (a la 'Friends and Family') and I'd be in the queue now! :)

[OdduWon]

waiting for back to school discounts ;)

[ke2000]

The thread has turn to 'In Britain, why you are not...' somehow

Here are why

1. No changeable battery -- that kill lots of buyer.
2. lack of mms -- for some people though. 75p per 1, isn't it?
3. Poor battery time -- plainly bad as a phone
4. No GPRS
5. No 3G
6. Expensive
7. We have iPodtouch and a company call Nokia

[scotthayes]

The thread has turn to 'In Britain, why you are not...' somehow


That was the idea when I started the thread. But the reasons seem to be pretty much the same no matter where people are from.

[emotion]

iPhlop?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/11/iphone_uk_flop/

However, Fry sums it up for me:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/nov/10/iphone1?gusrc=rss&feed=media

[PowerFullMac]

1) You cant send files over bluetooth
2) You cant send or receive MMS messages
3) No video recording!
4) Its exclusive to a very expensive contract, you have to pay £269 for the phone it self and a minimum of £35 a month for only 200 texts and minutes!

and ke2000, its 25p for one MMS, but o2 have been forgetting to charge me for MMS lately :D

[tersono]

1. No GPS or third-party software support (I run TomTom on my O2 XDA Orbit)
2. No access to the file system (I store a wide range of work-related materials on my cellphone - stuff that I use every day)
3. No memory card support.
4. the 'notes' application on iPhone is as yet pretty feeble and dependent on access to IMAP mailboxes, not so on my current phone (it's a feature I use very heavily)
5. cost. My current cellphone came free with £30 per month contract. Why should I pay £35 per month PLUS £269 for something with less functionality (albeit a far better GUI, but there ya go).

When the iPhone gets some of the missing functionality, I'll jump. In the meantime - at least for my purposes - the iPhone is something of a triumph of style over substance and doesn't really do much of what I need from a smartphone.

[Supersonic]

Wouldnt it be nice to have the option of T9 input rather than being forced down the QWERTY input line of things.

It'd make the buttons larger too...

[byakuya]

like many have posted already...

don't like the idea of a contract and the iphone is just too expensive...
if apple starts selling them without a contract I might consider buying one but it doesn't look like it...
so I guess I'll buy the ipod touch when my ipod nano (1st gen should break - but I hope not...this is the coolest ipod in my opinion).
and it matches my MB (white) perfectly;)

[FleurDuMal]

Well, I had a brief play with the iPhone at Regent St Apple Store last night. I didn't have time to test it extensively as I was in a bit of a rush, but my reaction was, well, not overwhelming. I certainly didn't leave the store thinking that it'd be worth being raped up the bum with o2 and Apple's crap contract for. Certainly, if the choice was between any other 'multimedia' phone and the iPhone then, everything else being equal (including the price), I'd go for the iPhone in a heartbeat. But its not. The outlay and contract are massive for a phone in this country.

It all felt very fun, but that's a lot of money for something thats just a bit fun. I'm sure after a couple of weeks I'd get bored of all the new functions and wish that I'd just saved myself £100s by just getting a crappy average phone which does all the basics for free and stuck with my 8GB Nano. The best thing about the phone was the iPod function, so maybe I should just get a Touch.

All in all, perhaps I was expecting too much from Apple with the iPhone. But when you're paying that much, I think you're within your rights to expect quite a lot.

[garethh]

1. I have got a fantastic O2 contract at the minute (£15 per month with 400 inclusive minutes, 400 inclusive texts and European traveller service)
2. £35 too expensive a month for what you get
3. Current 3G phone working fine
4. Have non-IMAP enabled Exchange email, so iPhone not ideal

That said, I had a play with an iPhone yesterday and was impressed. But that contract price is too high. A Touch plus current phone which works well with iSync would be just as good. And I really don't need visual voicemail!

