In article <0001HW.C1CBA88405E7EAF2F0203648@news.verizon.net> ,
Lefty Bigfoot <nunya@busyness.info> wrote:
> RAZRs are popular and all, but not the
> same buzz.
Exactly. RAZRs are popular because the stores push them and they are in
the magic price range. Nothing cool about 'em, really. Crap-ass OS(s),
that's for sure!
In article <45a587cd$0$4876$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
> At 10 Jan 2007 15:07:11 +0000 karlkrandall@sbcglobal.net wrote:
>
>
> > You apparently haven't been reading a fair cross section of reviews...
> >
>
> Good reviews won't make a $500 phone more attractive to those not willing
> to spend half a grand on a phone. It will certainly be a success, but
> not a RAZR-like success, at least not at first.
The iPhone is more than a phone, though, and plenty of people will see
that and be willing to pony up half a grand for all the things is does.
Apple may have to drop the iPhone name because they are being sued by
Cisco, who hold the trademark. It may be good for Apple to come up with
a name that is more inclusive of its functionality. It's clearly not
_just_ a phone.
--
John S. Heaney
I don't train in Aikido to protect myself from the world,
but to protect the world from me.
John Heaney wrote:
> In article <1168487658.395674.317850@k58g2000hse.googlegroups .com>,
> "larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Looks as if there was an iCal icon on the iPhone, and likely that will
>> sync with a .mac account. What more do you want out of a PDA?
>
> Ironically, despite Steve's disdain, a stylus. The last generation
> Newton actually had excellent handwriting recognition. Apple invented
> the PDA, but killed it just when it fulfilled its promise. I actually
> used one for seven years before I finally couldn't deal with the battery
> situation and the lack of syncing.
Very good points. I've used the tablet PCs since the beginning, since I
worked on the concept unit that Microsoft built. The handwriting
recognition was awesome. A stylus, with the proper screen, could turn
the iPhone into more of a new Newton. Then the $500-600 price wouldn't
seem high. They could even do a phone-less version for those of us that
can't use Cingular.
larwe wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>
>>> What is the actual market penetration of 3G in general in the United
>>> States (Apple's primary market)?
>> 3G is available in all major metro areas, and most minor metro areas.
>
> That's coverage; not what I was asking. I know the carriers want to
> sell streaming pornography to every cellphone in the world, but who is
> buying 3G service right now, and for what are they using it?
They are selling it to people with wireless modems in their notebook and
tablet computers.
If you look at the iPhone as more of a web-pad, 3G is essential. No one
will be buying an iPhone just for the phone function. I think Cisco is
doing Apple a favor. They should rename it to something that emphasizes
its web browsing, video, and audio capabilities. They can expand the
market to people that can't or won't use Cingular.
In article <timmcn-F2A262.08262311012007@news.iphouse.com>,
Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net> wrote:
> In article <0001HW.C1CBA20405E66514F0203648@news.verizon.net> ,
> Lefty Bigfoot <nunya@busyness.info> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:50:44 -0600, Kurt wrote (in article
> > <labolide-8C6351.18504410012007@news.giganews.com>):
> >
> > > It was downhill from the Startac for Motorola.
> >
> > Very good point. That was the last "Gee, I gotta have one of those"
> > cell phones, and that was a long time ago.
>
> I dunno. I see a *lot* of RAZR phones around here. Seems like about a
> third of the phones I see are RAZRs.
The RAZR looks cool, I guess, but it has crappy reception and badly
designed software.
I know a couple of people with RAZRs on T-Mobile who complain they only
get reception in my apartment right next to a window. A couple of them
has taken to leaving their phones sitting by the window when they come
over so they don't miss calls. This is, mind you, in the middle of
Manhattan, which probably has some of the best cellular coverage in the
country.
For comparison, I have a four year old Nokia 3650 on T-Mobile that gets
*good* reception anywhere in the apartment. It's really almost comical.
The phone will have three or four bars and make or receive calls in
places where RAZRs don't even see the network.
Hopefully Apple, while implementing all the slick features on the
iPhone, has also paid attention to the basics.
--
"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing
about him is that I read three--three or four books about him last year. Isn't
that interesting?"
- George W. Bush to reporter Kai Diekmann, May 5, 2006
In article <1168513700.645839.60120@i56g2000hsf.googlegroups. com>,
"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>
> > > What is the actual market penetration of 3G in general in the United
> > > States (Apple's primary market)?
