Cingular Ties, Several More iPhone Models? And More Details...

[kbonnel]

I just called cingular-- been with them for a while - they state that they could unlock any phone including the iphone.

Sure, they "could" unlock any phone, but they don't. I have heard that they will unlock some of the Treo phones, after you have had it for the contract length I think.

I hope that soon after the iPhone is released, somebody figures out how to unlock it for good.

Kimo

 

[jwdsail]

Cingular... other issues..

Wow, the more I read, the less I want this...

I'm Apple's target customer for the iPhone... I have 2 iPods, a crackberry, and 3 Macs... A smart phone that could bring my podcasts, addressbook, and email together with the phone would be an automatic buy for me...

If it weren't tied to Cingular... Their customer service makes Dell look downright decent! Perhaps that may change w/ the merger and name change... but I'm not going to hold my breath... This partnership looks like a bad marriage .. you know when you see 2 people that just really aren't a good fit, and you want to speak up and stop it when they say, Speak now or forever hold you... The Cingular CEO is literally the anti-Jobs...

Now we can't use our own music as ringtones? (rolls eyes) Complete lock-out of 3rd party apps? I guess that rules out using Salling Clicker...

The non-replaceable battery, meh, I've replaced "non-replacable" batteries in iPods, so I don't see what the hell people are getting their shorts in a bunch over this one..

But Cingular... LOCKED to Cingular... sigh...


The excuse I've heard is that Cingular had to do something special to make the voice mail work... Meh.. Why not have the iPhone programed to see what network it's on, know what commands are needed to retrieve/record the voicemails, and cache them to its memory? Wouldn't that be the more elegant, more Apple like solution?

sigh..


Very disappointed..


jwd

 

[AllieNeko]

Please let T-Mobile get the UK rights, then us T-Mobilers can bring them over here (generally, locked T-Mobile phones allow any T-Mobile SIM to be used regardless of country it's from, so a T-Mobile US SIM could be used)

 

[Seasought]

Apple is taking additional efforts to prevent the unlocking of the phones.

 

[matticus008]

No 3G?why couldnt they put it in there? I mean if the euro one will probably have it that means the first phone will be obsolete way before that rediculous contract ends.

There is no 3G market in the US for GSM operators. It simply does not matter in this country. In other markets where it's significant, it will certainly be available for their iPhone, and when someone in the US builds a 3G or 4G network, then it will matter. Until then, it's better to focus on the things that actually matter. Why add 3G if no one can use it and if there aren't any concrete plans for people to be able to use it in the future?

Uh and the wifi transfer...thats like saying why have bluetooth...loads of people use bluetooth to transfer all sorts of things,wifi is just the upgrade.

It's not the same at all. It HAS Bluetooth and supports what appears to be a full profile set, which includes syncing of contact and calendar data, as well as OBEX push for the occasional group of files. If you're syncing any more than that, you really need to plug the device in. Devices in this class don't have the kind of cache or system throughput to handle continuous data coming in over the wireless subsystems. They're not meant to be used to download hundreds of megabytes, either from the Internet or a LAN.

The wired connections are the only ones customarily capable of that sort of data, nevermind the very real potential for a data interruption in the wifi, causing you to have to restart 10 minutes of wireless file copying. It's a good idea in theory, but it just doesn't work in practice. Despite the marketing, these kinds of devices are NOT as powerful as a computer--even though they've got more RAM and faster processors than the computers we used to own, they're not designed the same way.

And now the itunes songs not being useable for ringtones,although a small thing,is just really stupid.There are so many things wrong with this phone that makes the price of the phone just laughable

There's nothing wrong with this phone--it doesn't even really exist yet. It's as simple as that. In six months, if they've still not addressed some of the obvious weaknesses, then maybe you'll have a point.

why would i choose this phone over any equally potent or even stronger phone that costs way less?Tell me.Im sure itll come down to looks

Well there's the rub. An equally potent phone that costs less consists of two subjective claims. What 'equally potent' means for you will depend on what you do with it. 'Costs less' will also depend on your point of reference, and the dollar value you place on UI, aesthetics, size, and the small touches that no other device has (sensors, superior music interface, a full-featured browser, multitouch, etc.). Each person has to do the math. If it isn't what you want, don't buy the damn thing, but don't try to imply that everyone else is stupid for choosing it over the competition.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

1 year warranty, 2 year lock-in?

Bull-puckey.

If they are going to force me to stay with the same cell company for 2 years upon purchase of a phone, I should get a 2-year warranty on that phone. What happens if, 18 months in, my phone dies due to manufacturing defect (aka, something that would be covered under a warranty,) and I choose not to purchase a replacement at my own cost? Cingular charges me an early termination fee.

