Cingular-only iPhone At Launch?

[lmalave]

This would be sweet! I definitely wouldn't mind switching to Cingular and their rollover minutes. Looking at Cingular's family plans it looks like I would save about $20/month over my current T-Mobile plan. And since Cingular is GSM like T-Mobile, my mom (who I share the plan with) could continue using her existing simple Samsung mobile phone that she's familiar and comfortable with (I'd just have to get a Cingular SIM card). And as someone already mentioned above, phone numbers in the US are transferrable between carriers, so although it's probably a pain I would do all the paperwork to transfer the 2 numbers I have under T-Mobile.

I just hope the phone is sweet enough to make me wanna ditch my already impressive Sony Ericsson phone. The main improvents I would be looking for over my SE phone are:

- Better music player software/controls (I think this one's a safe bet)
- Stereo bluetooth (less sure about this one)
- 3G enabled (looks promising - I'm hoping the iPhone will be 3.5G HSDPA enabled like the LG CU500 phone)
- Better browser (Actually Opera mini is fine, maybe all that's needed is a larger screen and faster connection speed)
- Better camera, especially under low light conditions (almost guaranteed to be better camera based on rumors it's 3 megapixels and also Apples experience integrating tiny video cameras into its laptops and iMacs)
- Larger screen (would like it to be 2+ inches diagonal and at least 320 x 240 pixels) (this one I think is a safe bet)

So basically, I will almost certainly be getting the iPhone as soon as it's available and I fill out the paperwork to transfer my number over...

Hey everybody,
So often I hear people talk about how great the customer service is for Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint. Why are all of you in need of customer service with these companies? I'm with T Mobile and have never needed to call and straighten a bill out, or get credit applied to my account. I'd say the best customer service is the kind you don't need to use. So, I'm hoping that T Mobile will carry the iPhone 6 months after the initial release.

Lucky you. I have T-Mobile and I've definitely had reason to call them. I thought their customer service was excellent (better than Verizon or AT&T), but I still wouldn't say that their service is "so good you never need to call them up".

 

[sjo]

Yeah, I am in the same boat.
For me Cingular is the worst because I can't get it to work at my home and work. I have Verizon, is OK. but at least work. The truth is every carrier has a problem. I am still waiting to find somebody that says their carrier is 100% great and they are satisfied.
I hope iphone will work on other carriers. If not I'll wait until it comes with Verizon or any other carrier other than Cingular.
What good is to have an amazing phone if you can talk or get coverage?

Hey I'm satisfied with my carrier. I think the last time I had any problems with coverage was back in the 20th century. I've got coverage even in the freaking underground. I'd have coverage in the middle of wilderness if I chose to go there. It's cheap as well, I never pay incoming calls, my phone has never been locked and it works pretty much all over the world, my operator has had packet data connection most of this century as well and 3g for several years. What more could I wish?

 

[gugy]

Hey I'm satisfied with my carrier. I think the last time I had any problems with coverage was back in the 20th century. I've got coverage even in the freaking underground. I'd have coverage in the middle of wilderness if I chose to go there. It's cheap as well, I never pay incoming calls, my phone has never been locked and it works pretty much all over the world, my operator has had packet data connection most of this century as well and 3g for several years. What more could I wish?

I guess you are a lucky dude!

 

[MacSync]

Why not a phone with 802.11 also?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a phone that was able to switch to VOIP in areas with free 802.11 service if you choose to? It could be a part of .Mac Moblie that was discussed earlier. At home it would be on your existing wireless network and could sync with iTunes and all the other Apple Apps and serve as a remote. Away from a 802.11 network it could pick up the cell carrier towers. Would something like this be worth developing?

 

[suzerain]

I had no trouble getting an unlock code from Cingular for a SLVR I bought from them. Here's pix I just took showing it in use back home on the Telstra network.

I ended up doing the reverse. I bought a SLVR in China and brought it back to the USA. It's so nice not to have to be on any ****ing "contract". (Sorry, I just really hate the state of the cellphone market in the USA.)

