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Somewhere between virtue and vice

SANDY MCMURRAY

Globetechnology.com

Latest comment posted at 2:03 PM EDT 10/07/08

Consumers have to decide whether owning the impressive mobile phone will be worth a three-year contract ...Read the full article

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  1. Ian J from Canada writes:
    'The security login screen has one-button access to Emergency dialling, so you can still call 911 if your phone is locked.'

    I believe this is mandatory in some jurisdictions. Oops, I mean kudos to Apple for coming up with this great new feature!
  2. JD Smith from Canada writes:
    While I have not seen an iPhone up close I understand that in the GSM world, the iPhone uses a logical SIM and not a physical SIM. The consequence is that as I have more than one phone/SIM, I can not use my other SIMs in the iPhone. This is really inconvenient for people who travel internationally and would like to use SIMs that are native to country they are in... to avoid roaming costs.

    Question #1:

    Will Apple provide for a 'physical' SIM in the future.

    --

    Second, I again understand that there is no ability to add additional memory to the iPhone via say a SDRAM socket. Again, this would be useful for those of us needing more storage.

    Question #2:

    Apple appears to be pursuing a closed system model. Is this a correct assumption?
  3. G Reen from Ottawa, Canada writes:
    When Fido appeared in 1997, I cancelled my cell phone with what is now Rogers, and signed on with the new GSM provider. GSM was the future, and with per-second billing, and other zero-obfuscation policies, Fido was a nice, clear, upfront company to deal with.

    After a few changes in ownership Fido landed in the hands of Rogers, who proceeded to 'nickel and dime' me to death. Gone was per-second billing, reasonable long-distance rates, free incoming SMS, . . . The $10 package I retreated to wasn't $10, but almost double that with all the extra charges - and no minutes included.

    Very shortly after Rogers entered the picture I exited the cell phone carrying crowd and waited for another player to enter with the same kind of upfront qualities as the original Fido.

    Enter Virgin. Not all that cheap if you use alot of minutes, but at least there's no guessing and no contracts. So now I can carry a phone for casual use without feeling I'm wasting my money.

    I feel sorry for those with the inability to think rationally, as those are the customers Rogers knows they will snag for the iPhone with their combination of limited time offers, low data quotas, and long-term contracts for a pig-in-a-poke bill size.

    Hopefully the spectrum auctions will lead to more GSM (or subsequent global standard) providers, who are legislated to leave phones unlocked, and made to advertise monthly prices that don't double with 'system access fees' and other manufactured obfuscation devices.

    Yes, phone prices will be higher, but contracts could disappear, leaving us with a much more open marketplace that encourages companies to pursue customer satisfaction instead of milking.
  4. Gordon Murray from Canada writes: Hear, hear. Pay as you Go and Unlimited data are musts.
    Less than $2000 over 3 years, that's for sure. Less. Less.
    hears little voice sound off on diet failure, funds better spent than soda pop, and 'Keeping Up with the Jones'
    Huh? How could I forget to pick up my regular junk food?
    That my memory suggesting I check iPhone terms again?
  5. Koolest Cat from Canada writes: 3G is an abject hog on the battery. Might have to force slower EDGE speed to save the battery otherwise it might have to be charged several times per day depending on usage.
  6. Gregory W. Barker from Peterborough, Canada writes: Why did you need to watch a movie on a phone?At the rates Rogers charges it's a money grab.Cell rates in this country are way to high and this is just another money grab for the carriers.I wouldn't be caught dead with one of these expensive phones.
  7. N J from Canada writes: Rogers wants to charge you $ 15 for call display in addition to huge monthly fees, it is outright extortion and once you are signed, you are stuck with the phone and fees for at least 3 years of your life.
  8. Dan Shortt from Toronto, Canada writes: This story sounds like it was written by the Rogers Sales & Marketing department.

    Why not just report the news, instead of a complete rundown of all the cool and nifty features the phone has?
  9. Craig B from Toronto, Canada writes: I have to agree with Dan Shortt. Where is the fortitute from today's journalists? Do they leave the obvious complaints to bloggers these days?

    Every review or article I've read about the iPhone has the writer commenting on how the public feels about the iPhone and telecom rate plans, but nary a one has criticized the big 3 on how they do business. And then they wonder why the current model of newspaper reporting is dying.

    Then again, most of these telecoms have gouged the public for so much money over the last few years they've been able to buy up most of the news outlets.
  10. Scott Wicks from Canada writes:
    Forget it.

    Rogers has already murdered the iPhone in Canada.

    If you have a cellphone in Canada all you get over-charged, under-serviced and nickle-and-dimed and extra-ed to death. The CRTC is just a pork barrel full of phone company hacks who never saw a price increase or a license to gouge that they didn't like.

