Steve Jobs Envisioned Using Unlicensed Wi-Fi Spectrum for Apple Mobile Phone Network

[brian250]

The cable companies should take note. The beauty is they are a lot easier to get rid of than the cellular networks are, Apple would be able to control iCable in the way they want, right to the end user experience, cutting out the cable companies.

I would have originally said "this would never happen", but considering all of the things that I originally didn't think would happen (that Jobs said would happen) has happened, I'd say that this will happen one day.

I think this is happening, to an extent. Im thinking of AT&T's outdoor WiFi hotzones, which take load off the 3G network. Not quite what Job's envisioned, but it's a step on the road. Voice over 4G is another step on that road. VOIP apps like Vonage, Viber, etc help on the road to that process too.
In the UK BT have a BTFon network which uses BT Broadband customers home WiFi bases to create a pseudo WiFi network. Virgin Media are planning something similar. It's happening, but it's a while away yet.

 

[42streetsdown]

Pre-iPhone Apple definitely couldn't do this, but now they have so much spare cash on hand that they probably could do it now.

 

[MacAddict1978]

This isn't exactly new news.

At this time, the rumors weren't that Apple was developing their own phone, but that they were going to be their own carrier. I'm surprised MR didn't mention that, as they were reporting about it quite a bit.

Though, I don't recall the rummors of the time speculating on a wi-fi driven service. It was thought that Apple would resell other carriers service as an Apple Branded service.

I wonder what Jobs full vision was. To just cut the carriers, or make a near free service?

 

[cameronjpu]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Lol so before Pixar no company made money making animated movies. Oh except Disney. BOY IS THAT REVOLUTIONARY! The #2! Amazing.

Oh but now when I watch the oscars (never) you mean there's an award because of Pixar? AMAZING!

Dumb.

 

[pablo7]

Jobs was always such business troll.

 

[ndstrenge]

Of course he wanted to make carriers obsolete. That's the point. I firmly believe the whole point of the iPhone is to make the iPhone obsolete.

iPhone > app store > developers > Skype, FaceTime, etc > no more need for a phone, just a pocket-sized computer.

Not feasible in 2007, but very feasible as wifi networks spread like wildfire.

 

[Tiger8]

if this feasible someone would have done it already

I love your vision and enthusiasm!

 

[Bubba Satori]

I wonder if Apple's pricing actually would have been more reasonable...people are already used to getting bent over a barrel... we'll never know.

fxt.

No. Higher margins.
One trillion in the bank baby.

 

[Mr. Gates]

Just release a 3G iPod Touch and I'll be happy with that.

Lets start some place easy .

Come on Apple , you know you can do it

 

[feszty]

T-Mobile

I was surprised by this article, because I would have never thought that Apple was considering having their own service. If this is true, I am puzzled why they did not bid for T-Mobile. When I've heard that T-Mobile is on sale, I was thinking how great it would be an Apple data only service without the BS surcharges that are associated with the voice services. I would be more than happy to pay data only and use Skype for voice calls.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

A world covered in a blanket of WiFi.. Then and only then would the information age truly begin.

 

[scoobydoo99]

Choice is a philosophy that is non-existent at Apple.

Thank god!

That's why Apple stuff just works. They control the user experience end-to-end. The alternative is licensing others who would just make crappy hardware or software implementations and screw up the seamless artfulness of the Apple experience.

 

[divinox]

I'd sure love Apple drowning out my home wifi with their cell signal, and I'm sure everyone else here would as well. I'm also sure they'd have any coverage outside of cities. Car issue in New Mexico? Hope you like walking and waiting.

----------



Well, except that whole cellular coverage thing. They kinda make cellular phones work. I'd call that a value add, personally, to a phone. Just sayin'.

Carriers without JobsPhone - works. JobsPhone without Carriers - does not work. And yet, it is Carriers that are without value?

;- )

 

[MattInOz]

This isn't exactly new news.

At this time, the rumors weren't that Apple was developing their own phone, but that they were going to be their own carrier. I'm surprised MR didn't mention that, as they were reporting about it quite a bit.

Though, I don't recall the rummors of the time speculating on a wi-fi driven service. It was thought that Apple would resell other carriers service as an Apple Branded service.

I wonder what Jobs full vision was. To just cut the carriers, or make a near free service?

There was also reporting of SJ meeting with various Wifi Mesh operators about the same time.

Not sure this still going to work. Isn't the big technical issue still Wifi itself.
By and large you compete for space in the channel. For something like this to work there would need to be a move to a cooperative system. I wonder if that was to work on such a large scale it would need to be embeded in the standard itself, not an overlay like the current system.

Still that would be very Cool.

I always think Schools should try and get something running on a local level.
With that sort of community density they could make a mesh dense enough for most students to have wifi access anywhere in their own neighbourhood.

 

[divinox]

The cable companies should take note. The beauty is they are a lot easier to get rid of than the cellular networks are, Apple would be able to control iCable in the way they want, right to the end user experience, cutting out the cable companies.



