many players here are sold locked. Unless you pay close attention you'll end up with a locked one. My toshiba HD-DVD player isn't sold unlocked here (the HD-DVD part is unlocked but it only accepts code 2 DVDs)
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Apple Unable to Find iPhone Partner in Europe?
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many players here are sold locked. Unless you pay close attention you'll end up with a locked one. My toshiba HD-DVD player isn't sold unlocked here (the HD-DVD part is unlocked but it only accepts code 2 DVDs)
You, or your teacher, are assuming there is a common goal. Most of the resources your teacher is talking about is fighting over whose goal is the "right" one. That is not "competition" in the economic sense...it is in the political sense.
I thought you were in Switzerland, not England.
I didn't claim I was in England - "here" = Switzerland for me. Sorry about that
could be so demanding. Jeesh!!! There's gotta be a way the EU gets the iPhone!locked phones are illegal in belgium... you may not sell a phone here if its bound to an operator... The consumer has the right to choose where he wants to be connected... without a subscription... just prepaid
So I doubt the iPhone will be available end of this year...
So I doubt the iPhone will be available end of this year...
This is troublesome news. This could mean two things. Either the iPhone release in europe will be delayed. Or the phone will be sold without contract/subscription.
There is however a third possibility. Apple might pipe down their demands and things will be alright, very unlikely I know but you never know
There is however a third possibility. Apple might pipe down their demands and things will be alright, very unlikely I know but you never know
visual voicemail
Umm..visual voicemail doesn't have to be dependent on the operator (in the us anyways, im sure its the same in europe.)
i know one out of (im not completely sure) many companies that work like this:
When someone calls you and you aren't available, they are FORWARDED to your voicemail. Instead you can set it to forward to a different company that hosts voicemail. Callwave gives you simple instructions on any phone company on how to change it. Currently you can access visual voicemail from them on your mac via a widget, on a pc via an app i believe, and on a web browser. Im sure Apple will do something like that on the iphone if that's what it comes down to in order to keep this feature.
(CALLWAVE.COM'S VISUAL VOICEMAIL LINK)
Umm..visual voicemail doesn't have to be dependent on the operator (in the us anyways, im sure its the same in europe.)
i know one out of (im not completely sure) many companies that work like this:
When someone calls you and you aren't available, they are FORWARDED to your voicemail. Instead you can set it to forward to a different company that hosts voicemail. Callwave gives you simple instructions on any phone company on how to change it. Currently you can access visual voicemail from them on your mac via a widget, on a pc via an app i believe, and on a web browser. Im sure Apple will do something like that on the iphone if that's what it comes down to in order to keep this feature.
(CALLWAVE.COM'S VISUAL VOICEMAIL LINK)
My Guess
Vodafone - too big. The Verizon of the EU. Hard to deal with (for Jobs).
T-Mobile - good coverage in Germany and Spain (?) but not the whole Europe
3 - not a market leader, but with deep pockets - so possible
Orange - good coverage in UK, but not the rest of Europe.
O2 - as rumored.
My money is on 3 actually. They'll get iPhone as they are moving away from the wall garden world wide.
Vodafone - too big. The Verizon of the EU. Hard to deal with (for Jobs).
T-Mobile - good coverage in Germany and Spain (?) but not the whole Europe
3 - not a market leader, but with deep pockets - so possible
Orange - good coverage in UK, but not the rest of Europe.
O2 - as rumored.
My money is on 3 actually. They'll get iPhone as they are moving away from the wall garden world wide.
Apple Breaks the mold
Business's sit back , become arrogant , suck their customers dry and like that they have a monopoly.
Apple comes in with a killer product and a different way of doing something that people tend to like and meantime big business don't want to change as long as they are making $$$$
Telco's are notorious for ripping they customers off and only now with VOIP and other competing products have they been forced to provide actual value for money
Do you really think that we (in au at least) would be getting capped mobile plans if the big telco's weren't being forced into it ?