    The iPhone and other devices like it will not fly in Canada until we have legislated competition and cooperation and therefore more realistic and fair pricing for cellular services.

    Our family is ditching all of our Rogers services (digital cable, extended cable, internet, home and cell phone services) because we are so disgusted. We encourage everyone else currently dealing with Rogers to do the same. If they lose enough business maybe they'll smarten up.

    Steve Ballmer is smiling right now in Seattle. Hope the folks in Cupertino are watching - Rogers just helped 'knife the baby' (to quote Ballmer)... nice job Ted, keep up the good work...
  11. Jacques Shellac from Montreal, QC, Canada writes: Seems to me that it has nothing to do with the three year contract, lots of people sign up for a three year contract (technology is fast, but I hope for the sake of humanity that it isn't that fast, three years is not that long a period of time, especially when you've passed the 30 year mark). The only issue here is the cost for data and voice minutes, and then the nickel and dimeing for those features that should rightfully be a part of the base package (caller id at least, I mean, come on ... charging 5 bucks a month for some of these features is verging on criminality).

    I'll be happy when everything is on the data band, voip, browsing, sms, email, ... I'm not holding my breath.
  12. P K from Kitchener, Canada writes: Just for some light reading you may want to check out this link as it pertains to one of the so called benefits of the Iphone and 3G
    www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2321881,00.asp
  13. Charles Murray from Canada writes: Evidently Rogers thinks that by offering low rates for a while it will suck in subscribers. According to the Rogers consumer playbook, schemes like this work on the stupid.
    This phone should be boycotted until Steve Jobs gets a chance to bitchslap Ted Rogers. Even at his advanced age, Ted needs to learn a lesson. Things are so bad, the Feds are starting to raise their eyebrows at the telecoms' monopolistic practices.
  14. Stefanie Higney from Toronto, Canada writes: I agree that the iPhone looks like the coolest unnecessary toy I've ever wanted, but I'm not paying for that. The only reason I have a cell phone/blackberry right now is because my boss picks up the bill. I refuse to pay out of my a** for nifty gadgets when I'm being bled everywhere else (food, gas, TAXES, transit blah blah blah). We'll soon be carrying oxygen meters and be charged for the air we breathe.
  15. Hypo Critic from Canada writes: 'I already pay for high speed Internet and TV service. How many monthly fees can one man stand?'

    Simple buy an Iphone cross the border for cheaper price then there are lots of people on craiglist.org and in Pacific Mall who can crack it. Put your regular sim card and you are good to go!!! No need to have an 'EXPENSIVE' data plan!
  16. John Hinkley from Canada writes: Looks like an interesting product.

    But who would want to buy it from Rogers?
  17. John Hinkley from Canada writes: It will be very interesting to see how both the Canadian consumer and Apple themselves play out the iPhone marketplace in the next couple of months.

    There are still rumours about Apple and Rogers having a falling out.
  18. Eric S from Canada writes: Great article! Thanks!
  19. N G from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm in folks ... this is a great product that is now being offered at a reasonable price, by Canadian standards.

    Don't get me wrong, I still have issues with the B.S. 'System access fee', the B.S. '911 Charge', bad cell rates, and the way that all of the telcos generally hide charges that surprise you later.

    In my opinion, we need 2 things to happen:

    1) more competition (particularly with GSM)
    2) more support for bill C-555 (which is a start)

    I will be buying an iPhone 3G as soon as I can get my hands on one.
  20. Rob Gilgan from Canada writes: So, Koolest Kat - how do you know about the 'abject' battery use on a product that hasn't been released to the public or tested by industry? Prescient? That's good - no need for any of this technology.
  21. Tough Camper from Squamish, Canada writes:
    G&M has a conflict of interest with ROBBERs, and so all of these soft articles are being written.

    Did you notice the Globe Poll today, asking if you'd buy an iPhone now that 'Rogers has slashed its iPhone rate'??

    Ok, Rogers didn't slash, they still BURN you on the contract, minutes and extra fees.

    But I guess if your poll read, 'now that Rogers has reduced the raping,' it wouldn't go over so well with your major sponsor.
  22. Lowen Wrainger from Canada writes: Rogers must have been an original signatory to NAFTA way back then. Their lawyers and con-sulkants told them it was the North American Fee Tirade Agreement.
  23. Michael Snider, Technology Editor from Canada writes: Dan Shortt wrote: Why not just report the news, instead of a complete rundown of all the cool and nifty features the phone has?

    Dan, thanks for the note. This is a review, not a news story. We've had many news stories focusing on Rogers' rates, their business model etc... This piece intended to weight the attractiveness of the device against the price one pays to own it.

    And Craig B. -- Surely you exaggerate.
  24. dave ross from Canada writes: Like G Reen I use Virgin Mobile for my occasional cell phone use. I bought the no-frills Nokia and have a hard time going through $25 of talk time every 3 months.

