The iPhone is coming!

[mbossman2]

Are you going to jump to AT&T to have one?

[Brad the best]

you can only have an iphone with AT&T ? thats ridiculous

[SonicVanguard]

It's AT&T only - which is ridiculous simply because GSM's EDGE technology is so stinkin' slow compared to CDMA's EV-DO.

But to answer the Moose - I like he phone I have and I'm very happy with Sprint as my provider. So....No.

[faint545]

iPhone supports Cingular as well but AT&T and Cingular just recently merged so.. they're pretty much the same..

[Lespaul20]

The Cingular brand name is not longer. It's all AT&T. But I'm not switching providers for a $500 phone. I think the price will drop just like every other mobile device and unless there is a major contract between Apple and AT&T I think we'll probably see it on other networks. Maybe then might I consider it.

[Floppyman]

Let's see...dropping $500 + monthly service contract as a poor student? No way. I'd much rather take that kind of money and invest it.

[rspassey]

I'm already with AT & T, and i wont be getting the i phone.

[Hi Ho]

As far as I'm concerned, Verizon is the only provider with decent coverage in Western Washington and there is no way I'm switching to AT&T for the Iphone even though I think it is a very slick device. Coverage and customer service is far more important to me than a cool phone. Besides, I really like my KRZR.

[whubbard]

Well I'm trading in my MDA for the Wing tomorrow (t-mobile...international coverage is amazing)

so no...no iphone me! (thank god)

[David M]

There are those who do want one...like over a million people who have already placed an order.

My employer pays for my cell phone and I have no need for internet access 24/7 so there is no sense in buying an iPhone.

[tigstah]

oh yea, its a great phone. the marketing is very nice. all the finger-touching flipping and all that. but no i wont be getting one. i have to many other people sucking money from my pockets. what i am going to do tho is get a cell phone from someone who wants to get out so they can get an iphone. i wont have to pay an activation fee, nor will i have to pay for a phone. i just need a phone to talk, no ringtones, no internet, no movies, no music.

[mbossman2]

AT&T and Cingular and 1 and only 1: AT&T.

AT&T and NASCAR are at each other in the legal arena over the relationship, sponsorships and logos.

[Jester]

I love apple. I love the macbook line. I love my iPod. I love my moto slvr. Everything the iPhone can do I can do with all my gadgets. I have a gadget accomidating backpack (maxpeditions monsoon) SO no I will not be getting the iPhone. I just got the unlock code for my slvr. I would be paying out the yin yang to use all the iPhones features. This is one case were the money is simply too much for this prosumer.

[Brad the best]

i don't even think AT&T covers my city . i hate cell phones and will not buy one until i absolutely have to . or my ipod dies

[Mac Medic]

Not for me, not with AT&T, couldn't give me one to switch.

[Lespaul20]

According to my Marketing Professor Apple and AT&T signed a 5 year contract. So if he is right, I'm wrong in thinking that it will be on other networks soon.

[SonicVanguard]

Originally Posted by Lespaul20 According to my Marketing Professor Apple and AT&T signed a 5 year contract. So if he is right, I'm wrong in thinking that it will be on other networks soon.

He's right - I was looking over that bit of information this afternoon in my office on campus. And GSM's EDGE won't be getting any faster any time soon.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireles...t-iphone_N.htm

[Hi Ho]

Verizon turned down the Iphone contract.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01...d_down_iphone/

I thought I heard somewhere that Verizon was working on a competitor to the Iphone.

[EzyStvy]

11 iPhone Gotchas

Off-limits battery
While we're on the subject of the battery, it's worth noting that, like the original iPod, the iPhone has its battery enclosed in a superslim case among tightly negotiated electronics and behind a top surface of glass--reducing the chances of a DIY battery replacement to next to nil. (Plus, we suspect that attempting a replacement voids the warranty.) So if your battery life dwindles to roughly 6.5 minutes per charge, or the battery malfunctions, you'll have to send your iPhone in for repair.

It's a thief magnet: Everybody wants an iPhone, including people who aren't above stealing yours.

Multismudge screen: You can use all five fingers on the screen at once? Better wash your hands first.

OMG no IM: Inveterate chatters won't be so about being limited to SMS.

The battery life question

Unplugged Web plug-ins

Business people need not apply

It costs how much?!

Where are the keys?

Limited third-party apps

Data that crawls

[mbossman2]

plus the fact that AT&T is still requiring a contract on this. The reason that contracts have always been required, according to the providers, is because the provider has been subsidizing the phones...but with the iPhone, no subsidy, consumer pays full price yet you still have to sign for 2 years. Yuck!

[mairving]

Hmm, let's see.
It costs several times a normal cell phone.
It can only be purchased at one place.

Yep, it is made by Apple.

[novie]

stickin with the sony ericsson w800i ive had for like two years, havent yet seen a compelling reason to upgrade to anything else... iphone is pretty but seems kind of purposeless to me for some reason.

[doubledragon5]

I remember when AT&T had service a few yrs back..Back then it sucked real bad. The only reason why AT&T bought Cingular was because of their technology.. I for one won't switch back even if they were the only ones around my area...

[SonicVanguard]

Originally Posted by Hi Ho Verizon turned down the Iphone contract. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01...d_down_iphone/ I thought I heard somewhere that Verizon was working on a competitor to the Iphone.