I just want WiFi VoIP phones to come along and wipe out the whole market...I think that will have to wait for WiMax rollouts nationwide, though.

 

[cmcconkey]

You sound like a pain in the ass to have as a customer.

No actually I just want my bills to be correct. If that makes me a pain in the ass, then so be it. If someone that I am paying to provide me a service keeps screwing up my bills, and then say that they will have it fixed on the next billing cycle and then it doens't show up until a quarter of a year later. I guess that is too much to expect out of a company. I also deal with customers on a daily basis, so I know what is expected from a service provider.

Christopher

 

[peharri]

Actually this is completely untrue.

Last week I signed a secret, completely exclusive, contract with Apple for the iPhone. It'll only work on my home's DECT network.

Despite this, I'm expecting millions of sales. People will buy it despite peharrinet's complete lack of coverage. So I don't have a problem with that.

BTW, you'll need to agree to a 36 month contract, our base plan is just $50 a month and comes with unlimited mobile to mobile, plus three "anytime" minutes (charged in five minute increments.) Excess airtime is just $1/minute.

 

[inkhead]

If this is true you can always by the phone at the cingular store outright, then unlock it and use it on any carrier.

I for one in disappointed they went with GSM

 

[shawnce]

When will we see global releases of iTunes stuff?

When the copyright holders, trade organizations, labor groups, local governments, etc. clean up their ***** mess of laws, taxes, etc.

...do that and then Apple will roll it out in very short order.

The simple fact of the matter Apple wants to make a simple to use and consistent service but so many road blocks exist to doing that because of the above mentioned mess that they cannot do it universally. Folks should be happy that companies like Apple are trying to push the world forward in this space.

Yet, it works fine in the middle of nowhere. On my way down to New Orleans, I was on the phone in some tiny little town that couldn't have had more than 500 people. The only thing this place had was a gas station. I'm on my phone and call quality is excellent. An hour later in NO, dropped calls and low signal as usual. Or when I'm on the backroads in Missouri talking, again, perfect signal. Enter the STL city limits? Goodbye service.

What phone you have? The newer quad band phones get great service in and out of urban areas using Cingular.

 

[Jedi128]

It's so nice not to have to be on any ****ing "contract". (Sorry, I just really hate the state of the cellphone market in the USA.)

Amen to that. I have T-Mobile now with pay as you go...... I don't like getting raped monthly by cell phone providers.

But, BTW..... where the **** is my Macbook Pro with Merom? Its Tuesday...what the **** is going on........?

 

[Marx55]

HERE ARE THE PICTURES:

http://www.t3.co.uk/nested_content/gallery_assetlisting_navigation?root=633162&result_page=1

http://www.t3.co.uk/nested_content/gallery_assetlisting_navigation?root=633162&result_page=2

http://www.t3.co.uk/nested_content/gallery_assetlisting_navigation?root=633162&result_page=3

MORE INFO:

http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/communications/mobile_phone/evidence_mounts_for_january_iphone

Now, imagine it as the ultimate wireless computerless presentation remote:

1. Make your Keynote or PowerPoint presentations on your Mac or PC-Windows.

2. Save them to the SMART iPhone.

3. Carry the iPhone with you and use it as a wireless computerless presentation remote.

WITH A HUGE HALO EFFECT on all corporate, education and domestic markets!!!

 

[dr_lha]

I for one in disappointed they went with GSM

Well it makes sense, most of the world uses GSM, it's a much larger market for Apple to aim at, combined with the much lower cost of only having to develop one phone.

Plus Verizon are coonts.

HERE ARE THE PICTURES:

You're joking right? You realise these are pipe-dream mock ups right?

 

[kainjow]

Anyway, I'm not excited about an iPhone. It would need to give me at least one neat feature for this to be worth drooling over.

It has a camera? So what.
Mp3 player? Don't they all?
Games? What....like the iPod ones? Meh.