I think this is happening, to an extent. Im thinking of AT&T's outdoor WiFi hotzones, which take load off the 3G network. Not quite what Job's envisioned, but it's a step on the road. Voice over 4G is another step on that road. VOIP apps like Vonage, Viber, etc help on the road to that process too. (Trust me, they care more for quality than Apple ever would. For good reason too).
In the UK BT have a BTFon network which uses BT Broadband customers home WiFi bases to create a pseudo WiFi network. Virgin Media are planning something similar. It's happening, but it's a while away yet.

Why would replacing cable companies that are tightly coupled with cable content be easier than replacing phone companies that enjoys no such coupling? Normally, the case is the exact opposite of the stated.

p.s.

1) AT&T does not really want you to use their WiFi hot zones. To contrast, we've had that in Sweden for many years. Changes very little. Then again, we don't get as ripped off as you americans do while calling (but, don't really enjoy your subsidies either).

2) AT&T REALLY does not want you to use Viber, Skype or any other VOIP solution.

3) That pseudo-wifi thing was very cool to hear about. I remember when Company X gave away routers, aiming for the same. Too bad it apparently failed. We could so make Free wifi happening - now (through wifi sharing). Unfortunately, the "market" does not want us to - and politicians, well... its not like they're representing us anymore.

----------

Thank god!

That's why Apple stuff just works. They control the user experience end-to-end. The alternative is licensing others who would just make crappy hardware or software implementations and screw up the seamless artfulness of the Apple experience.

Except, people are happy using their docks and what not. And, process industries where something that doesn't "just work" costs millions and millions are obviously succeeding with open platforms too. Its simple, really. Apple wants all money for itself. That is the true reason for Apples insane levels of control - not quality.

(that said, some control is surely justified for quality reasons).

 

[BruiserB]

It basically is the Republic Wireless model that someone else alluded to. Since they use Sprint for their cell carrier, maybe they can work with Apple to add the wifi calling feature. Even if the iPhone was unsubsidised, it'd be a great deal with $19 a month service.

Or even now, Apple could allow audio only calls over wifi with the FaceTime system. Sooner or later the traditional carriers will get pushed aside.

 

[powers74]

spectrum

Doesn't surprise me. I always figured Apple wanted to be their own carrier, but just couldn't build the infrastructure as fast as the hardware / software. I would venture to say they will achieve this eventually, just as they have begun designing their own chips, and have begun to circumvent carriers with iMessage, Apple wants to control it all beginning to end. Many people still don't believe me. The carriers and Intel shouldn't take Apple for granted. They will be sorry they did.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Thank god!

That's why Apple stuff just works. They control the user experience end-to-end. The alternative is licensing others who would just make crappy hardware or software implementations and screw up the seamless artfulness of the Apple experience.

Some of us are leaders, others are followers.

 

[cameronjpu]

I was surprised by this article, because I would have never thought that Apple was considering having their own service. If this is true, I am puzzled why they did not bid for T-Mobile. When I've heard that T-Mobile is on sale, I was thinking how great it would be an Apple data only service without the BS surcharges that are associated with the voice services. I would be more than happy to pay data only and use Skype for voice calls.

Those BS surcharges are how network operators making money. Apple would not buy a money losing network operator, cut out the stuff that was profitable, and sell it just so Apple fans could be happy.

 

[jons]

I like Pixar. A lot.

But to claim they reshaped the film industry is over the top. This is Hero Worship to the extreme. While Jobs certainly contributed to the hardware / software part of the process, to give him credit for Pixar et al. is to live in fantasyland.

Once Apple is free from Steve this, and Steve that, blah blah blah... then the company will be living & creating in the present.

The only relevant time in space that exists.

On topic: Apple as a service provider. No thank you.

I love Pixar. The talent at Pixar is one of the inspirations for the career I chose.

I don't think it's arguable that they changed animation forever, and came up with some amazing in-house software in the process, which then became the standard for the entire industry. They certainly didn't revolutionize the film industry, but they did change parts of it. What they revolutionized was animation.

There's a documentary about the company called, "The Pixar Story." Well worth watching if you're a fan.

 

[pic620]

I swear on my grandmother's grave I had this EXACT same idea about 4 years ago. With VOIP, why have a phone signal with Internet capabilities, rather than an Internet signal with phone capabilities. God, I wish he would have gone through with this. To think of something before it happened. Would have been awesome.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

I wonder what Jobs full vision was. To just cut the carriers, or make a near free service?

I doubt they ever considered free.

Not to mention that Pixar didn't reshape anything.

Ha, clearly you've never worked in the animation/vfx industry. Pixar existed before Toy Story and they were changing film decades ago. I'd explain more but you're just trolling or ignorant.

 

[Bernard SG]

Except, people are happy using their docks and what not. And, process industries where something that doesn't "just work" costs millions and millions are obviously succeeding with open platforms too. Its simple, really. Apple wants all money for itself. That is the true reason for Apples insane levels of control - not quality.

Isn't there a big contradiction in that paragraph? If it were all about the $$$, Apple wouldn't license its proprietary stuff (30-pin connector and all that jazz...) to the dock-makers.

 

[deafgoose]

With the amount of money Apple is holding, they can start their own cellular network.

 

[entropys]

Oh, I reckon it would have been cheap. Apple business model is to make most of its money selling hardware, and use things like cheap services and content to sell even more of that lovely high margin hardware.