Verizon and Sprint both are - actually, Motorola, LG and Samsung are. And when those phones hit - on networks that run 5-10 times faster than AT&T's fastest data network - the iPhone's going to look like a wannabe. In cellphones it's not the phone that makes or breaks - it's the network.

[tomster2300]

I've been very happy with my Samsung a930 phone, and I just resigned another two year contract with Verizon a couple of months ago. Anyway, mine has bluetooth (for my bluetooth earpiece that I use while driving), a mp3 player (which I never use but did buy a sd card for), and impressive battery life. I stopped using instant messaging on my computer back in high school, so I have no need for it on my phone. I do use text messaging though, but rarely (usually only when school's in session when I want to snag somebody who's in a lecture).

So no iphone for me, though it does look kind of snazzy.

Stuff like that doesn't really appeal to a student who carries a laptop with them around campus (or who has convenient access to a computer). Plus it's too dern expensive.

How much would a monthly charge be if you got all the bells and whistles activated? Do you have to get everything activated through a single package, or can you pick and choose your options. Since Apple is all about integration it would be cool to have everything offered together for one low price, and that would be it. Then I bet they might sell more.

[tomster2300]

Just found this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19464851/

[Statica]

Wow .. you guys south of the border are definitely spoiled by your choices A $20 unlimited data plan as an add-on? You've got to see the rates out here to believe it.

tomster2300: It's funny to see that review on MSNBC from a person who obviously has not come close to an iPhone (article rated 2 by 113 users) .. you've got to check out the reviews from people who have tested the product to come up with a more believable device review.

I guess I'm one of the very few on this board that's looking forward to the iPhone .. hopefully once it gets tested out I'm looking forward to getting it. The only reasons I wouldn't get it are if its a lemon for the first few-month-adopters .. or if there isn't an unlocked (SIM-free) version on the iphone that isn't priced too high. But mostly I'm happy that Apple's entered the fray and will hopefully be scaring other device mfgers to put out more complete phones. You would not believe how difficult it is to find a phone that does quadband, with BT 2.0 with WiFi .. the fact that the Iphone does it all makes it a worthwhile option for me at the moment... (and from most reviews it seems to do WiFi quite well)

[David M]

Statica....we will be seeing a lot of jaws dropping in here when it sells well over the weekend. Those sales figures will be available on Monday.

Others in here will be shocked to find out what a piece of crap it is NOT.

Some have not been keeping up...it now has a glass screen plus they have improved the battery life. Even John C. Dvorak of all people, in a recent podcast, likes it.

Go AAPL!

[HAL9000]

I myself wouldn't mind one if as Statica says, it's not a lemon... but it won't be happening anytime soon, I'm too cheap to pay for one.

[Statica]

The two things I've realized over the years is:
Firstly - NEVER SAY NEVER .. yes there are those that keep talking about the Iphone as an Ihype and of very little value. Personally, I have a hard time believing that Apple/Jobs is not going to ride this incredible wave of products with something that truly is that bad. I can understand those of you with issues about EDGE and to me that is probably the biggest deterrent (if you go back in time, and see when Jobs revealed the Iphone the one thing that I was surprised by was the lack of UMTS), but let's face it North American subscribers have really not jumped on the data-over-cellular train. We're still stuck with an archaic network over GSM .. barely scratching 2.5G.. the UMTS that is there in the US is just in some pockets. Hopefully this is the push that networks will get to adopt a decent 3G+ implementation. For me, I'd be happy if my lousy GSM provider will bring out a data package that AT&T came out with ($20+ for unltd data) to add on to my service.
For my part, I'm not a casual cellular user, I rarely use my home phone and my cell is my primary point of contact.
As for the price, I'm not calculating it merely as a phone. I find the price reasonable enough for a device that can allegedly work great as a phone and (this is in order of what I look for in a pocket device):
* has a very stable platform, allegedly (if it's anything like the OSX it's going to be just fine). I've said it before, my current phone is based on the Symbian UIQ 2.0 .. and it is one of the first things I look for in terms of a good multifunctional device. Windows Mobile & Palm devices that I've used have been extremely disappointing. The available Symbian devices, though stable, have either been rather bulky or lack that one thing somewhere (sometimes it's the lack of Wifi ..sometimes quadband etc etc)
* has an effective method of entry (I can't stand tapping in text through a keypad)
* has a good PDA feature set including sync-s with my desktop scheduling software
* has a decent enough camera (my digital camera is a fairly bulky DSLR and the 2MP camera seems decent enough on this)
* is a decent net surfing/emailing device .. especially since I'm within a WiFi AP for nearly 90% of my life
* is going to be a great music player (I dont own an Ipod and this works well for me)

So given my requirements I'm not saying that its never going to be an Iphone or that its never going to be anything but an Iphone .. I like alternatives such as the the P1I which is rumored to be pricier.
Again, I never buy locked/subsidized phones (another drawback of our one-network country .. they never provide an unlock code) so I'm looking for SIM-free versions to come out. I've seen some stores in Canada already advertising unlocked Iphones as coming soon.

AND secondly NEVER BE AN EARLY ADOPTER!
I will be seeing how it goes with the iphone and its early subscribers and rely on them to do a broad beta test for me. I'm going to check to see what fixes or enhancements are in the works for further revisions of the Iphone... already rumored are fixes that allow for Ipod accessories to work with the Iphone (stuff like car adapters are apparently still not ready for it).