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Length of AT&T's exclusive contract revealed

Digital Skunk said:
Personally I just don't particularly like AT&T and what they are currently charging for the iPhone is ridiculous, and shows how small minded many Americans are.

The country is in a huge recession, and millions (that already have previous gen iPhones) are jumping at the chance to pay a LOT more for little difference.
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I agree that the new rates are a bit high but I also don't see the value in 3G so I am quite happy with my original iPhone.

I think your characterization of Americans being small-minded over the iPhone to be a bit harsh. It really is a great device that's function overcomes the lack of service one may get from ATT. And the economy is in a slow stall but we will not know for several months if this is truly a recession.

And I can think of quite a few other things that show how small-minded Americans are.
 
CaptainCaveMann said:
Also I have found that the blackberry service (which I have) in use with the Pearl 8120, is extremely good. I get my emails faster than I would on an iPhone. Blackberry for email and messaging can not be beat. Even by the iPhone.
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And you know that how? I get emails within seconds of them being sent on my iPhone. I have tested this.
 
.:R2theT said:
I agree that the new rates are a bit high but I also don't see the value in 3G so I am quite happy with my original iPhone.

I think your characterization of Americans being small-minded over the iPhone to be a bit harsh. It really is a great device that's function overcomes the lack of service one may get from ATT. And the economy is in a slow stall but we will not know for several months if this is truly a recession.

And I can think of quite a few other things that show how small-minded Americans are.
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True in all fronts. Mainly because I see many nationalities waiting in ridiculously long lines at Apple stores for iPhones.... the part that makes me laugh is that many of them are talking to someone on the previous version.

I value 3G, but most cell carriers don't charge you extra for it like AT&T. The sad part is that the function of the device does overcome many of it's service provider and OEM shortcomings. Personally, it feels like a recession and many business blogs and news sites say so although it hasn't officially been said or agreed upon.

Once again, for myself, it feels like one. I have never had to tighten my wallet this tight before. I have reached a whole new level of cheap-ness.
 
AT&T doesn't charge you extra for 3G. Because the phone is subsidized now, they are bringing the data prices in line with their other data phones. Got a Blackberry Curve that has EDGE? $30/month. Treo 680 with EDGE? $30/month. ATT Tilt with 3G? $30/month. Verizon does the exact same thing. I understand that people think this is expensive, but guess what? It is what it is. You don't like it don't buy it. Considering that the iPhone has the most capable internet of any device, im surprised they don't charge more for it.
 
andyblila said:
Then that is when they will acquire the iPhone. Apple will not market two types is history is an indicator. :apple:
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I wonder how it will pan out. 4g sounds sweet, but Verizon would still be useless unless there was a cdma/lte capable iPhone. It would be just like an iPhone on AT&T with 3G only, no edge fall back. That would be a nitemare! They could however convert all of their existing towers over to LTE, dropping cdma totally. They better hurry, anyone remember when AT&T started the TDMA migration to GSM? Yikes!
 
macwh0re said:
I wonder how it will pan out. 4g sounds sweet, but Verizon would still be useless unless there was a cdma/lte capable iPhone. It would be just like an iPhone on AT&T with 3G only, no edge fall back. That would be a nitemare! They could however convert all of their existing towers over to LTE, dropping cdma totally. They better hurry, anyone remember when AT&T started the TDMA migration to GSM? Yikes!
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That's the problem Apple has with Verizon and Sprint. GSM is the way to go. Apple wants widespread use of the iPhone. CDMA is used in what? 2 Countries. I can see other carriers eventually getting the iPhone, but only those that have EDGE, 3G and in the future 4G capability. All three will be what's needed. IMHO I don't think that Verizon or Sprint will ever get the iPhone because of their chosen network types. :D
 
macwh0re said:
I wonder how it will pan out. 4g sounds sweet, but Verizon would still be useless unless there was a cdma/lte capable iPhone. It would be just like an iPhone on AT&T with 3G only, no edge fall back. That would be a nitemare! They could however convert all of their existing towers over to LTE, dropping cdma totally. They better hurry, anyone remember when AT&T started the TDMA migration to GSM? Yikes!
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I remember. It's a move that paid off for itself.
 
andyblila said:
That's the problem Apple has with Verizon and Sprint. GSM is the way to go. Apple wants widespread use of the iPhone. CDMA is used in what? 2 Countries. I can see other carriers eventually getting the iPhone, but only those that have EDGE, 3G and in the future 4G capability. All three will be what's needed. IMHO I don't think that Verizon or Sprint will ever get the iPhone because of their chosen network types. :D
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Which is why I questioned the story of Apple first approaching Verizon with the iPhone.
 
andyblila said:
Then that is when they will acquire the iPhone. Apple will not market two types is history is an indicator. :apple:
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A) What history?
B) Verizon isn't going GSM. Verizon has selected LTE on the 700MHz band they won in the recent auction. We have no idea what voice interface they will be using so this still doesn't mean you can just use the same phone.
 