That's bull crap.

I'm sorry, but this initial iPhone just has too many things wrong with it. No 3G, when there are plenty of others (including on Cingular,) that offer it. No VOIP, again, when others provide it. (Most egregious is the lack of interoperability with iChat clients!) And no Flash (some would say it's not a loss, but my Wii can view GooTube,) in the web browser.

Sorry, Apple, that's four strikes already. Not to mention the Cingular lock-in (I prefer T-Mobile's data pricing structure. $30 to add unlimited data to any phone, AND you get to use it 'tethered' to your computer with that. With Cingular, that will cost about $70 EXTRA beyond your voice plan.)

And the long-desired 'true video' iPod only has 8 GB of storage, tops? And you're pricing it $200 more than what is, by your own admission, the phones you're targeting? I already own a nano, I don't need to pay $200 for another nano, even if it *CAN* play movies and such.

Yes, the interface is incredible. But it doesn't overcome the SEVERE deficiencies that are present. And most of them appear to be 'business choices', not actual technical decisions!

Once these issues are fixed, I will most certainly buy one. I will happily give up my Nokia Symbian phone. But not for the first gen iPhone. It just has too many compromises.

 

[dextertangocci]

Portable Internet access without Wi-Fi.

And if you have a 3G/HSDPA USB modem, connected to a MB/MBP/PB/iBook?

BTW, can the iPhone be used to connect your mac to the internet?

 

[Cloudgazer]

The US cellphone market completly freaks me out.

I can't imagine networks blocking features, or phones that are network specific.

In SA all phones are available across all networks, no blocked features, no exclusivity.

 

[davey-nb]

disappointed by the larger than expected form factor.... ?????

I just hope the Data Package monthly fee is closer to around $20-$30, but I am sure it will be the $40/$45 the Blackjack and Blackberry carries.

$100 a month for a phone with an internet package is still tough for me to digest since the phone will have wi-fi.

That is the only thing stopping me right now. I was disappointed a little by the larger than expected form factor, but the functionality has me excited.

Hey there, just a minute
Take a look at the actual specs:

2.4" wide x 4.5" high
now take a ruler and draw that out on your hand.
The Apple pictures make it look bigger than it actually is.
This thing is "small as *****™"

 

[dr427]

Hey there, just a minute
Take a look at the actual specs:

2.4" wide x 4.5" high
now take a ruler and draw that out on your hand.
The Apple pictures make it look bigger than it actually is.
This thing is "small as *****™"

For what it does you are very right, and for viewing videos you wouldn't want smaller, but I guess for a phone I would like smaller.

I did actually do what you suggested and make a drawing then overlaid my razr on top of it. Not bad, but I am used to dropping my phone in my pocket and this would clearly need a holster. Just the price to pay I guess.

The size isn't holding me back now, just the data package announcement price.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Why does everyone including Apple still call it Cingular when it is officially becomes "Wireless by AT&T" on January 15th? They should have just announced the whole thing using that name since it is changing to AT&T in a few days anyhow. Seems like their would be less confusion to the average consumer.

 

[xDANx]

Now I really wonder if this phone will ever reach Belgium : locked phones are forbidden here, as are contracted phones (you must have the freedom here to choose your own divider).

Imho the iPhone business sounds more and more like serious BS, I hope Apple will realise this in time so all this niceness doesn't go the newton way...

maybe i'm being overly generous, but i think that apple is only playing the cell phone industry's game because they fell like they have to (for now). if a more civilized society (like belgium, apparently) has decided to do away with locking cell phones to specific providers then apple will probably happily sell you an unlocked iphone directly. the only issue would be trying to make sure an underground railroad of belgian iphones making their way back to north america doesn't spring up. oh, and i'm unsure if apple would be willing to sell their phone if none of the providers supported the features they think are important to the 'iphone experience'...like visual voicemail, for example.

anyway...lots of questions still to be answered obviously...but i don't think that you need to despair just yet.

 

[Kingssman]

Once again, the phone companies have taken a perfect phone with a wide range of capabilites and unlimited potential and converted it into another useless peice of hardware.

Its like what they did with the V710 and Razor, both phones severely got their potential cut.

and the OSX part is very missleading. When Pocket PC came out they didn't call it "Windows XP" with all the features and run your favorite windows apps.

For size? the thing is all screen. Why would anyone want it smaller?. It doesn't seem too big than any other palm device.

Now for cingular, You pay for the minutes, you have to pay for your own ringtone, (which uses airtime) then if you want to use the Itunes, you have to pay again for the same song that you use for ringtone (uses airtime). Why bother having wifi at all on the thing?