[Loge]

Lack of basic text messaging features - no forwarding, no sending to multiple contacts. And did someone mention a lag when starting a message?

[superleccy]

1. Don't want an 18 month contract.
2. My current (Non-O2) tariff is a very very good deal indeed.
3. Concerned about migrating from ProfiMail on my N95 (which I live in) to iPhone mail.
4. No picture messaging.
5. Waiting to see what happens when SJ "opens" the iPhone.
6. Waiting to hear reactions from early adopters in the UK.
7. Waiting to see if I can pick up a "safely" unlocked one from France.
8. Waiting to see if they release one with 40Gb or more of storage.
9. Dislike the fact that even after the 18 month contract is completed, you still have to stay with O2 to continue using your iPhone.
10. No video recording.
11. Limited bluetooth functionality.
12. No file browser.

Unlike others, I couldn't care less about 3G.

SL

[scotthayes]

Unlike others, I couldn't care less about 3G.

SL

Although I put the lack of 3G put me off, if it wasn't for the 18 month contract with 02 and then having to stop with them I could have swallowed the £200plus it would take to get out of my Vodafone contract and lived without 3G. But really not happy that I'd be stuck with 02 for ever and a day. Let's hope some bright spark find a loop hole in the law that allows them to be used to their fullest on any network.

[nickspohn]

1) The iPhone is suppose to be perfect and since it doesn't have certain features that other crappy phones have, yet the iPhone is the only phone to have certain things that make it 10x better than others.


Oh wait i have an iPhone :rolleyes:

[slicedbread]

i can't justify £899 over 18 months.

[superleccy]

Thought of two more reasons...

13. No Salling Clicker.
14. The Opera Mini v4 Beta for the N95 isn't such a bad browser. Although obviously not in the league of the iPhone, I can live with it.

SL

[Ubuntu]

I would have got one, because I don't mind so much the lack of decent features (I have a 3.2mp camera on my phone - I rarely use it), but it was more of a value thing.
For the costs involved, I wanted something a lot... better, compared to the competition.

Ah well.

[megfilmworks]

To those who wish the iPhone had 3g:
3g is dead on arrival. It will go the way of HD DVD and Blueray.
I had 3g for 2 years and it sucks (so does edge)
The future is in wifi, so stop complaining about old technology and get on with the future.

[GumpsterBoy]

Because of 02. I'd love to buy an iphone and have emailed them for assurance EDGE at least would be in my area soon - there are not many wifi hotspots here. My first email asked for a coverage map which they do not have, my second asked whether there was edge coverage in my postcode to which I got this reply:

"We're unable to tell you whether there is an EDGE coverage in your postcode area. The iPhone runs on GPRS, EDGE & WiFi. If you're in an EDGE coverage area using an iPhone, GPRS will automatically default to EDGE and vice versa. There is no rollout plan for the EDGE coverage at present, but we'll be expanding the coverage in the future. Edge current covers approximately 30% of the populated UK coverage. "

Not exactly the best sales:mad:

[colonelbutt]

1. Don't want an 18 month contract.
- good point, but almost unavoidable these days and hardly an iphone thing
2. My current (Non-O2) tariff is a very very good deal indeed.
- bet it doesn't include unlimited data or cloud wifi
3. Concerned about migrating from ProfiMail on my N95 (which I live in) to iPhone mail.
- what email service do you use ? does it have imap ?
4. No picture messaging.
- well you can email. does anyone really use this ?
5. Waiting to see what happens when SJ "opens" the iPhone.
6. Waiting to hear reactions from early adopters in the UK.
- excellent. and thats from a former HTC man (I have had s60v3 as well)
7. Waiting to see if I can pick up a "safely" unlocked one from France.
- unlocked is dodgy. best to buy legit and unlock - much safer
8. Waiting to see if they release one with 40Gb or more of storage.
- eventually yes, probably 16gb in 12 months, but you can wait forever
9. Dislike the fact that even after the 18 month contract is completed, you still have to stay with O2 to continue using your iPhone.
- just unlock. O2 are good in my experience, my whole family uses
10. No video recording.
- true, but necessary ? Jobs thought carefully about what people really do use. no phone is ever going to replace either my DSLR or my harddisk Cam (which I hardly use except on kids birthdays, and there a phone quality video would be no good)
11. Limited bluetooth functionality.
- not having stereo profile is a bummer. hopefully they can revise this through software. However, even though I have a motorola S9, wired headphoens are much better quality, don't have to be charged and no problems of brain cancer from bluetooth waves :)
12. No file browser.
- you can on your PC and from OS. and you can pick up all pics and videos. nice on an HTC geek device, but probably not target market for iphone

