Apple didn't know just like Obama didn't know
"Wake up, Apple. Either open up the market or stop colluding with AT&T to deprive your customers!!!!!"
You know, I don't know if Apple really had any say in the matter at all. I mean, what would they care if the Sling Player worked on Wifi or Edge or 3g or just one of them? They are still getting their cut of the sales. I think that AT&T had the real say on this one. And I do think that they were worried that their network couldn't handle the congestion, b/c there are so many Iphones being used on their network.
What I would really love to know is, did Apple/AT&T really test the Sling Player over their network and try to simulate the potential congestion that it would casue, or did they just reject it out of fear that it would do so? Did they just say to Sling a month ago that it was a no go and we have just been waiting for Sling to reconfigure the APP without Edge/3G? This is what I believe happened.
What is really a shame is that we love the IPhone but are stuck with a crappy carrier with inconsistent policies. If the Iphone would come to another network the new competition might create a better user experience. I would think that if you are going to block 3g usage, why not do the same with ever other version of the software? Think of how pissed Sling is right now considering how much time that they put into development.
Sure. Apple has nothing to do with it. And President Obama didn't know they were going to fly Air Force One low over New York... Yeah, sure.... Whatever.
I don't know for a fact that Apple had any say, but from what I have read of their influence and their "ground breaking" contract with AT&T, plus the fact that AT&T has recently been trying to extend their exclusivity contract for the iPhone, I HAVE to believe that Apple has the power to say no to this. They need to man up and DO THAT!
It isn't just about this one app, it is about basic unfairness. Let me count the ways:
1. AT&T already caps the bandwidth at 5GB/Month anyway, so WTH is up?
2. If you own another phone on AT&Ts network you get to use SlingPlayer.
3. YouTube, iTunes, HULU, etc. are all fine, but if a little guy like me without much clout wants to occasionally watch a little TV from my house, I can't because it will somehow clog up their frikkin network. If I were big and powerful like the networks, etc. I might could do something about it.
4. If you use one of AT&Ts data plans with a USB device on your laptop you can use SlingBox. Is that a computer? Yes. Hmmm. Their excuses are getting more and more lame.
5. This information was released over a month ago and AT&T quickly denied it and retracted it. Now it s back. So, they are admitting that they LIED before.
Unless and until these issues are laid to rest, I hope AT&T offices, stores, and telephone lines are besieged by customers ready to cancel their service. Vote with your wallet, people. They will change their ways under pressure. I want the iPhone to succeed because it is a well-thought out device that I like using (iPod Touch actually, but you know what I mean) Fix the iPhones network and I will buy one.