I don't get why the iPhone and ATT are getting the brunt of this. ATT has the iPhone, Verizon has the Storm (lol!), Sprint has the Palm Pre, T-Mobile has the G-1. Every phone company has exclusivity. Personally, I think this is what keeps competition going. If there's no competition between handsets available on the market, I smell a monopoly brewing, as companies would start to merge because they carry the same products.
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U.S. Department of Justice Reviewing Wireless Carrier Exclusivity Agreements
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Um, no... it's technically impossible to run on that network. Apple is not going to make a special phone just for Verizon when 98% of the world runs on GSM.
Because this is the real world. We don't always get what we want. And throwing yourself on the ground, holding your breath, or stomping is not going to get it for you.
This is business, if the customer is not happy, they go elsewhere and the market responds. Having government force business to do the bidding of a few whiners is leading down a very bad road. Why do you think the US leads the world in innovation? Freedom is the key. The best toys in the world come from the US simply because we are given freedom to market our toys. If government comes along and makes everyone the same, why innovate? If you can't sign exclusive deals and recoup your costs for research, why do it? Will everyone be happy with plain ole stuff once government deems that all must equal? I think not.
Socialism at its best..
Obama is already in the auto buisness, hiring and firing CEO's, why not take over the cell phone companies to...
The market can handle this just fine without "big brother" dictating who should be able to sell what. If people didn't buy the iPhone and let it be known that it was their dissatisfaction with ATT, Apple would do something about it. Since we just "have"to have the iPhone we get to use ATT until the contract expires.
If ATT controlled cellular service in the U.S. exclusively, that would be a monopoly. Having a phone that you want on a network you don't is just too bad. Don't worry though...daddy will make it better...
Do you support oligopolies, commie?
What what what?
WHAT?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Exxon selling gas to Larry's for $5 a gallon as long as there is Sunoco down the street.
You must have gone to the Soviet school of Economics?
Ah, okay. So, you do support monopolies, oligopolies, and communism, and think that because something hasn't been changed yet it should never be. Check. When you set up your oligopoly-friendly fasco-communist state, make sure to re-enslave the negros since, well, it was happening for years.
Will this ruling have an affect on Palm Pre locked with Sprint and Android phones like G1 locked with t-mobile and so forth?
Exactly... or do you think if Apple was their (Senator's/Judge's) company, they'd open their mouth only a tiny bit? You bet, not...
This is a hilariously inapt metaphor, for many reasons, but the funniest might be that you're talking about a supplier doing something silly to their prices. This maps to, say, it being okay for Apple to sell iPhones to AT&T for $2000 as long as there's another phone you can buy. Which is, of course, idiotically obvious, and has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
Why would the price of phones go up? there is nothing stopping the phone company form offering full priced unlocked phones and at the same time at a cheaper price offer the same phones but locked in for customers. The only reason why you think that the phones are cheap is because they are locked onto the network with the argument that you sacrifice portability for a cheaper upfront cost. It is unrealistic to expect a brand new unlocked iPhone to cost $199.
In New Zealand you can purchase a iPhone outright from Vodafone and put in an XT Network SIM and away you go - that is why I think Apple should just sell the phone directly to the public and the end user goes off and purchases the SIM card pack from the carrier of their choice.
I agree, the government shouldn't provide anything. Free Market will provide all we need. I especially think that that the military should be completely privatized and all our tax money going to defense spending be returned to us...Socialism at its best..
Obama is already in the auto buisness, hiring and firing CEO's, why not take over the cell phone companies to...
The market can handle this just fine without "big brother" dictating who should be able to sell what. If people didn't buy the iPhone and let it be known that it was their dissatisfaction with ATT, Apple would do something about it. Since we just "have"
If ATT controlled cellular service in the U.S. exclusively, that would be a monopoly. Having a phone that you want on a network you don't is just too bad. Don't worry though...daddy will make it better...
Honestly the government should just enforce the regulations they have in place already...
So, a company that is a monopoly, or part of an oligopoly, signs contracts for exclusive supply. I want to compete in that market, but I can't, because the (so far) only players won't allow the suppliers to talk to me.
And, you somehow think this doesn't affect anyone else's right to compete in a free market?
This is the most moronic line of fascist-cartel-support-posing-as-"free-market" discussion that I've seen in a long time.
In Australia, we now have the iPhone available subsidised on all 5 carriers. There are prepaid options, 12 month contracts or handset installments if you don't want a 24 month contract with a "free".
You can also buy from the Apple Store unlocked ones outright.
More carriers = a great thing.
Apple should add 1700MHz 3G and get T-Mobile USA on board. (And 900MHz 3G while they are at it.)
You can also buy from the Apple Store unlocked ones outright.
More carriers = a great thing.
Apple should add 1700MHz 3G and get T-Mobile USA on board. (And 900MHz 3G while they are at it.)
I agree, the government shouldn't provide anything. Free Market will provide all we need. I especially think that that the military should be completely privatized and all our tax money going to defense spending be returned to us...
Honestly the government should just enforce the regulations they have in place already...
I guess you haven't hung around with enough libertarians - yes, there are those who advocate community militias and armaments in lieu of a national standing army
You're right about the regulations, all too many times people advocate 'more regulation' when the issues are already addressed by regulation in place. The problem is that the government in the US under funds the regulatory bodies - SEC is the best example of where many scams could have been stopped but due to a lack of resources ($30 billion per year on agricultural subsidies is apparently more important than protecting people from being scammed by the Madoffs of the world) and thus they have to triage.
Who said it had to be one or the other? why not offer subsidised locked in and unlocked higher full priced? let the market work its magic. It's freedom baby, yeah!
No, carriers will simply compete by offering better and better subsidies on phones if you get on THEIR network.
No, carriers will simply compete by offering better and better subsidies on phones if you get on THEIR network.
That makes absolutely no sense what so ever.
thats exactly what i said earlier, and a lot of people dont get it.No, carriers will simply compete by offering better and better subsidies on phones if you get on THEIR network.
July 4th is over you can stop waving that flag. There are plenty of innovations from abroad.
I can see you have reached the stage of the debate when you have no further arguments, and resort to accusations of the opposition whining. Well, no-one whines more than a capitalist when there's a credit crunch. Watch how all those big companies run to mummy government when the "free market" isn't going their way.
You are genuinely deceived.
You forget that Apple also signed the contract. It was a two way street. And the contract has a specified term, ie its not permanent.
Apple will be free to go with anyone should they choose to or, OH MY, continue with their current carrier.
Or they could sell directly to the customer and *SHOCK!* *HORROR!* allow the end user to go to their carrier of choice to purchase a connection pack.
Uh... that's what every company ever has done for decades.
No they haven't been. You purchase a subsidised phone, its locked in. If you want an unlocked phone, you get it full price. The lock in is there to ensure that people stay on the network for the company to recoup the cost of the subsidy plus profit.
Both Vodafone and XT Network offer both options; subsidised with a contract or full price without a contract. You make the choice.