Something new would be nice.

You could argue that with Macs vs PCs too, but it's all about the design and interface

 

[dr_lha]

What phone you have? The newer quad band phones get great service in and out of urban areas using Cingular.

Quad band has nothing to do with getting service in the US. A dual band phone will get you all the service you ever need in the USA. The 2 extra bands in "quad band" are ones used outside of the US.

 

[FSUSem1noles]

YES! Finally, I reap benefits from being with Cingular!!!!

 

[SeaFox]

Darn, was really hoping for T Mobile compatibility. Oh well, guess this was pretty expected. What about all the CDMA customers? After 6 months? Never?

Well, generally all GSM phones support the 1900mhz band, there is just the catch where European models support 900mhz, while US bound one support 850mhz (Cingular). So it's very likely the iPhone will be usuable on T-Mobile's network if unlocked. The catch is you'll have to buy it at retail price from a Cingular dealer, and get it unlocked (which Cingular might not be willing to do).

As long as the interface is not Cingular branded (like the CIngular Nokia 6030 I use on T-Mobile's network right now), and there's no branding on the phone itself, I might be willing to do that.

YES! Finally, I reap benefits from being with Cingular!!!!

What do you mean "finally"? Being the largest U.S. provider means you have always reaped the benefits. I cannot count the number of times I've been eagerly awaiting a certain model phone to come out and when it come here, it's always on Cingular and nobody else.

 

[spercharged69]

Why Cingular?
They do not alow you to unlock their phones - even after their contract has expired. They think there is usa and nothing else. If you travel - you are screwed - roam on our network (or go to hell)! They are useless for anyone who travels beyond canada or hawaii(ok - thats only 15% of americans)

I have had Five different Cingular phones since Cellular One became Cingular and they switched their network to GSM. I've been given the unlock code for every one of my devices from little more than a phone call to customer service.

A little kindness goes a long way when dealing with a customer support agent who has spent all day dealing with the retards who are posting in this thread about how hard Cingular has "screwed them over" in the past. I think people just like playing the victim role when it comes to telco conglomerates because it's chic to be in the circle-jerk complainers crew on the blogosphere.

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

Yeah I don't think that is going to happen. I can't see Apple making a CDMA phone just for Verizon/Sprint. Making a GSM phone, especially if it is quad-band, would allow them to only make 1 phone for the world market.

Right, so problem #1 is the huge number of Verizon/Sprint customers in the US Apple would be giving up just for the sake of saving the engineering time to replace a radio chip. There's no way they can give up 60 million or so potential customers and say to their investors, "yeah, but we'll save a million dollars over the next three years by doing it."

Problem #2 is that there are countries/regions where CDMA is more prevalent than GSM or where GSM doesn't exist at all. Some of it has to due with terrain, some of it is political. There are lists on the web you can google for which countries use which technology.

I was hoping Apple would be the first company to use software-defined radios and make this a non-issue. I was bummed when I read they switch to COTS parts for the quick buck on iTunes. Maybe the other two rumored phones which are supposed to come later will be the one we were hoping for. June 2007?

Cingular has their priorities wrong. They go for the rural markets, where people don't want to have anything to do with cell phones, and they ignore the big cities.

Huh? I've never seen Cingular coverage in any rural areas. Maybe in the mid-south but the rest of the country isn't so uniform.

When will we see global releases of iTunes stuff?

When your local media cartel decides to play ball. You think Apple doesn't want to be selling into your market for nearly $0 their cost?

 

[lmalave]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a phone that was able to switch to VOIP in areas with free 802.11 service if you choose to? It could be a part of .Mac Moblie that was discussed earlier. At home it would be on your existing wireless network and could sync with iTunes and all the other Apple Apps and serve as a remote. Away from a 802.11 network it could pick up the cell carrier towers. Would something like this be worth developing?