> >
> > 3G is available in all major metro areas, and most minor metro areas.
>
> That's coverage; not what I was asking. I know the carriers want to
> sell streaming pornography to every cellphone in the world, but who is
> buying 3G service right now, and for what are they using it?
>
> Besides streaming video, I haven't yet seen an application. All the
> carriers either lock out or charge EXORBITANT rates for the one
> application I'd find useful, which is using the phone as a cellular
> modem with my laptop.
My hope is that Jobs has been beating Cingular executives with his
anodized aluminum clue stick, and convinced them that in a few years,
everyone will have an iPhone, and they'll make a lot more money selling
cheap high-speed data services to everyone instead of obscenely priced
high-speed data services to, well, almost nobody.
[snip]
--
"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing
about him is that I read three--three or four books about him last year. Isn't
that interesting?"
- George W. Bush to reporter Kai Diekmann, May 5, 2006
In article <1hrrpfh.lnwt64x2ki1fN%per@RQNNE.invalid>, per@RQNNE.invalid (Per Rønne) wrote:
> Mij Adyaw <mij@SpamBucket.com> wrote:
>
> > Apple may have made a serious mistake in not offering the phone on America's
> > Most Reliable Network. It is interesting that they chose GSM rather than the
> > technically superior CDMA.
>
> Had they done that it had been unusable outside the US.
>
> They did, however, make an error when they choosed to support EDGE but
> not 3G.
Jobs said during they keynote they'd have 3G models later. Cingular is
doing a pretty big 3G rollout this year, and of course they'll want 3G
when they launch in non-US markets.
> And what about FM and DAB radio support?
--
"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing
about him is that I read three--three or four books about him last year. Isn't
that interesting?"
- George W. Bush to reporter Kai Diekmann, May 5, 2006
In article <100120071943213051%rag@nospam.techline.com>,
Randall Ainsworth <rag@nospam.techline.com> wrote:
> In article <labolide-B99F2D.18461810012007@news.giganews.com>, Kurt
> <labolide@spacegmail.com> wrote:
>
> > But the Razr is a crap phone. Tons of user complaints.
>
> I like mine fine. It lets me place and receive calls. What more do you
> want?
According to many, it has often has problems even doing that.
> IMHO, Apple is very form (including ease-of-use) over substance-
> iPods aren't the best spec'd MP3 players out there, but they've got the
> style and ergonomics down better than everyone else.
IMHO you have it wrong by 180 degrees. Substance? With a device such as
the iPod ergonomics *is* the substance. As far as specs are concerned,
I used to take money from people on bets over blindfold tests -- audio
gear*, wines**, and the like. I don't do that anymore, because it's
like stealing candy from a baby. /You/ couldn't consistently tell the
difference between an iPod and the best "spec'd" MP3 player that you
can name. Or possibly the worst.
Substance? Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, Shake... these are
applications with some /serious/ substance due to great specs, great
usability, and great style. Ditto Apple's consumer-level creative apps,
and the OS they run under.
In short, I would say that, broadly speaking, Apple gets it all:
performance, usability, style. Perfect? Of course not. But way ahead of
the pack. Evidence of that? When was the last time Dell issued a
product that made the front pages of practically every major newspaper
on the U.S.? Yesterday's product announcements were also reported in
the press in China, France, India, Japan, South Africa, the UK, and
numerous other countries.
Davoud
*In the case of audio gear, the vinyl-is-good, digital-is-abominable
crowd could always tell the difference, of course; they apparently
think that hiss, clicks, and pops are an essential element in the
finest musical performances. The tube vs. solid-state could not pass
the blindfold test, however, even when the tubes were in McIntosh gear
and the transistors were in Sears gear.
** In the mid-1970's French wine scandal, in which vin de table, or vin
ordinaire, was being sold as fine wine, the tasters for Château
Mouton-Rothschild testified under oath that, in truth, they could not
tell the difference between the most expensive and the cheapest wines
of the same variety in a blind test. The difference between $1200 per
bottle and $6.95 per bottle, it turns out, is likely to be nothing more
the name on the label!
> If you look at the iPhone as more of a web-pad, 3G is essential. No one
It's too small to be one's primary web access device. This is an
inherent limitation of handheld appliances. Can you imagine trying to
read a 300 page datasheet on a 3.5" LCD? Can you imagine trying to use
Writely (or whatever Google renamed it) on this thing?