Good on Apple for stirring up the market .. the only winner can be the customers.
Now all I want is my IPhone ... come on Apple Au isn't all that far away ... only problem we will have is there is really only 1 telco with australia wide 3G coverage (yes I know the Iphone is not 3G yet but it will be) and thats bloody Telstra and as they run a poor excuse for a music download service I doubt they will want to strike a deal with Apple.
All the other Telco's only have capital city coverage for 3G so far.
Business's sit back , become arrogant , suck their customers dry and like that they have a monopoly.
Apple comes in with a killer product and a different way of doing something that people tend to like and meantime big business don't want to change as long as they are making $$$$
Telco's are notorious for ripping they customers off and only now with VOIP and other competing products have they been forced to provide actual value for money
Do you really think that we (in au at least) would be getting capped mobile plans if the big telco's weren't being forced into it ?
Good on Apple for stirring up the market .. the only winner can be the customers.
Now all I want is my IPhone ... come on Apple Au isn't all that far away ... only problem we will have is there is really only 1 telco with australia wide 3G coverage (yes I know the Iphone is not 3G yet but it will be) and thats bloody Telstra and as they run a poor excuse for a music download service I doubt they will want to strike a deal with Apple.
All the other Telco's only have capital city coverage for 3G so far.
Few things
1. European cellphone market is very different from the US, GSM phones customers (like iPhone) are not used to buy a locked phone with a contract. People can buy a locked 3G phone with contract (like Nokia N95 for 30€/month) but they can buy unlocked one as well. I think buying a locked iPhone for 500€ WITH contract is pretty insane. Europeans can switch operators without changing their phone number and this is just great. In this case customer is the most important one. iPhone will sell in Europe, but through Apple Store and for maximum 250-300€.
2. Nobody knows for sure how the iPhone works in practice, we'll see. However cellphones are very special - usually when you own a decent cellphone, in the future you will buy another one from the same brand - just like with cars (and Nokia is very strong here).
3. Apple is arrogant - it can be true. I wonder how fast they will propose an updated iPhone v.2. People just won't wait too long after first one wasn't successfull enough. iPod is brilliant, but iPhone is something different.
4. Visual Voicemail - who cares about this? It's not the main feature of this device.
Finally, near future will show who was right and who wasn't.
1. European cellphone market is very different from the US, GSM phones customers (like iPhone) are not used to buy a locked phone with a contract. People can buy a locked 3G phone with contract (like Nokia N95 for 30€/month) but they can buy unlocked one as well. I think buying a locked iPhone for 500€ WITH contract is pretty insane. Europeans can switch operators without changing their phone number and this is just great. In this case customer is the most important one. iPhone will sell in Europe, but through Apple Store and for maximum 250-300€.
2. Nobody knows for sure how the iPhone works in practice, we'll see. However cellphones are very special - usually when you own a decent cellphone, in the future you will buy another one from the same brand - just like with cars (and Nokia is very strong here).
3. Apple is arrogant - it can be true. I wonder how fast they will propose an updated iPhone v.2. People just won't wait too long after first one wasn't successfull enough. iPod is brilliant, but iPhone is something different.
4. Visual Voicemail - who cares about this? It's not the main feature of this device.
Finally, near future will show who was right and who wasn't.
None of these are available in more than a few countries in europe. I don't even know what "3" is ... I've heard of Orange and O2, and we have an operator which Partners with Vodafone - which should be the only possibility if they want to cover most of europe. Most, because there is no operator which covers more than 50% of europe (and that, I think, is an exaggeration). Anyone know where to find coverage maps for the large operators?
This is great news!
I hope that they never find a European service provider and they are forced to release the iPhone on a Pay-as-You-Go contract in Europe. That means I can use the phone with whomever I want... which is Orange!
Visual Voicemail is nice, but I would gladly give it up for a Pay-As-You-Go contract.