Oh well, it's not apple's fault. They have a perfect peice of hardware that has the potential to become the smallest and most mobile handheld computer/phone. The thing can maybee run OSX applications like acrobat or heck photoshop (if it would run on a who knows how small of proccessor and how little ram and whatever hardrive is left) but cingular has diminished the iphone into nothing more than a phone/mp3/video player with internet ability (which is like a vcast phone with a bigger screen.)

 

[matticus008]

and the OSX part is very missleading. When Pocket PC came out they didn't call it "Windows XP" with all the features and run your favorite windows apps.

They called it Windows. OS X is a brand just like Windows, and the software on this phone seems to have more in common with Mac OS X 10.5 than Windows Mobile 2005 has in common with XP.

The presentation never claimed that it was running a full desktop installation capable of running applications off the shelf. It will never run Acrobat or Photoshop as we know them.

What's the difference? It can't possibly be any more misleading than the CE-based products, and from the look of things, there are a number of major technologies shared between the iPhone and full-blown OS X: WebKit, Core Animation, CoreImage, Cocoa, Dashboard, any number of API frameworks, and who knows what else.

 

[barnaby]

Now I really wonder if this phone will ever reach Belgium : locked phones are forbidden here, as are contracted phones (you must have the freedom here to choose your own divider).

Imho the iPhone business sounds more and more like serious BS, I hope Apple will realise this in time so all this niceness doesn't go the newton way...

It will be locked in the US. That doesn't mean it will be locked in other countries. The BS is the state cell phone carriers are in within North America. They bleed you dry, don't innovate and lag behind the rest of the world. Plans are good, but features are often pretty dated.

Apple needs to team with a carrier in exchange for some say in how to improve the carrier's network abilities. Today it's visual voicemail, a few months down the road it'll be something else. Within a few years, the US networks might be able to catchup to asia.

 

[barnaby]

They called it Windows. OS X is a brand just like Windows, and the software on this phone seems to have more in common with Mac OS X 10.5 than Windows Mobile 2005 has in common with XP.

The presentation never claimed that it was running a full desktop installation capable of running applications off the shelf. It will never run Acrobat or Photoshop as we know them.

What's the difference? It can't possibly be any more misleading than the CE-based products, and from the look of things, there are a number of major technologies shared between the iPhone and full-blown OS X: WebKit, Core Animation, CoreImage, Cocoa, Dashboard, any number of API frameworks, and who knows what else.

It may not run acrobat, but OS X has PDF as it's display model making it very easy to display pdfs. If they've brough core image, it's likely the display model hasn't change much. We should expect native PDF support.

For anything short of professional publishing, OS X's pdf support is far more convenient (speed-wise especially) than acrobat.

 

[matticus008]

It may not run acrobat, but OS X has PDF as it's display model making it very easy to display pdfs.

No argument there (except that it's "its"), but there is a vast difference between PDF display and the $400 Adobe Acrobat.

 

[EricNau]

Why does everyone including Apple still call it Cingular when it is officially becomes "Wireless by AT&T" on January 15th? They should have just announced the whole thing using that name since it is changing to AT&T in a few days anyhow. Seems like their would be less confusion to the average consumer.

...Because as of now, it's still Cingular.

It would me much more confusing for customers if Apple introduced the iPhone and claimed it was only compatible with 'wireless by AT&T,' because there's no such company (yet).

 

[coal]

the 1 year warranty is general the industry standard even with a 2 year contract. Something I recommend to any one who owns a cell phone is always get insurance on it. It a life saver for when you need it and it worth the 3-5 bucks a month you pays for it.

As a former AT&T Wireless employee who left a year after Cingular's acquisition of the company, here are a couple of comments, both good and bad:

Bad: The iPhone most likely will not have insurance available for it upon launch. Most of the high-end phones (such as the RAZR and various PDA/Smartphones) were on a specific list of equipment that was unavailable for insurance coverage. This was true when I was employed and could change, but it's doubtful based upon Cingular's past business choices.

Good: Cingular will unlock phones under certain situations. One of those situations is for the purposes of international travel. If you call Cingular and request your phone to be unlocked, Cingular will if you state that you're traveling abroad and wish to use a SIM card from a foreign provider while away from the United States.

Of course both of these may not apply to the iPhone as it is in uncharted territory, but specifically in regard to the unlocking problem, the request is reasonable if offered as above and should be honored without issue.

 

[Sped]

There is no 3G market in the US for GSM operators. It simply does not matter in this country. In other markets where it's significant, it will certainly be available for their iPhone, and when someone in the US builds a 3G or 4G network, then it will matter. Until then, it's better to focus on the things that actually matter. Why add 3G if no one can use it and if there aren't any concrete plans for people to be able to use it in the future?