Mobile Internet is quick emails, checking bank balances, looking at
pictures, that sort of thing. It's games and video content to amuse you
while you're waiting for an appointment, or maybe while sitting on the
toilet
It's very nice that Apple includes a full web browser - I certainly do
want one - but this thing is not going to replace my laptop, it's only
going to replace my Blackberry.
(BreadWithSpam@fractious.net) got drunk after typing this drivel in
news:yobhcuxhitr.fsf@panix3.panix.com...
> Tim Smith <reply_in_group@mouse-potato.com> writes:
>
>> The fact that Apple already had worked with Cingular on a phone
>> probably was a factor, too--the Motorola ROKR. Apple was pleased
>> with the collaboration with Cingular on that. It was Motorola that
>> screwed that phone up, not Cingular.
>
> That's not entirely obvious. That's what's usually blamed,
> but my experience talking to folks - regardless of their
> interest in the ROKR or not - shows that (a) folks don't
> change cellular carriers often, even for a cool phone and
> (b) almost uniform hatred of Cingular in particular as a
> carrier. Moreover (c) unless someone's up for a contract
> renewal - even if they don't have to change carriers to do
> it - that's a big deterrent.
>
(a) I really have no idea on this. I wonder if there is any data on it?
(b) I keep hearing this now, yet they have more subscribers in the U.S.
than anyone else. Surely _someone_ must be happy with them! I can't help
but wonder if the iPhone were a Verizon-only device if we'd be hearing
how Verizon sucks, why didn't they go with Cingular, etc.
(c) In general I believe this is ture.
> Tying a product to cellular carriers - and their contracts -
> has a huge impact on potential market penetration. About the
> only exception that's made it above that is probably the RAZR,
> but note that that's available on *all* carriers, and unlocked
> as well.
>
The RAZR was not initially avaialable on all carriers. It was exclusinve,
though I cannot remember to who. It's also interesting to note that the
RAZR's price in the beginning was deemed way to high by "analysts", yet
it sold like hotcakes.
> ...All true, perhaps, but Toyota sells more Camrys than Rolls Royce sells
> anything.
All other things remaining equal, Camrys would likely outsell Rolls
Royces if the two were comparably priced. By the measures most people
apply to cars -- reliability, ease and low cost of repairs, and other
tangibles -- the Camry is the better car.
> If you look at the iPhone as more of a web-pad, 3G is essential.
Perhaps, but again, I doubt many will use a device with a half-VGA screen
and finger-tapping input as a webpad. I stand by my opinion that EDGE is
acceptable (but certainly not preferable) for occasional phone/PDA
browsing UNLESS you intend to tether a laptop. (Of course, this opinion
is coming from someone who started in mobile data six years ago by
tethering a Casio Pocket PC to a TDMA Nokia via IR at 9.6kbps to get e-
mail, so I obviously have low expectations!)
Going without 3G at first simplifies things greatly, as they can sell the
same model worldwide. (IIRC, GSM 3G isn't a world standard- different
frequencies are used here than in Europe. EDGE, however, is EDGE
wherever you go.)
> No one will be buying an iPhone just for the phone function.
No, but many will buy it simply to have a "real" iPod integrated into
their phone and never use the web/e-mail stuff! I've got a good friend
(and a fairly tech savvy guy) who bought an unlocked Treo 600 in Europe
before his carrier offered it here just to integrate phone and PIM in one
device. He doesn't do data on it- not even e-mail, but he carries it,
and his iPod, everywhere. He'll be all over this thing to get everything
he wants in one device.
> I think Cisco is doing Apple a favor. They should rename it to
>something that emphasizes its web browsing, video, and audio capabilities.
Naah, their target market (IMHO) is the person who is afraid of those
devices because they're too complicated, the same way iPods are touted
for making portable music simple.
I suspect they'll secure the rights to the iPhone name, but if not,
they'll probably go with "Apple Phone" (since they're going with "Apple
TV" for their PMP/media server thingy.)
> They can expand the market to people that can't or won't use Cingular.
Maybe in '08 or '09 but Cingular has a multi-year exclusivity on this
thing.
In article <45a679c1$0$4839$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
> At 11 Jan 2007 07:44:53 -0800 SMS wrote:
>
> > If you look at the iPhone as more of a web-pad, 3G is essential.