agree about 3G, its just a battery drain.

I hear you. Jobs had to choose between weathly non-geek consumer and geek. he chose the former. that is apple's niche.
i am not sure he wants to compete with either cheap PCs or the HTC Kaiser. I mean ipods still sell well and there's no removeable storage or radio ! its definitely calculated for target market....

[superleccy]

1. Last time I looked, all networks offered 12 month contracts. At the moment I have a zero month contact.
2. No cloud, but does have unlimited data, unlimited voice, unlimited text/picture messaging and free insurance. Perk of being an ex-employee of one of the big 5. ;)
3. It's POP, but I've managed to set it up so all 3 of my email accounts synchronise perfectly and instantly over the Internet (incoming and outgoing) between my Mac, N95 and web-clients.
4. I wish. Until my friends and family migrate from MMS to mail, I will continue to need MMS.
7. I'm frightened of bricking my iPhone or missing out on software updates. Need to do more research tho.
8. Yeah... could be a long wait. :( Maybe they'll release a HDD version... but I'm not holding my breath. Else I guess it will go 16Gb... 32Gb... 64Gb... over the next few years.
9. O2 explicitly say that you must stay with them to continue using your iPhone. It's in their Ts&Cs.
10. Well, I use video recording quite often.
11. I was thinking mainly about file send/receive.

I hear you. Jobs had to choose between weathly non-geek consumer and geek. he chose the former. that is apple's niche.
i am not sure he wants to compete with either cheap PCs or the HTC Kaiser. I mean ipods still sell well and there's no removeable storage or radio ! its definitely calculated for target market....

Indeed... agreed. Jobs knows his target market, it's just that this time, I'm not in it.

[TonyHoyle]

To those who wish the iPhone had 3g:
3g is dead on arrival.

You *are* joking. An average wifi hotspot has an effective area of about 30 feet. It's hideoously expensive to cover even a moderately sized area with it. The bandwidth is shared amongst all people connecting to the hotspot, so even in a busy starbucks it can suck horribly.

All the grand plans to make 'city wide' wifi have fallen on cost and feasability grounds.. that's partly why wifi access is so expensive. Wi-Max may address that but it's years off. In reality you can go for days without seeing a public hotspot.

3G is at about 92% coverage now. It works everywhere. Every phone (except the iphone) supports it, and everyone uses it. It's *far* from dead. Its natural successor, 4G, is faster than wifi (it'll be at least 100mbps but in japan they pushed it to 2.5gbps.. although I doubt that speed is attainable commercially).

[emotion]

3G is at about 92% coverage now. It works everywhere.


The network might tell you that but it is clearly not true. Especially for O2.

Look at the network supplied 3G coverage maps. Most cities are covered, and we're moving to open wifi in cities anyway (despite what you say).


Every phone (except the iphone) supports it, and everyone uses it.


It is also a stretch to say that.


It's *far* from dead. Its natural successor, 4G, is faster than wifi (it'll be at least 100mbps but in japan they pushed it to 2.5gbps.. although I doubt that speed is attainable commercially).

Despite what I say above I actually agree that phone networks not wifi are the way to go. When you are on a bus or train wifi does not have the ability to follow you around from cell/access point to cell/ap (yet).