macwh0re said:
I wonder how it will pan out. 4g sounds sweet, but Verizon would still be useless unless there was a cdma/lte capable iPhone. It would be just like an iPhone on AT&T with 3G only, no edge fall back. That would be a nitemare! They could however convert all of their existing towers over to LTE, dropping cdma totally. They better hurry, anyone remember when AT&T started the TDMA migration to GSM? Yikes!
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What most ppl don't realize is that until recently you were still using a TDMA air interface. That is why the voice quality differs from the non-3G phones to the 3G phones. The 3G phones are using the new WCDMA air interface.
 
andyblila said:
That's the problem Apple has with Verizon and Sprint. GSM is the way to go. Apple wants widespread use of the iPhone. CDMA is used in what? 2 Countries. I can see other carriers eventually getting the iPhone, but only those that have EDGE, 3G and in the future 4G capability. All three will be what's needed. IMHO I don't think that Verizon or Sprint will ever get the iPhone because of their chosen network types. :D
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You guys talk all this crap and do absolutely no research do you?

http://www.cdg.org/worldwide/index.asp
 
Geckotek said:
A) What history?
B) Verizon isn't going GSM. Verizon has selected LTE on the 700MHz band they won in the recent auction. We have no idea what voice interface they will be using so this still doesn't mean you can just use the same phone.
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A) Apple is notoriously proprietary. Steve Jobs likes exclusivity. It raises the interest levels for his products.

B) Verizon not going GSM is the crux of my argument! That's exactly why I don't think the iPhone will go to Verizon...ever. :D
 
andyblila said:
A) Apple is notoriously proprietary. Steve Jobs likes exclusivity. It raises the interest levels for his products.

B) Verizon not going GSM is the crux of my argument! That's exactly why I don't think the iPhone will go to Verizon...ever. :D
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"Apple will not market two types" You did not say anything about being proprietary....and even that argument still doesn't imply they wouldn't make a CDMA phone if the right carrier wanted it. Proprietary would mean it didn't run on ANYBODY else's network....only their own.

So as I asked the first time, show me a history of where "Apple will not market two types." My first question is two types of what? What history are you referring to?

Edit: People here keep speaking in generalities and giving out false information to back their arguements. 2 countries have CDMA? Seriously? My CDMA phone worked great last time I was in China. Check India lately? You know, those 2 countries that have the largest population concentration in the world? (I'm guessing you were referring to SK and Japan.)
 
Geckotek said:
"Apple will not market two types" You did not say anything about being proprietary....and even that argument still doesn't imply they wouldn't make a CDMA phone if the right carrier wanted it. Proprietary would mean it didn't run on ANYBODY else's network....only their own.

So as I asked the first time, show me a history of where "Apple will not market two types." My first question is two types of what? What history are you referring to?

Edit: People here keep speaking in generalities and giving out false information to back their arguements. 2 countries have CDMA? Seriously? My CDMA phone worked great last time I was in China. Check India lately? You know, those 2 countries that have the largest population concentration in the world? (I'm guessing you were referring to SK and Japan.)
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As a former VZW customer, I can base the workings of phones on my experience. Over three different deployments, none of my VZW phones worked over seas. I was told that I would have to purchase a world phone to do that. On my last deployment, my iPhone worked in every country we pulled in to. So...CDMA was not the choice that worked best for me. GSM was. As for your question about Apple, I may have used the wrong wording but my argument is sound. Look at the computer manufacturer that is making MAC clones (Pystar??). They are getting sued by Apple for making them. Apple enjoys exclusivity. I think that is part of the draw. I think, and I may be wrong (I have been frequently), that iPhone will remain exclusively available on GSM, or it's successor. It's just my opinion. As for your condescending manner and personal attack, it did not strengthen your argument. You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. That's all I am posting.....Opinions. Neither of us know what Apple will do in the future. It's a guess, so quit getting all butt hurt because I stated an opinion. If it makes you feel better, I concede to your superior intellect.....
 
andyblila said:
As a former VZW customer, I can base the workings of phones on my experience. Over three different deployments, none of my VZW phones worked over seas. I was told that I would have to purchase a world phone to do that. On my last deployment, my iPhone worked in every country we pulled in to. So...CDMA was not the choice that worked best for me. GSM was. As for your question about Apple, I may have used the wrong wording but my argument is sound. Look at the computer manufacturer that is making MAC clones (Pystar??). They are getting sued by Apple for making them. Apple enjoys exclusivity. I think that is part of the draw. I think, and I may be wrong (I have been frequently), that iPhone will remain exclusively available on GSM, or it's successor. It's just my opinion. As for your condescending manner and personal attack, it did not strengthen your argument. You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. That's all I am posting.....Opinions. Neither of us know what Apple will do in the future. It's a guess, so quit getting all butt hurt because I stated an opinion. If it makes you feel better, I concede to your superior intellect.....
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Opinion is fine, I state mine on here all the time. My arguement wasn't really about your opinion as much as it was the false statements you made. Just because you're Verizon phone didn't work in the places you traveled doesn't mean that CDMA is not available in other countries.