>
> Perhaps, but again, I doubt many will use a device with a half-VGA screen
> and finger-tapping input as a webpad. I stand by my opinion that EDGE is
> acceptable (but certainly not preferable) for occasional phone/PDA
> browsing UNLESS you intend to tether a laptop. (Of course, this opinion
> is coming from someone who started in mobile data six years ago by
> tethering a Casio Pocket PC to a TDMA Nokia via IR at 9.6kbps to get e-
> mail, so I obviously have low expectations!)
>
> Going without 3G at first simplifies things greatly, as they can sell the
> same model worldwide. (IIRC, GSM 3G isn't a world standard- different
> frequencies are used here than in Europe. EDGE, however, is EDGE
> wherever you go.)
>
> > No one will be buying an iPhone just for the phone function.
>
> No, but many will buy it simply to have a "real" iPod integrated into
> their phone and never use the web/e-mail stuff!
Keep in mind the Web/e-mail stuff works on Wi-Fi as well.
[snip]
--
"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing
about him is that I read three--three or four books about him last year. Isn't
that interesting?"
- George W. Bush to reporter Kai Diekmann, May 5, 2006
In article <heaney-2D3CD2.10175111012007@news.lga.highwinds-media.com>,
John Heaney <heaney@SolidObject.com> wrote:
> In article <1168487658.395674.317850@k58g2000hse.googlegroups .com>,
> "larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Looks as if there was an iCal icon on the iPhone, and likely that will
> > sync with a .mac account. What more do you want out of a PDA?
>
> Ironically, despite Steve's disdain, a stylus. The last generation
> Newton actually had excellent handwriting recognition. Apple invented
> the PDA, but killed it just when it fulfilled its promise. I actually
> used one for seven years before I finally couldn't deal with the battery
> situation and the lack of syncing.
>
> Anyway, a PDA needs good data entry (I could actually take notes on the
> Newton) and I don't think an onscreen keyboard is it. Nevertheless, I
> think the iPhone would be acceptable as a PDA with a good information
> management system. Anyone familiar with MoreInfo on the Newton will know
> what I mean.
I have a touch screen on my Bernina (a sewing computer) and I just use
the tip of the back of my nail to navigate--- much faster than a stylus,
especially when you can adjust the sensitivity of the screen.
> > IMHO, Apple is very form (including ease-of-use) over substance-
> > iPods aren't the best spec'd MP3 players out there, but they've got
the
> > style and ergonomics down better than everyone else.
>
> IMHO you have it wrong by 180 degrees. Substance? With a device such as
> the iPod ergonomics *is* the substance.
See, you're thinking like Apple! ;-)
I don't mean that in a bad why. My point was instead of focusing on less
important things to end users like "how many more songs can a Nano hold
than a Lyra" they focused on "how easy can you get music on this thing
and find it once it's there."
> As far as specs are concerned,
> I used to take money from people on bets over blindfold tests -- audio
> gear*, wines**, and the like. I don't do that anymore, because it's
> like stealing candy from a baby. /You/ couldn't consistently tell the
> difference between an iPod and the best "spec'd" MP3 player that you
> can name. Or possibly the worst.
You misunderstood (although I agree with your anecdote- one of my friends
once showed off the "wonderful room-filling sound" of his audiophile
system to me back in the early 80's and I pointed out his speakers were
out of phase!)
By specs I didn't mean audio fidelity- I meant storage capacity, number
of playback formats, etc. Surely you've seen those cheesy import Nano
knockoffs on eBay and elsewhere that also play MP4 video at half the
Nano's price, complete with fake click wheel (a 5 button push-pad that
looks like the iPod wheel.)
> Substance? Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, Shake... these are
> applications with some /serious/ substance due to great specs, great
> usability, and great style. Ditto Apple's consumer-level creative apps,
> and the OS they run under.
>
> In short, I would say that, broadly speaking, Apple gets it all:
> performance, usability, style. Perfect? Of course not. But way ahead of
> the pack. Evidence of that? When was the last time Dell issued a
> product that made the front pages of practically every major newspaper
> on the U.S.? Yesterday's product announcements were also reported in
> the press in China, France, India, Japan, South Africa, the UK, and
> numerous other countries.
True, but to be fair, much of that was due to the mystique of Apple as an
unconventional company, it's offbeat CEO, and the "underdog" image of
Apple vs. "everyone else."