    Let the sheep and tech monkeys line up for a jolly good Rogering for 3 years.
  25. Amna Bakhtiar from Canada writes: I wish i were important enough to justify an iphone. I think i'll wait until the hype has died down a little.
  26. J Owen from Calgary, Canada writes: JD Smith: RE your first question, I have a 1st gen iPhone and it and the new 3g version have physical sims...

    Gregory W. Barker: You would not watch a movie you download via the cellular network, infact you cannot do that. To access iTunes store you need WiFi. Rather, like any other current iPod, you watch a movie you sync from your computer to your iPod (in this case your iPhone).
  27. HUMBERTO DEL CASTILLO from Montreal, Canada writes: For sure it is hard to afford an iPhone or even a cell phone with these prices. That's precisely the issue. It's not about the iPhone as the newest gadget for fashionists or teenagers. This is a technological revolution, and renouncing to the iPhone it's like renouncing to the right to be up to date. Remember, in the begining cell phones or even phone land-lines were for wealthy business people, but not any more. The rest of the world is adopting mobile data whike Canadians are still figthing to have an affordable price. Don't think 'I can live with my old cell phone', it's not about that, it's like if our grand parents had said 'I don't need a car, I can live with my horse'. It's about our entitlement as Canadians to have affordable data rates for mobile usage. You could see your kidds in the daycare center using your mobile, or your home when you are traveling overseas. Pay the bills without havint to use your computer, chek your kids grades, or see the parent's blog at your child's school. Of cours all this seems a luxury at $150 a month, but what if you paid $30 or $40 for som 200 minutes voice and unlimited data? This is what I mean. The issue is not the iPhone the BIG issue is the affordability of mobile devices rates.
  28. John Hamilton from Canada writes: I voted with my pocketbook. I just bought the HTC 6800, a better phone for FREE at bell and the package I got was better than Roger's. Unlimited data, 350 out, 2500 incoming, evening at 6PM, fun package of 2500 text, call display etc, all for 72 bucks/month
  29. Ricky Bobbie from Canada writes: Nice review Sandy - like the honesty at the end! It's a shame that the Rogers pricing has deflected the news about the iPhone. As for it being a flop, the launch in New Zealand was a clear success and there's no doubt that even Canadians will be buying this in droves. Steve Ballmer should be worried. Windows Mobile is still a market failure and Microsoft usually gets things right after 3 or 4 attempts. The iPhone is only one part of the story. The applications store is where the real differentiation will occur. Apple is a control freak when it comes to hardware and software integration but there will be 500 applications at launch (today) and these can be run on an iPhone or iPod Touch. Steve Ballmer is witnessing the birth of a new platform and he is probably sleepless in Seattle.
  30. Peter M from Owen Sound, Canada writes: I laughted about the rotary phone. Tech writer AND luddite!

    In any case, the most important point for most people, even those who love tech, is at the bottom. This simply isn't affordable yet. But then the iPod wasn't either, at one time, and now you can get a base model for $50. At some point when it is less of a presteige toy there will be a perfectly decent iPhone for a sane cost. Of course by then we might not want a mobile phone per se but rather a Wi-Fi enabled microcomputer using skype and/or other VOIP technology. iPhone/iPod touch may eventually become that too :)
  31. Craig Cooper from Toronto, writes: I have 3 iPods.

    No -- make that HAD 3 iPods.

    All of them quit working and could not be repaired.

    Not one more cent of my money goes to Steve Jobs' criminal enterprise.
  32. Geoff I from Canada writes: I like my BlackBerry and so far it can do just about anything that iPhone can (it does have a better browser though) plus some extra features such as voice activated dialing and the camera is better. It's not a battery hog, it's smaller and built to last. If you drop an iPhone, it's a right off.
  33. Rain Couver from Canada writes: All the technobabble is not convincing me that the iPhone is a bad product, just those that are providing the service.

    By the way, if you really want the cool factor, keep your cell phone and get an iPod. It does just about everything an iPhone does, but it takes advantage of all the free wi fi hot spots. At least, in Vancouver, I don't have to go very far to find a free hot spot.
  34. 5and man from Toronto, Canada writes: Geoff I from Canada writes: I like my BlackBerry and so far it can do just about anything that iPhone can (it does have a better browser though).

    Better browser??? It's awful and useless ... I don't even bother using that function.
  35. Geoff I from Canada writes: >>Better browser??? It's awful and useless ... I don't even bother using that function. <<

    I was referring to the iPhone browser which is better by far.
  36. Michael Kalus from Canada writes: I noticed with some amusement that he has the same problem as I do when I was playing around with a collegues iPhone last year: The on screen display is at times hit and miss, while he just selected the wrong song, I tried to actually type on the onscreen keyboard and simply put my fingers are just too fat (it seems) to be of any use. I am waiting for the iPen to go with the iPhone in order to allow you to peck and type a message out of it.