This is not so far-fetched - I briefly owned the T-Mobile SDA phone that was Wi-Fi enabled. If that phone could have Wi-Fi, why not the iPhone? But I don't know how realistic it is to expect fast iTunes synching though through Wi-Fi. It may be possible, but it would be at least 10 times slower than just hooking it up with a USB cable.

Also, if Apple does make the deal with Cingular there is NO way the phone would seamlessly switch to VOIP, even if it were Wi-Fi enabled. Cingular is in the business of selling you voice minutes, remember? That being said, if it's Wi-Fi enabled I could see someone writing a 3rd Party app (like a Java-based Skype client, for example).

But still, maybe this Cingular rumor is wrong and Apple will launch the phone unlocked for $500 the way Sony did with its initial Walkman Phone release. If so, then that phone had *better* have every conceivable bell and whistle to get people to plunk down that kind of cash. That means Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, Quad-Band, maybe UTMS/HSDPA enabled (2.5G and 3.5G, respectively, and maybe the deal is just that Cingular will have the phone be officially supported on their network even though it'll only be sold through the Apple store).

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

Wrong. Cingular is rolling out 3.5G (HSDPA), and although they only have one phone that currently supports it (the LG CU500, http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/ce...zip=10010&q_deviceId=cdsku9870167&WT.svl=dtl), reviewers have been wowed by the download speeds and smooth streaming video performance (download speeds are 1.8 Mbps).

All the networks are pretty good when you're the only one using it. As you mentioned, there's only one phone that can even use it now and the reviewers got access probably before most of those were even sold. We'll see how things are 2 years from now. Maybe it'll be great.

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

You sound like a pain in the ass to have as a customer.

That's pretty unfair - he said he called to get a bill fixed. What is he supposed to do, give as much of his money to the cell phone company as they see fit?

If your job is dealing with cranky customers and don't much care for it you'll be much happier with a different job, trust me.

 

[yg17]

What phone you have? The newer quad band phones get great service in and out of urban areas using Cingular.

I had a Motorola v551 (also a piece of *****, matched the Cingular service quite well). That thing broke (one of the 2 things a Motorola phone is capable of doing, the other one is looking pretty. Because they certainly don't work) and I got a Sony w810i unlocked from eBay. It's a quadband, and the Cingular service still sucks. My parents have LG phones on Cingular, their service sucks. My sister has T-Mobile and couldn't be happier. We're headed over there when the contract's up

 

[Misplaced Mage]

Mark me down in the "it's on Cingular because it's HSDPA" camp. If Apple seriously intends to sell songs (and TV shows? movies? games?) from the iTunes Store over the air, they need two things:

1. One heck of a user interface to make searching through and previewing millions of items on a 2" - 2.5" screen quick and easy
2. Broadband download speeds, especially for video

I think if anyone can make #1 work, it's Apple. The new search feature on the latest iPods is probably a strong indication of where Apple is headed with this. And #2 pretty much requires UMTS or HSDPA if they want to sell to the European market as well as the US, Latin America, and South Korea (the IS-2000 EV-DO and rev A strongholds). The phone would also be a perfect way to market Cingular's high-speed services ("The only network with the iTunes Store!"), especially since they expect to finish primary roll-out of their HSDPA network in metropolitan areas by the end of the year ("It makes the perfect Chrismahanukwanzavus gift!").

 

[macklos]

Cingular cellular service is only decent in a few areas and their customer service is the worst I've ever come across. If Apple wants to maintain/boost their image, Cingular will not help them in that area, not at all. Judging by this forum those things appear to be almost unanimous. I'd say it would be a bad move on Apples part to make an exclusive deal with Cingular for any bit of time. Anything longer than 6 months and Apple doesn't stand a chance succeeding. With competition mounting in the ipod arena, not updating their intel product fast enough and this. I'm afraid Apple will be hurting. Not something I wanna see.

 

[EagerDragon]

Noooooooo

The phone needs to be open!
I am tired of getting rip off by the providers, phones need to be able to move from one provider to another.