AT&T's Glenn Lurie on the iPhone

[MacRumors]

Seattle Times interviews AT&T's Glenn Lurie on the iPhone, who provides some perspective and hands on usage of the device.

When asked about the usage of the device:

I think when people get their hands on it and really experience it — the touch screen is phenomenal, this touch screen is like nothing you've ever used — to experience that, the skepticism, I think, around some of those things will go away.

Lurie also reveals that some "Google applications" are coming in the form of widgets and believes that "there are just so many things here that the price will not be an issue." He also describes how successful Apple has been in simplifying the interface and how intuitive the phone functions are.

Finally, when asked about web usage on AT&T's network, Lurie states that "people are going to be asked to have an unlimited package — people are going to have to have a package with us to browse."

[quigleybc]

hmmmm,

"asked to have unlimited packages"

ok, well what if I dont' want that?

do I have a choice?

sounds cool though

I'll take three.

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

Kickass. I can't wait for it. ^_^

[mac-er]

Originally Posted by quigleybc

hmmmm,

"asked to have unlimited packages"

ok, well what if I dont' want that?

do I have a choice?

sounds cool though

I'll take three.

"asked to have unlimited packages"....

that is the nice corporate, customer service way of saying you will have an unlimited package or you won't have an iPhone.

[1984]

Originally Posted by mac-er

"asked to have unlimited packages"....

That is the nice corporate, customer service way of saying you will have an unlimited package or you won't have an iPhone.

Then I won't have an iPhone. It's as simple as that.

[bossass]

So, is it only going to be available with an expensive data plan? I hope not. I just want the regular $40ish, 400 minute plan. I can use wifi to browse. I don't need to have internet wherever I am at all times. If I had to get a $100 a month plan, that would be a dealbreaker for me.

[pavelbure]

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

i dont think this will be as mainstream as they think.

[termite]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan

Over the course of three years, $500 is the same amount of money as $14/month. If you subtract the cost of 4G nano from the price (since you no longer need one), the cost is $10/month.

Compare that to the normal cell phone plan of $40/month, and you have to admit usage costs a ton of money, the iPhone, not so much.

I think people see so many "free phone" advertisements, they fail to realize that the phone costs nothing compared to the price of cell phone usage. If an expensive data access plan is required, it's a dealbreaker for me.

[cwedl]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

i dont think this will be as mainstream as they think.

I will afford an iPhone because I will save up, but it doesn't mean I can afford an expensive Plan, I think it will be mainstream because who would have thought someone would pay £300 for an iPod, but Millions upon Millions did.

[bretm]

Originally Posted by cwedl

I will afford an iPhone because I will save up, but it doesn't mean I can afford an expensive Plan, I think it will be mainstream because who would have thought someone would pay £300 for an iPod, but Millions upon Millions did.

If you had bought 20 shares of Apple stock the day before it was announced, you wouldn't have to save anything!

[kevinwiz]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

false. example: me. I am in high school and don't have enough money to pay $100ish a month. but i can save up over a few months for $500 easily if its a one shot spend.

[thedbp]

Originally Posted by kevinwiz

false. example: me. I am in high school and don't have enough money to pay $100ish a month. but i can save up over a few months for $500 easily if its a one shot spend.

highschool kids shouldn't be allowed to have things like this. they're unnecessary and reinforce bad habits like blowing your money on a shiny tech product rather than thinking about whether you actually NEED it. Plus, they destroy them almost universally. kids can't take care of things like this. I wouldn't even let my kid have a phone, period. There's no need. its all just a want, and I don't deal in wants.

And to any kid who just thought to themselves "but I NEED a phone!": you just showed how young, immature, and inexperienced you are. Rethink your deifnition of the word "need."

[beannyc]

Originally Posted by thedbp

highschool kids shouldn't be allowed to have things like this...you just showed how young, immature, and inexperienced you are.

dont mean to be rude here, but i think you forgot what it is like to be young. aside from that, many, if not all adults do NOT need a phone that also is an ipod.

the kid probably does need a cell phone. this day and age, if i was a parent i absolutely would want my child to have a phone. so what if he wants it to also be able to house his music.

also, i think you are wrong about "reinforce bad habits like blowing your money on a shiny tech product rather than thinking about whether you actually NEED it." kids like kevin saving up actually does the opposite. it can teach them the value of the dollar and how to save. a skill you will need for years to come. start a baby on baby food first, not a steak. he'll learn to save now for the small and later save for a house.

i am sure you had stuff you didnt "need" as a kid, but wanted.

[NicP]

Originally Posted by thedbp

highschool kids shouldn't be allowed to have things like this. they're unnecessary and reinforce bad habits like blowing your money on a shiny tech product rather than thinking about whether you actually NEED it. Plus, they destroy them almost universally. kids can't take care of things like this. I wouldn't even let my kid have a phone, period. There's no need. its all just a want, and I don't deal in wants.