Until that happens, they are not really equivalent technologies.

[TonyHoyle]

Look at the network supplied 3G coverage maps. Most cities are covered, and we're moving to open wifi in cities anyway (despite what you say).


Manchester Council's own open wifi project failed utterly. Manchester Wireless failed as well.. and I thought that had a good chance of succeeding at one point.

You'll know yourself how little real wifi there is there - some BT Openzone in the centre (I believe they were the original partners to create the city-wide wifi so they still have quite a few of their wifi phone boxes arond), some Cloud.. most of the city seems to have none at all outside McDonalds/Starbucks/Costa Coffee (all payware*) and a few independents (some of which are indeed free but there's an increasing trend to password protect them so only their current customers can actually use them).

5 years ago I'd have agreed with you, but I've watched what's happened with these wifi projects and I no longer believe it has any future based on current technology. For the home and office.. yeah it's great..but the technology wasn't designed to span areas that big.

* I know McDonalds are eventually going to be free.

[emotion]

You'll know yourself how little real wifi there is there - some BT Openzone in the centre (I believe they were the original partners to create the city-wide wifi so they still have quite a few of their wifi phone boxes arond), some Cloud.. most of the city seems to have none at all outside McDonalds/Starbucks/Costa Coffee and a few independents (some of which are indeed free but there's an increasing trend to password protect them so only their current customers can actually use them).

I'm not disputing that. However as time goes on the time is right for full city-wide wifi deployment. Particularly as more and more handheld devices use the technology and it is being expected.

McDonalds have just announced free wifi in their "restaurants". Not that I'd ever ever go in there but it's an interesting recent precedent.

BT/Fon is also something that might change things for the better.


For the home and office.. yeah it's great..but the technology wasn't designed to span areas that big.


See above, I mostly agree with you on that point.

[TonyHoyle]

BT/Fon is also something that might change things for the better.


That is something that may make a difference... a bit like the old Manchester Wireless plans but backed by a company that might be able to actually pull it off.

I'd join in if I could work out the right firewall rules (that's a problem with the approach - you're leaving your home network open.. and I'd rather someone didn't decide to attach kazaa to my network and blow out my monthly allowances).

[Sijmen]

1. No iPhone in the Netherlands.

(Just like movies and shows/series on iTunes, will we ever get them?)

[Grasbak]

I currently spend £5 a month pay as you go...... i would love an iPhone just... well just because! But I cant afford the extra £30 a month.

I think its a great device, I was very impressed that both o2 and carphone warehouse had fully functioning models (i noticed they were 4gb versions!) to play with the shops. Presonally I think the cost is worth it for what you get. I just cant afford it :(

[alFR]

I'd join in if I could work out the right firewall rules (that's a problem with the approach - you're leaving your home network open.. and I'd rather someone didn't decide to attach kazaa to my network and blow out my monthly allowances).

As I understand it the public part of the network (at least when you use one of Fon's own routers) is in a DMZ, so your home wifi network is kept secure (http://www.fon.com/en/info/security). You do still have the problem of people using a lot of bandwidth, but they can be ID'ed by the password they use to connect to the open part of the network and (I assume) banned if they persist.

[colonelbutt]

I'm not disputing that. However as time goes on the time is right for full city-wide wifi deployment. Particularly as more and more handheld devices use the technology and it is being expected.

McDonalds have just announced free wifi in their "restaurants". Not that I'd ever ever go in there but it's an interesting recent precedent.

BT/Fon is also something that might change things for the better.



See above, I mostly agree with you on that point.

the future is wifi and 3/4G (BTW the biggest difference with the 4G technologies being talking about is that for the first time phones will use packet switching (like IP) and not circuit switching, which both 2G and 3G UMTS do today).

I go to NY alot, and NY public library and a number of coffee shops I know are the ideal places to browse using wifi.