If Dell had designed and announced the exact same phone yesterday instead
of Apple, it would be a two-column story back on the business page
headlined "Dell Enters Crowded Smartphone Market." It was a news story
_because_ Jobs pranced around a stage in a turtleneck yelling "isn't this
COOL?" (The fact that it was indeed cool was all but irrelevant!) ;-)
It reminded me of the buzz about the Segway prior to it's release. You'd
have though from the press that teleportation was about to released and
it was a big scooter. ;-)
The iPhone was certainly news, but at the end of the day, the story is
really simply "Apple Enters Crowded Smartphone Market."
> *In the case of audio gear, the vinyl-is-good, digital-is-abominable
> crowd could always tell the difference, of course; they apparently
> think that hiss, clicks, and pops are an essential element in the
> finest musical performances. The tube vs. solid-state could not pass
> the blindfold test, however, even when the tubes were in McIntosh gear
> and the transistors were in Sears gear.
You did well. Most people I know couldn't pass a stereo vs. mono test,
except (maybe!) with headphones.
>
> ** In the mid-1970's French wine scandal, in which vin de table, or vin
> ordinaire, was being sold as fine wine, the tasters for Château
> Mouton-Rothschild testified under oath that, in truth, they could not
> tell the difference between the most expensive and the cheapest wines
> of the same variety in a blind test. The difference between $1200 per
> bottle and $6.95 per bottle, it turns out, is likely to be nothing more
> the name on the label!
I would'nt know- I'm a coffee drinker with low-class tastes! ;-)
> (b) I keep hearing this now, yet they have more subscribers in the U.S.
> than anyone else. Surely _someone_ must be happy with them! I can't help
> but wonder if the iPhone were a Verizon-only device if we'd be hearing
> how Verizon sucks, why didn't they go with Cingular, etc.
You'd be hearing complaints about it not working in countries with no
CDMA carrier, though more and more countries are deploying CDMA networks
alongside their GSM networks, i.e. China, India, Taiwan, Israel, etc.
Cingular has the most subscribers, barely, by virtue of their
acquisition of AT&T Wireless. But there are far more CDMA subscribers in
the U.S. than GSM subscribers, with four of the top six carriers being
CDMA. The way to have done this (at least to have benefited the U.S.
consumer) would have been to have a manufacturer in Korea that has
experience with both GSM and CDMA, do two versions, and to have all four
large U.S. carriers launch it simultaneously. Apple would have had the
power to dictate the terms to the carriers, unlike Motorola.
No matter. In less than a year I'm sure we'll see similar devices from
companies like Samsung and LG, though loading iTunes songs onto them
will be a PITA as it is now.
In article <45a65ab0$0$69007$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> John Heaney wrote:
> > In article <1168487658.395674.317850@k58g2000hse.googlegroups .com>,
> > "larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Looks as if there was an iCal icon on the iPhone, and likely that will
> >> sync with a .mac account. What more do you want out of a PDA?
> >
> > Ironically, despite Steve's disdain, a stylus. The last generation
> > Newton actually had excellent handwriting recognition. Apple invented
> > the PDA, but killed it just when it fulfilled its promise. I actually
> > used one for seven years before I finally couldn't deal with the battery
> > situation and the lack of syncing.
>
> Very good points. I've used the tablet PCs since the beginning, since I
> worked on the concept unit that Microsoft built. The handwriting
> recognition was awesome. A stylus, with the proper screen, could turn
> the iPhone into more of a new Newton. Then the $500-600 price wouldn't
> seem high. They could even do a phone-less version for those of us that
> can't use Cingular.
Ha! No kidding. I spent $1100 for my Newton back in '97. And that was
8M; not 8G.
Supposedly, the placement of the speaker and microphone on the Newton
made for a possible phone configuration at some point.
You know, as I think about it more, if they just added handwriting
recognition, this would be the most kick-ass PDA ever. Hell, even
without it, it's the most kick-ass PDA ever. When I think about the
difference in features and difference in price between this and the
Newton, it's just freakin' astounding.
I think Steve must have some kind of PDA aversion. Probably, a stick up
his butt over Scully and the Newton. I've been sending "feedback" to
Apple for a year, telling them that just a little bit of software could
make the iPod into a useful PDA. Now, I'm going to have to start sending
them emails about the iPhone.
--
John S. Heaney
I don't train in Aikido to protect myself from the world,
but to protect the world from me.