And to any kid who just thought to themselves "but I NEED a phone!": you just showed how young, immature, and inexperienced you are. Rethink your deifnition of the word "need."

I don't think the original poster said anything about needing a phone. If he is prepared to save up his money and purchase a phone then more power too him. When i was in high school i had a mobile phone bought for me, i found it an essential tool to coordinate meeting up with friends and also with family, plus it gave my parents security knowing they could always call me. In this case the original poster is saving up for himself, this is a fantastic lesson in basic personal finance plus it ensures that he will take good care of the phone because it wasn't just handed to him.

[mrparet]

Originally Posted by thedbp

highschool kids shouldn't be allowed to have things like this. they're unnecessary and reinforce bad habits like blowing your money on a shiny tech product rather than thinking about whether you actually NEED it. Plus, they destroy them almost universally. kids can't take care of things like this. I wouldn't even let my kid have a phone, period. There's no need. its all just a want, and I don't deal in wants.

And to any kid who just thought to themselves "but I NEED a phone!": you just showed how young, immature, and inexperienced you are. Rethink your deifnition of the word "need."

Who are you to say that kids can't take care of anything? I am a teenager and everything in my possession is in pristine condition. I agree that most kids don't NEED an expensive phone like the iPhone, but most teenagers need a cellphone of some sort for afterschool activities and such. What if they are stuck on the side of the road in a ditch with a flat tire. That is if you would let your child have a car. I imagine you tell your children that a car isn't necessary; that they can walk. You're right, your children shouldn't be happy.

[pavelbure]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

i dont think this will be as mainstream as they think.

Originally Posted by kevinwiz

false. example: me. I am in high school and don't have enough money to pay $100ish a month. but i can save up over a few months for $500 easily if its a one shot spend.

my point is directed at people like you. if your willing to save up months for a phone, look at yourself, get your priorities straight in your life.

[1984]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

Sounds like something an AT&T employee would say.

[LxTxNx]

Originally Posted by 1984

Sounds like something an AT&T employee would say.

LoL true...I would say that.

We want to make some money!

[PoitNarf]

I'm surprised I haven't really seen anyone pick up on the first part of the article:

"The season begins Wednesday when Apple boss Steve Jobs is expected to talk up the device at a Wall Street Journal tech conference in California."

Steve is indeed scheduled to speak at D5: http://d.wsj.com/index.html

I think there's a pretty good change we're finally going to learn the release date this Wednesday.

[Tattoo]

Originally Posted by 1984

Sounds like something an AT&T employee would say.

Actually, Its the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.

[bossass]

Originally Posted by pavelbure

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

i dont think this will be as mainstream as they think.

That's not true at all. That's like saying if you can afford an HDTV you can afford $150 cable. But maybe I just want an HDTV to watch movies, umm?

And why do I want to pay for something I don't really care about or I wouldn't really use that much? The iPhone has a lot of great features, beyond surfing the web on a data plan. If they are going to railroad me into a data plan, I'm out.

[queshy]

Data plans in Canada are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. The cheapest data plan is like the rolls-royce of cell phone plans! If/when the iPhone comes here, I won't buy one unless I can do so without purchasing a data plan. To me, if it has wifi, I can get my email where I need it.

[sbrownla]

Originally Posted by bossass

That's not true at all. That's like saying if you can afford an HDTV you can afford $150 cable. But maybe I just want an HDTV to watch movies, umm?

Actually, it's more like saying if you can afford an HDTV that costs 4x any other HDTV, you can afford $150 cable.

Don't forget the fact that the only things the iPhone does that others don't is sync movies with iTunes, and brandish the Apple logo, but notice we are willing to pay 4x the cost of other phones for it. If we can afford that, then we can certainly afford to pay more in order to utilize all of its features or we'd buy cheaper phones.

[Evangelion]

Originally Posted by sbrownla

Actually, it's more like saying if you can afford an HDTV that costs 4x any other HDTV, you can afford $150 cable.

Are you saying that iPhone is 4x more expensive as competing phones? Well, last time I checked, Nokia N95 costs over 700e. And no, you can't get it "for free".

Don't forget the fact that the only things the iPhone does that others don't is sync movies with iTunes, and brandish the Apple logo, but notice we are willing to pay 4x the cost of other phones for it.

It also has an UI that is leaps and bounds above anything else on the market. And I say that as a Nokia E61-user. And the edsign on the device is simply sublime when compared to just about any other phone out there. And those things do cost money.

[Tattoo]

Originally Posted by bossass

That's not true at all. That's like saying if you can afford an HDTV you can afford $150 cable. But maybe I just want an HDTV to watch movies, umm?

Sounds true to me! How many buy an HDTV just to see it in HD only part of the time? Its like buying rabbit ears for an antenna on a 60" Plasma. If you cant swing with the BIG BOYS - then just buy the 25" Tube TV and call it a day.