I wouldn't use 2G, let alone EDGE or 3G in the USA as browsing abroad with a UK contract is totally out of the question due to cost.

As far as the UK goes, browsing on EDGE on the train is fast enough for me. At home and at work I have PCs and laptops and so wouldn't use a phone browser anyway.

Would I like 3G ? sure, but ONLY if the chip drew the same power as the 2.5G one. Do I need 3G ? absolutely not! Do I need wifi ? absolutely - essential for travel.

my 2 cents

[emotion]

I'd join in if I could work out the right firewall rules (that's a problem with the approach - you're leaving your home network open.. and I'd rather someone didn't decide to attach kazaa to my network and blow out my monthly allowances).

Naah you're missing the point. The system partitions your AP into two. One your own and one that is designated public. You have no control (or little) and no responsibilities for the public one. That is BT/Fon's responsibility. I believe the bandwidth split is controlled carefully too.


As far as the UK goes, browsing on EDGE on the train is fast enough for me. At home and at work I have PCs and laptops and so wouldn't use a phone browser anyway.

If it's there. I live in a heavily populated area in the north west of england and EDGE coverage is patchy at best.


Would I like 3G ? sure, but ONLY if the chip drew the same power as the 2.5G one. Do I need 3G ? absolutely not! Do I need wifi ? absolutely - essential for travel.


I mostly agree, though I think the power consumption thing is partially a red herring put out their as part of Steve's RDF. The chipsets will become more efficient in any case.

[colonelbutt]

I think the power consumption thing is partially a red herring .


I have had 3G phones, and without exception I have turned 3G off and received at least 50-70% better battery life.
the samsung i600, o2 exec lasted 1/2 a day. and even the efficient sony k610i and w950 were appauling on 3G.

my previous phone was an HTC Touch and I particularly liked the touch as it didn't have 3G and had a good battery.

I would not have bought the iphone if it had 3G which couldn't be turned off...

I am sure over time they will get better though!

[emotion]

I have had 3G phones, and without exception I have turned 3G off and received at least 50-70% better battery life.
the samsung i600, o2 exec lasted 1/2 a day. and even the efficient sony k610i and w950 were appauling on 3G.

my previous phone was an HTC Touch and I particularly liked the touch as it didn't have 3G and had a good battery.

I would not have bought the iphone if it had 3G which couldn't be turned off...

I am sure over time they will get better though!

Yes, as I say, I think a lot of phones have very small batteries and possibly other inefficiencies but I did qualify what I said with 'partially'. I'm aware of the battery trouble with some 3G.

[megfilmworks]

Despite what I say above I actually agree that phone networks not wifi are the way to go. When you are on a bus or train wifi does not have the ability to follow you around from cell/access point to cell/ap (yet).

Until that happens, they are not really equivalent technologies.

Actually airplanes are installing wifi, trains,etc., Wifi is easily accessible now and in the future in all travel modes except my car.

[emotion]

Actually airplanes are installing wifi, trains,etc., Wifi is easily accessible now and in the future in all travel modes except my car.

You clearly have no concept of how uselessly out of date the transport system is in the UK. My commuter train is 30 years old. There is no chance wifi is going to appear on that anytime soon. They can just about afford seats (no, I'm not joking).

Buses are more or less the same, and wifi is never going to appear in cars in it's current form.

The phone networks are the answer in this situation (2.5G/3G/3.5G).

[jamesi]

1. too expensive
2. my blackberry can do everything and more, just not as purty
3. im a student and i shouldnt even have a blackberry, an iphone is superfluous

[dipper-the-cat]

Mainly because the camera is weak, no 3g and the contract is too long with no subsidy. So I'm getting an N95 8gb sim free, not even going to wait for the French launch.

Plus at the end of the day its ONLY A PHONE!

[CD3660]

Plus at the end of the day its ONLY A PHONE!
Er, no it isn't. It is a great deal more than that as thousands of contented owners would explain to you.