On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:24:02 -0600, Todd Allcock wrote
(in article <45a68813$0$14922$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>):
> If Dell had designed and announced the exact same phone yesterday instead
> of Apple, it would be a two-column story back on the business page
> headlined "Dell Enters Crowded Smartphone Market."
That's because nobody would have believed the hype, and it would
have been running CE anyway, and they can't put enough reset
buttons on a CE based phone to make it usable. One look at the
Dell AXIM should be sufficient to convey all you need to know
about Dell's "design" skills today.
> It was a news story _because_ Jobs pranced around a stage in a
> turtleneck yelling "isn't this COOL?"
Nope. The fact that Apple has incredible brand recognition, and
consumers /know/ that if Apple ships something, it'll be cool is
what made it big news.
> (The fact that it was indeed cool was all but irrelevant!) ;-)
No, but it wasn't a surprise either. What would have been a
real shocker is if they had announced some piece of shit product
like a Zune, that would have freaked everybody out.
In article <110120071236143170%star@sky.net>, Davoud <star@sky.net>
wrote:
> Todd Allcock wrote, inter alia:
>
> > IMHO, Apple is very form (including ease-of-use) over substance-
> > iPods aren't the best spec'd MP3 players out there, but they've got the
> > style and ergonomics down better than everyone else.
>
> IMHO you have it wrong by 180 degrees. Substance? With a device such as
> the iPod ergonomics *is* the substance. As far as specs are concerned,
> I used to take money from people on bets over blindfold tests -- audio
> gear*, wines**, and the like. I don't do that anymore, because it's
> like stealing candy from a baby. /You/ couldn't consistently tell the
> difference between an iPod and the best "spec'd" MP3 player that you
> can name. Or possibly the worst.
I think you are interpreting "spec'd" much more narrowly than he is.
For example, until recently iPods did not do gapless playback. With the
right music, that sure would be easy to recognize in a blindfold test!
> Ironically, despite Steve's disdain, a stylus. The last generation
> Newton actually had excellent handwriting recognition. Apple invented
I know - I bought a MP2100 two weeks before Apple announced its death.
That was in many ways the best PDA I ever owned. I had the Cross
retractable stylus for it; great feel in the hand.
> Cingular has the most subscribers, barely, by virtue of their
> acquisition of AT&T Wireless.
Just like Verizon used to have more by virtue of their merging of Airtouch,
Bell Atlantic Mobile, etc. Let's face it- the only company that actually
"earned" all of their customers the hard way was Sprint (up to the point
they bought Nextel, at least.)
You still didn't address the last poster's main point- if Cingular is
such a lousy carrier, why don't the 50+ million customers who made such a
dreadful mistake jump ship? Cingular's churn is a bit high (certainly
higher than Verizon's) but certainly not at rat/sinking ship levels.
SOMEBODY has to be content with them! (In fact, I was one of them for
ten years until I moved into a non-Cingular market.)
> But there are far more CDMA subscribers in the U.S. than GSM subscribers,
> with four of the top six carriers being CDMA. The way to have done this
> (at least to have benefited the U.S. consumer) would have been to have a
> manufacturer in Korea that has experience with both GSM and CDMA, do two
> versions, and to have all four large U.S. carriers launch it
> simultaneously. Apple would have had the power to dictate the terms to
> the carriers, unlike Motorola.
The RAZR has sold, what, 50+ million pieces? Motorola certainly could
dictate terms with numbers like that. Until now, however, "dictating
terms" had a different meaning- reportedly only Cingular (of the carriers
Apple courted) was willing to make the necessary changes to their
voicemail system Apple required for their new random retrieval feature.
If Apple really wants to market this thing as some kind of "Cellular 2.0"
as it seems is the plan, they can't have some of their "200+ patented
features" only work with this carrier or that carrier. From a marketing
perspective they made the right call by picking one carrier and running
with them, IMHO, at least for now. On the bright side, if this thing is
a Newtonesque flop, Verizon gets to pat themselves on the back for not
wasting time or resources on it.
As I've said, the timing is perfect for Cingular, as it coincides
perfectly with the whole "New AT&T" rebranding/reimaging. Lucky break
there!
In article <1hrrpfh.lnwt64x2ki1fN%per@RQNNE.invalid>, per@RQNNE.invalid (Per Rønne) wrote:
> Mij Adyaw <mij@SpamBucket.com> wrote:
>
> > Apple may have made a serious mistake in not offering the phone on America's
> > Most Reliable Network. It is interesting that they chose GSM rather than the
> > technically superior CDMA.