I hope that they never find a European service provider and they are forced to release the iPhone on a Pay-as-You-Go contract in Europe. That means I can use the phone with whomever I want... which is Orange!
Visual Voicemail is nice, but I would gladly give it up for a Pay-As-You-Go contract.
That is not the case. In Europe it is quite common that the phone you buy is not locked to a specific network provider. That means that you just get a sim card from your preferred phone company and put it into your phone.
E.g. in Denmark it is not legal to lock a phone for more than 6 months, in order to make it easy to change phone company.
Great post, but I thought I should point out, that by law, Americans have the ability to switch service providers without changing their phone number as well (but you will usually have to switch your phone).
Its because the Europeans are acting tougher. Cell phone service is much 'freer" in Europe than it is over here. Apple just got finished dealing with a bunch of U.S. carriers who love vendor lock-in (like Apple) and will fall over each other to modify their networks if needed to support their phone.
Now they are in Europe, where 1) The phones are better to start with, 2) It's illegal to lock a handset to a provider, if I remember right, and 3) People more often buy their phones outright without a contract.
It's not the European carriers who need to change their attitude. It's Apple (and the U.S.), that needs to get on the ball and run their cell phone industry like the rest of the world does.
I can completely believe this, and as much as I hate mobile providers, I can see Apple being total asswipes about this.
Apple, you can't survive in this market without the backing of the operators. Play nice with the other children.
Apple, you can't survive in this market without the backing of the operators. Play nice with the other children.
What a mess. They should have offered iPhone certification (including visual voice mail and the other services) for any interested phone company for say $500k upfront without any other contractual obligations between Apple and the phone company.
Not any more. In fact, 3G mobile phones could have been locked for some years now. Typically, there are 12 and 24 months contracts available. (The government has been trying to make 3G more popular by letting people purchase a 3G phone cheaper with a monthly fee.) "Normal" GSM phones must not be locked.
Before 3G phones with contracts, any way to lock phone was illegal. Even providing a phone cheaper (without contract) with a subscription was (and is still) illegal. The consequence of this was that operators gave new customers free calls/SMSs - even for 600 Euros (e.g. 5€/month). Eventually, this was also prohibited because it made comparing different operators more difficult and the operators focused more on those offers than the subscription itself.
Therefore, at the moment, there are three ways to purchase a mobile phone in Finland:
1) 3G phone without contract (at the full retail price)
2) 3G phone with contract (at a lower price with a monthly fee and different call/SMS plans)
3) GSM phone without contract (at the full retail price)
P.S. Not all the 3G phones purchased with contract are even locked. Some operators only require you to pay the montly fee for 12/24 months - but you can use any SIM card (even from a different operator) in your phone.
P.P.S. About Nokia and other manufacturers in Europe... The situation in Europe is very different from the US. Nokia (the biggest mobile phone manufacturer in the world) is a very large player in the European market. In the US, they have had some problems - but in Europe they are #1 with a wide marginal to the others.
Nokia has several factories in Europe. Even one here in Finland where only high-end models are manufactured. The salaries of the employees are good - at the same level as in any other Western country. AFAIK, Nokia is one of the last mobile phone companies that produces phones also outside of China. Many others (like Apple, SE, ...) use only cheap Chinese employees.
I can totally believe that. Heck i see that arrogance in their Geniuses and sales attendants, they act like they work for God. Only two things can happen:
1. They back down and eventually pick a carrier or
2. They sell the iPhone on their own sim free...but only the rich will buy one cos people here often buy their phones Free with contract. The iPhone obviously won't be even close to free.
Steve has said best himself. Apple are not good at patnering. Sigh...
1. They back down and eventually pick a carrier or
2. They sell the iPhone on their own sim free...but only the rich will buy one cos people here often buy their phones Free with contract. The iPhone obviously won't be even close to free.
Steve has said best himself. Apple are not good at patnering. Sigh...