However, if you really don't want one, that's fine with me.

Enjoy the N95! :)

[emotion]

Er, no it isn't. It is a great deal more than that as thousands of contented owners would explain to you.


I'm not a big phone person. I am, however, a computer "nerd". The iPhone is perfect for me - well will be after a couple of firmware additions and more EDGE coverage....none of that needs me to change the hardware. I think people in this thread are maybe missing that fact.

[alecgold]

There is alot of talking going on about the lack fo 3G, but who has 3G on his phone? Ever used it for two or three hours on end?
If so, you have on hell of a battery, because the 3G phones from nokia i've seen and used sofar aren't able to do more than 1 or 1,5 hours with a battery.
That is, imho still useless on an iPhone, as I use my EDGE often for an hour a day, but also need to call about 45 minutes a day and want to play the ipod as well. All in all not possible when using 3G on a nokia.

On the other hand: I do have one, but i'm gonna sell it prob.
Reason? it is to nice for me (i keep on using it instead of working)
I need to keep on showing it off to everryone that spots it while I'm using it, even when I'm on the phone with clients!
thrid reason is that the headset is killing my ears, as are all Apple-earbuds, but on my ipod i can change them without any problem
last reason is the poor reception quality, when not using the headset. I'm suprised not more people complain about it, but my nokia 6300 has much better reception, clarity and people on the other hand don't complain at all.
So I'm gonna get a SureFire EP500 headset for my Nokia and use that instead of the iPhone.

[emotion]

I haven't opened the ear buds for my Nano (2) or for my iPhone.

I use Sennheiser CX300 and Shure E2cs.

[Dembo]

I cannot believe the Brits are complaining about their contracts:

Over here in Germany we have to pay more for the phone, the contract runs for 24 months (as opposed to 18) and for your GBP 35,- we get: 100min & 40 texts.

My old contract just expired but seriously people: Could any of you justify these prices?

[emotion]

I cannot believe the Brits are complaining about their contracts:

Over here in Germany we have to pay more for the phone, the contract runs for 24 months (as opposed to 18) and for your GBP 35,- we get: 100min & 40 texts.

My old contract just expired but seriously people: Could any of you justify these prices?

I wouldn't even begin to try.

[jeffreyfort]

admittedly, I am more of a business user, but iPhone must have voice dialing (or I'll kill myself trying to drive and dial at the same time) and real GPS with turn by turn voice navigation.

[ascender]

Having decided not to get one for many of the reasons in this thread, I have relented and the experience so far is better than I'd expected. Many of the issues mentioned really aren't that big a deal once you use the phone.

Its also worth mentioning that 18 month contracts are more common than you might think and with the wi-fi and unlimited data, the £45 a month plan looks OK to me compared to my previous plan and what some other people I know are paying.

[Sal Collaziano]

I can't connect it to my MBP and use it as a modem. Otherwise, I'd certainly have one..

[pbkiller]

1. Because i live in Puerto Rico, although we have AT&T service, APPLE doesnt want to sell this phone on the island. They still think we live under treehouses!:mad:


Rob

[MacsAttack]

Having decided not to get one for many of the reasons in this thread, I have relented and the experience so far is better than I'd expected. Many of the issues mentioned really aren't that big a deal once you use the phone.

Its also worth mentioning that 18 month contracts are more common than you might think and with the wi-fi and unlimited data, the £45 a month plan looks OK to me compared to my previous plan and what some other people I know are paying.

Hehehe... A colleague is with O2 and his contract is just up. He thought about the iPhone, but finally decided yesterday that he would not bother.

Then today he got to play with the (perfect-no-dead-pixels-no-negative-black) iPhone I bought on Saturday. ;)

Now he hates me. He can hear the siren call of an iPhone... Can he resist?