>
> Had they done that it had been unusable outside the US.
>
> They did, however, make an error when they choosed to support EDGE but
> not 3G.
Apparently it was a combination of power requirements for 3G and lack of
enough support for it by Cingular at this time.
> Apparently it was a combination of power requirements for 3G and lack of
> enough support for it by Cingular at this time.
LOL, Cingular issues press releases every week touting some new area
covered by 3G. They were later than Sprint or Verizon with 3G, but they
are rapidly catching up, and all major metropolitan areas, and most
minor ones, now have 3G coverage by Cingular.
What would be cool is if they supported 3G when docked, so it could be a
tethered interface to Cingular's 3G network. When operating on
batteries, EDGE does have the advantage of lower power, though
transferring the data faster, then turning off the radio, wouldn't use
more power either.
>> And what about FM and DAB radio support?
>
> Future product introductions...
Apple doesn't believe in FM radios in their iPods, as they feel that it
might affect iTune sales.
> And in the 5 months between now and when the phone comes out,
> it will likely have more features than you see now. It is after all
> running Apple's OS X.
It's not running OS X. It's an embedded look alike, just like the Pocket
PC doesn't run Windows, it runs a version of Windows embedded, a totally
different animal. You can't run OS-X on the processor in the iPhone.
-No syncing over WiFi or Bluetooth, only syncing via the dock. No big
deal for a phone, but it confirms that it's not really a PDA.
-No application programming interface, so no third-party applications.
Not a big deal, but it confirms that they never intended the iPhone to
be a PDA.
On 2007-01-11, Per Rønne <per@RQNNE.invalid> wrote:
> Mij Adyaw <mij@SpamBucket.com> wrote:
>
>> Apple may have made a serious mistake in not offering the phone on America's
>> Most Reliable Network. It is interesting that they chose GSM rather than the
>> technically superior CDMA.
>
> Had they done that it had been unusable outside the US.
>
> They did, however, make an error when they choosed to support EDGE but
> not 3G.
Have you seen any phone, from any manufacturer, which supports 3G in
both the European and the US bands? If so I'd like to buy one. If
not, however, I doubt that this was a possibility for Apple either
since I don't think the phone part of their phone is the place they
did a lot of innovation.
> And what about FM and DAB radio support?
I'm pretty sure DAB is another standard which is done differently
in the US.
In article <45a587cd$0$4876$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
> Good reviews won't make a $500 phone more attractive to those not willing
> to spend half a grand on a phone. It will certainly be a success, but
> not a RAZR-like success, at least not at first.
If you'll recall the iPod roll out, it too was considered expensive and
restricted (Mac-only) initially. And if you watched the keynote, Jobs
seemed quite content with another bootstrap approach. The target set
was only 1% of cellular sales in *2008*. So whatever little they hope
to have by the end of this year, it's clear that they're not going for a
flash in the pan.
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On 2007-01-11, Dennis Ferguson <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote:
> On 2007-01-11, Per Rønne <per@RQNNE.invalid> wrote:
>> They did, however, make an error when they choosed to support EDGE but
>> not 3G.
>
> Have you seen any phone, from any manufacturer, which supports 3G in
> both the European and the US bands? If so I'd like to buy one. If
> not, however, I doubt that this was a possibility for Apple either
> since I don't think the phone part of their phone is the place they
> did a lot of innovation.
Actually I take that back. The Cingular 8525 supports both the
European and US bands.
In article <znu-5EA3D0.23120110012007@individual.net>,
ZnU <znu@fake.invalid> wrote:
> That's not exactly Cingular branding, that's telling you who's network
> you're on. Lots of phones do that. If you're roaming, or you manage to
> get the phone unlocked and working with another carrier's SIM card,
> it'll display something else.
It's still branding. Network status could easily be displayed in a
neutral manner in shorter words ("home", "roam", etc.) or even as
smaller branded graphics (I'm picturing the Cingular "splotch" in green,
yellow, red, etc.). Given all the iPhone seems to do beyond making
calls, I just don't see the user friendliness in the constant reminder.
There may not be a lot in that status bar today, but it still wouldn't
hurt to put the details in a drop-down menu.
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Re: Apple's New Calling: The iPhone 
Linear Mode