But that wasn't the point was it? The point was the CDMA exists in many places across the globe and would easily be marketable by Apple in those other countries if they made one. Therefore, the economy of scale could still be there. But I concede that GSM does have a larger subscriber base thanks to the European Union.

Apple has exclusivity of the iPhone. So I'm still not sure what you are trying to argue. Psystar is an irrelevant example....is Verizon looking to make an iPhone of their own running OSX?

It is inevitible that they will work with multiple carriers at some point in time. But like you said, this is just my opinion. I also think they will be forced at some point to make versions with differing radios. They may already be, I haven't checked all the technologies in all the countries being rolled out.

As far as my condescending tone, just don't make false statements and you won't have to worry about it. It's that simple. ;)
 
Why not be more liberal about it?

I don't understand why Apple continues to screw everyone who doesn't have AT&T. I have a Sprint plan which I can't get out of until december unless I pay 400 dollars. As a result, I will not be purchasing an iPhone. Apple has lost me as a costumer. Why force certain people into positions where they CANNOT buy Apple's product? I understand the benefits of exclusive contracts, but keeping it on until 2010 is absurd. Not to mention, the other cell phone services are going to be screwed. Everyone wants an iPhone, everyone. And people who's contracts are going to end are going to switch to AT&T.

All cell phone services in the United States are complete garbage. Terrible, terrible, terrible customer service, especially Sprint. But I fear that this will make the competitiveness of the cell phone market unhealthy. :(
 
Geckotek said:
Sure, I was just trying to state that more than 2 countries have CDMA. If people are gonna throw around facts and numbers, they should be true. That's all.
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Man you need to relax a bit. Quit taking this all so personal. Read my first post. I said two with SARCASM. It was an exageration to make the point that GSM is more widely spread. That's all! Imho iPhone will stay exclusively on GSM. You don't have to agree. It's nothing to get all butt hurt over. I'm sorry for insulting your perfect VZW. That was not my intention. Relax and take a valium. I'm sure my opinion won't sink VZW. Ease up!
 
andyblila said:
As for your question about Apple, I may have used the wrong wording but my argument is sound. Look at the computer manufacturer that is making MAC clones (Pystar??). They are getting sued by Apple for making them. Apple enjoys exclusivity. I think that is part of the draw. I think, and I may be wrong (I have been frequently), that iPhone will remain exclusively available on GSM, or it's successor.
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How does that support your argument that iphone will only stay exclusive to GSM? Psystar is getting sued because it is infringing on Apple's IP.

Apple is exclusive to ATT right now because it was forced to sign a contract. After a few years when the contract is up, iphone will probably be the most respected and well regarded name when it comes to handsets. At that time, Steve will be able to dictate terms to all the carriers (who would be crazy to refuse iphone this time around), and I'm positive we'll see iphone on the other carriers.

If steve wanted iphone to be limited and exclusive, then it wouldn't have been subsidized.
 
wreckshop said:
How does that support your argument that iphone will only stay exclusive to GSM? Psystar is getting sued because it is infringing on Apple's IP.

Apple is exclusive to ATT right now because it was forced to sign a contract. After a few years when the contract is up, iphone will probably be the most respected and well regarded name when it comes to handsets. At that time, Steve will be able to dictate terms to all the carriers (who would be crazy to refuse iphone this time around), and I'm positive we'll see iphone on the other carriers.

If steve wanted iphone to be limited and exclusive, then it wouldn't have been subsidized.
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I respect your opinion, but I think that your logic is flawed. Apple was not forced to sign anything. Apple CHOSE to go exclusive with AT&T because they were willing to pay them a fee for every month of service. AT&T agreed to this until 2009 to increase sales. Apple wasn't forced into anything. They forced AT&T into it. The only way AT&T could keep it exclusive was to pay Apple off. Subsidizing was AT&T's way of increasing it's exclusive carrying of iPhone until 2010. Steve has been dictating since the start. He demanded it to be subsidized to get it into more people's hands!!! I think you need to research a little more before you put stuff out.;)

Here's a link. Read it and tell me Jobs is not in control!
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/02/apple-extends-atandt-exclusivity-to-2010/
 
emt1 said:
And you know that how? I get emails within seconds of them being sent on my iPhone. I have tested this.
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I know this because of a few iPhone 3g reviews I have read online. Stating that it takes several seconds or longer for the emails to reach the device. Where as on my blackberry, I get my emails instantly.

Plutonius said:
If you read all the replies on this thread, you would see that all the carriers connections / service depend on where you are. Just because T-Mobile is better in San Diego, doesn't mean it's great elsewhere (i.e. when you are getting a new cell, find out what the best service is in your calling area).

Isn't your blackberry data plan comparable with the AT&T iPhone plan ? How much do you pay for your blackberry data plan and what does it include ?
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I pay 99.99 a month for individual unlimited plan. Where i get unlimited messaging and calling. Then I pay 19.99 for the blackberry unlimited add on which includes internet.
 
:confused:

It's funny how Apple wants the iphone experience to be the opposite of the ipod experience.
 
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