[diehardmacfan]

at&t nd storage

now not doing touch and going for classic because of lack on storage in the touch

[Dembo]

I wouldn't even begin to try.

couldn't agree more :(

[paleck]

1. Can't use it as a modem like I do with my Crackberry
2. Just because AT&T changed it's name again, doesn't mean it's changed it's spots - Blog Post of my Dealings with Cinguar (http://paleck.com/blog/2006/06/20/a-cingular-story/)

[Manic Mouse]

i'm not enough of a mug to spend near enough £300 on a phone and then a further £35 per month for 200 texts and 200 minutes.

+1

The iPhone contracts are a pure joke. As good as the iPhone is it isn't worth being ripped off for. Unlimited data runs at £7.50 a month, so you're paying 27.50 for 200 mins and 200 texts. In other words bend over and take it from 02/Apple for the privilege of owning an iPhone.

[michaelsviews]

admittedly, I am more of a business user, but iPhone must have voice dialing (or I'll kill myself trying to drive and dial at the same time) and real GPS with turn by turn voice navigation.

Get a JVC BT1 with BT and drive safely. Ever heard of MAPs? A Map book ? or better yet Tom Tom, more accurate that VZNavigator and AT&T's GPS

Also I believe but maybe wrong that the iPhone is NOT business oriented at least at this point in the development

[Envykev]

well I have an iphone and I have loved it since i got it but lately I have been thinking of switching to verizon since the past several weeks I have been in situtions where mms is needed and free mobile to mobile messaging is usefull and various other things. Everyone I know is also on verizon. I have just been an At&t customer for 7 years with no problems and I honestly didn't think I'd need all the mms and texting features but apparently I do. And I have had more dropped calls with this phone, poor signal, and the battery life is starting to get really bad.

But it would be hard to part with safari and the ipod on it. they have been very useful and so has google maps on it, and youtube has provided entertainment through those boring days. The calender, alarm clock and stopwatch have also been some of the most usefull features over my last phone but VZW's phones all have those anyways.

[eyemacg5]

This is why.

GPS
5 Megapixel camera
Carl Zeiss camera lens
Wi-Fi
3G
Video calling
Email
400 minutes
1000 texts
Unlimited calls to o2 mobiles.
£25
Free Phone

Let me introduce to you, Free Nokia N95 on an o2 Online 25.

Only thing is, its a 24 month contract but that doesnt bother me.

[emotion]

Let me introduce to you, Free Nokia N95 on an o2 Online 25.



Some people drink Cava, others champagne....some of the Cava drinkers can't even tell the difference.

:)

Drink what you prefer. I know I do.

[jeremyrader]

- No PAYG option; my current phone has a total of 142 minutes for the entire year so far... I could see that going up with data/internet usage, but not to the tune of $35+/month on contract.
- AT&T; spotty coverage where I live and travel.

[alFR]

5 Megapixel camera
Carl Zeiss camera lens


I think that if you asked anyone who knows something about photography (i.e. not me!) you'd find that with a cameraphone-sized lens and image sensor those two things make very little difference at all to the quality of the final image. Indeed, a higher-MP image can apparently be noisier than a lower-megapixel one at the same sensor size.

[koobcamuk]

I think that if you asked anyone who knows something about photography ... agreed.

I am not getting an iPhone because I have one. The camera is fine - if you want to take photos, buy a camera (SLR).

[eyemacg5]

Some people drink Cava, others champagne....some of the Cava drinkers can't even tell the difference.

:)

Drink what you prefer. I know I do.

Hehe. =].

Its not here yet. Should be here in the morning.

[megfilmworks]

Because I bought two already.;)

[Nicolasdec]

BT/Fon is also something that might change things for the better.


Fon is such a good idea, But i dont think its ever going to work.... People arnt going to open up there Bt homehubs.

[emotion]

Fon is such a good idea, But i dont think its ever going to work.... People arnt going to open up there Bt homehubs.

That's not how it works, it's more sophisticated than that.