A world without AT&T?

[megfilmworks]

The critique line was not aimed at you PDE. Although I don't agree with everything you post, I do appreciate your comments.
But as to two phones.
That is easier than the sim swap for me. If locals need to call me they call me on my Euro phone and if family, friends and assocs. from the US call they can use my US number. The only viable solution for me would be a 2 line cell phone.

 

[CWallace]

As an AT&T employee, I'm getting a huge kick out of this thread.

What I find even more amusing is that all the folks railing and raging against "The Machine" all have an iPhone, anyway.

 

[pavvento]

What I find even more amusing is that all the folks railing and raging against "The Machine" all have an iPhone, anyway.

And will probably buy V2 the day it comes out.

 

[carfac]

If you travel a lot, have you considered emailing or calling Apple and asking if you can "buy out" a contract and have a legit unlocked phone that could be updated without risk?

Has anyone tried requesting that?

actually, yes. I have.

I do not believe apple will ever Willingly unlock my phone.

 

[Sobe]

actually, yes. I have.

I do not believe apple will ever Willingly unlock my phone.

your answer is kind of cryptic.

What was their response?

 

[megfilmworks]

And will probably buy V2 the day it comes out.

And whine about how it's not a v3.

 

[robanga]

The revenue sharing that came from the AT&T on this phone is probably worth far more than any incremental sales on phones alone if they had made the thing unlocked and sold it through Apple stores, Best Buy etc etc.

So you have X million sold with the long term revenue sharing with Y gross profit, and only XX million more sold at less overall gross profit over time.

It's also not a slam dunk that without AT&Ts marketing and support, that they either would have sold a LOT more or would have been overall as profitable on the back end. Then you also have the issue of visual voicemail support and interoperability and activation with iTunes

Smarter minds than us, make that a team of smarter minds modeled all of this beforehand and they chose the best financial solution that they saw. To suggest they made some bungling mistake in picking this partner, does not hold any weight.

 

[boss1]

....

Be grateful ATT agreed not to meddle in the iPhone UI, and give a reduced rate on the unlimited dataplan.

+1


I think there's some sort of psychological rule that applies here. I can't recall the terminology. It's the one where people tend to naturally become complacent with their environment and become immune to adversity or joy etc after prolonged exposure.

This applies to pretty much everything (alcohol, drugs, war, poverty, fortune, extreme lifestyles, entertainment, MTV, and iPhone)


AT&T has short comings as much as the carrier next door, but every time I look at my bill and see the amount of MB's of transfer next to a big $ 0 cost it puts a smile on my face. Same thing with the UI

 

[PDE]

The revenue sharing that came from the AT&T on this phone is probably worth far more than any incremental sales on phones alone if they had made the thing unlocked and sold it through Apple stores, Best Buy etc etc.

So you have X million sold with the long term revenue sharing with Y gross profit, and only XX million more sold at less overall gross profit over time.

It's also not a slam dunk that without AT&Ts marketing and support, that they either would have sold a LOT more or would have been overall as profitable on the back end. Then you also have the issue of visual voicemail support and interoperability and activation with iTunes

Smarter minds than us, make that a team of smarter minds modeled all of this beforehand and they chose the best financial solution that they saw. To suggest they made some bungling mistake in picking this partner, does not hold any weight.

Maybe you're right. My opinion/feeling/belief is that Apple's sharp minds are sharp within the American context, but not as cross-culturally sharp. This opion/feeling/belief comes not only from this latest iphone move, but fromthe way Apple operates abroad (the Apple abroad when compared to U.S. Apple is like comparing two different companies, one with great, fast, customer-oriented service and the other with poor, slow and alienating service - both in terms of sales and service support). I've experienced it all over the world and only in the U.S. has it been good.

I suspect that the recent news that Apple can't launch the iphone in only locked form in France is only the beginning of similar problems throughout the world. In Europe it will probably be legal problems that slow things down; in East Asia it will probably be attitudes toward having a completely locked phone cost so much money. Only time will tell, but just like Apple didn't predict what happened in France (probably thinking that Orange would work its way around the law somehow), it may not have predicted the way consumers think and act elsewhere.

 

[CWallace]

If you travel a lot, have you considered emailing or calling Apple and asking if you can "buy out" a contract and have a legit unlocked phone that could be updated without risk?

"Normally", when the term of a non-iPhone AT&T contract is completed, you can then request that phone to be unlocked so you can use SIMs from other compatible wireless service providers.

There have been reports that the official word from AT&T is that this "service" will not apply to the iPhone. When your two years are up, AT&T will not unlock your iPhone to use it on other compatible service providers.

Now, be aware that this stance was taken less then 2 months into the existence of the iPhone, so AT&T still has some 20 months to amend that policy, if they so wish (or are compelled to do so).