I don't know where you live, but 3.5G (HSDPA) is quite accessible here in Las Vegas. By this summer, there will be many more markets than the 50 or so that currently get 3G. I realize it's not the same as EV-DO, but at the same time, shelling out $5-600 for a phone that can't take advantage of 3G is future failure.

Maybe Apple is waiting for WiMAX or some other technology, but you can't depend on WiFi hotspots being available everywhere you go. You need options and EDGE doesn't cut it.

I like the iPhone, but I won't likely buy the first generation because I'm not convinced it won't be obsolete by the end of the year.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Hey there, just a minute
Take a look at the actual specs:

2.4" wide x 4.5" high
now take a ruler and draw that out on your hand.
The Apple pictures make it look bigger than it actually is.
This thing is "small as *****™"

Try the website sizeasy. (Sorry, doesn't work right in Safari, try Firefox.) Enter in the dimensions of your products, and see how it compares.

The iPhone is slightly taller than the 30 GB iPod, but the same width and thickness. So if you have a 30 GB iPod (the current 'thin' one, not the old 3G 'thick' 30 GB iPod,) hold it to your ear. And the viewable area of the iPhone's display is slightly shorter than the regular iPod's entire face, for a viewing area size comparison. My only complaint (without actually holding one,) about size is that it's a little wider than I would like. I've got big hands, but holding an iPod to my ear, it just feels a little too wide. It really isn't a small device. It's smaller than a Newton, smaller than a Nintendo DS Lite, but bigger than a full size iPod. I suppose that's the tradeoff for having a huge screen.

 

[ts1973]

For those of you that speak a little German :

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0002W4OVW


And for all others : you get the picture

€899 (or about $1200 including taxes) for the 4Gb version is actually the price I'm expecting for an unlocked version...

 

[coachingguy]

Who are we really mad at?

Who are we really mad at?
Apple and Steve Jobs for bringing a potentially great piece of technology to us?
Cingular for trying to protect their interests?
Both Apple and Cingular for apparently showing disregard for the consumer?

In the end, the US cell phone and wireless market is a unmitigated disaster. The entire network concept is awful. How are we the only country/continent that cannot agree on a network, GSM vs. CDMA vs... The rest of the world seems to have figured this out, not us.

Cell phones and wireless networks are purposely anti-consumer and pro-business. I read all of the postings from our European friends and think to myself, why are you guys mad? When the iPhone comes to you, your governments have protected you and you won't be getting the shaft the way we are in the US and North America.

Robert X. Cringley, technology writer, has written about these issues many times. The cell phone companies make so much off of the service plans, fees and other misc. things they should essentially give us the phones of our choice for free. We should be expecting the costs of the plans to be dropping and the benefits to be rising. That's not happening.

As long as the consumers are willing to take it and pay for it, why should the Wireless companies change? Our pro-business gov't certainly isn't going to get involved.

The Europeans and Asians have been way out in front of the US for years. Coverage is better, benefits are greater and costs (on average) are lower.

We should appreciate the technology involved in the iPhone. Most will lust after at it and many will buy it. The iPhone is what the market requires it to be; no better, no worse.

I waited to get a smart phone until the Keynote. Experienced about 4 hours of Mac lust and then ordered my treo. I live in a rural area not covered by Cingular, and according to a c.s. rep they are in no hurry to establish service here for a while.

So the new iPhone, regardless of what it does have or doesn't have is of no use to me. I will however be waiting for the iPod version of the iPhone! 40 gigs, same interface, maybe a little smaller $299 or less.

just my nickels worth.

Coachingguy

 

[BostonPops]

You people are pathetic. Go design something. Anything. Go negotiate a multi-million dollar deal with a cell phone company and the RIAA and see if you come away with EVERYTHING you want. I'm not buying an iPhone simply because I don't want one. I'm not gonna whine about ringtones and batteries, though.

I've got news for you all. Musical ringtones are ridiculous and annoying. I don't care if you have the greatest song in the world in your iTunes library...don't use it as a ringtone. Grow up a little and realize that other folks don't want to hear your music.

I am a chip designer. Every design project starts with lofty goals that are then tempered in as reality sets in. I am constantly amazed by the innovation and engineering that goes into Apple products. I'm also constantly amazed by the complaints people come up with.

 

[dr427]

Try the website sizeasy. (Sorry, doesn't work right in Safari, try Firefox.) Enter in the dimensions of your products, and see how it compares.

Cool website! Thanks!