    I think the iPhone is a cute concept and really tries to marry a lot of interesting features, but the lack of a full keyboard (slider like Nokia?) and the atrocious pricing with Rogers will make sure that I resist the temptation (even though I have repeatedly eyed the iPod Touch lately).

    As for the comment about Fido: Yes, I fully agree. I have been with Fido since 2000 when I came to Canada and are still carrying a promotional plan I got after three months with Rogers which saw my cell phone bill increase almost six fold, mainly due to the lack of per second billing from the get go.

    Ever since Rogers bought out Fido they have brought the same confusing, nickle and dime to death billing to Fido and they have tried their darnest to coas me off of my promotional plan onto one of their 'new and improve' 3 year subscriptions (Hey, I even would have gotten a free phone). But so far I have been resisting temptation and have no desire to ever give in.

    Likewise, Rogers Home Phone compared to the Shaw offering is just painful. Same tactic as on their cell phones: Nickle and dime the customer to death.

    Should I ever pick up an iPhone it will be an unlocked one and run on my existing SIM card.
  37. Alastair Reeves from Ottawa, writes: Hmmm.... Now let me see... RIM is a successful Canadian-based tech company employing Canadian engineers and technicians. Apple is a California-based company with virtually no presence in Canada, other than a few stores.

    Someone remind again why I'd buy an iPhone?
  38. L.B. MURRAY from !! from Canada writes: Should I ever pick up an iPhone it will be an unlocked one and run on my existing SIM card. ... writes Michael Kalus
    _________________________________________

    Same here.

    -
  39. Unknown User! from Canada writes: huge thumbs down.
  40. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: I am not sure how, but somehow have managed to live without one of these iPhone contraptions...

    I think I'll survive.

    The Blackberry is Canadian, and Jim Balsillie seems like a very decent human being...

    Cheers
  41. Jack Sprat from Sheepscrotum AB, Canada writes: Someone mentioned that this is a technical revolution. Fat chance, my Blackberry Pearl does all of this except the Visual Voicemail and that's hardly new, as they have had this on the landline side for quite some time.

    Please people, Apple just isn't that great. They have good marketing and that's all.
  42. Another Option canada from Canada writes: The Iphone just means that you get nickled and dimed to death. When ever I see some-one with one of these phones. It's a sign of either great wealth or a sucker.. So since not every-one is rich you figure it out.
  43. Denbigh Patton from Toronto, Canada writes: Hey John Hamilton, Go to Paris, stand in front of the Tour Eiffel and phone me! Bell, indeed.

    If you all want to know why Rogers doesn't try to please us, it's because they don't have to! They OWN GSM in Canada, because their only competitor, Fido, is their own subsidiary! That's the CRTC for you... letting one of two GSM providers buy the other, oblivious to the fact that this creates a monopoly in the GSM segment. The CRTC got hoodwinked by Rogers, who knew full well the value of a GSM monopoly. The CRTC just looked at 'cellular' as a whole and figured Bell and Telus were enough competition so letting Rogers buy Fido was OK. DUH! GSM is all that matters in the long run. Bell and Telus know this. Rogers knows this. But the CRTC, which regulates them all, doesn't? Who's protecting us against predatory practices by Communications companies? Not the Communications regulator!
  44. Common Sense from Laughs, Canada writes: 'No -- make that HAD 3 iPods.

    All of them quit working and could not be repaired.

    Not one more cent of my money goes to Steve Jobs' criminal enterprise. '

    Love it. Apple makes pretty pieces of junk. But they sure are pretty! So the stupids buy them at outrageous costs.

    There are, quite simply, better products out there.

    As far as the telco monopoly, I don't see an end in sight to any of it. The right people are still making enough money from it, that things will not change.
    It's not like people nowawadays are actually able to do without cellphones.

    I for one am pulling out of a bell 3-year contract...it'll be cheaper with the new incoming text message fees. Enough people misconfigure MSN/windows live messenger with my number...it'd cost me a fortune.

    And me having to pay to receive spam from Bell? LAUGHS

    Something needs to change, but I doubt it will.
  45. JD Smith from Canada writes: Thanks... J Owen from Calgary...

    1: Did you have to pry the back off to put the SIM in?

    2: Is the warranty void if you take the back off?

    3: Once the iPhone is open can the memory be increased... manually?
    .
  46. Apple Gazin from Edmonton, Canada writes: Sandy,

    Have you tracked how much data you've been using over what time frame?

    Greg
  47. L.B. MURRAY from !! from Canada writes: On second thought, stick to the Blackberry if you really, really need to ''text''....

    Boycott ROGERS, Boycott TELUS, Boycott BELL, use their services as little as possible for a couple of months and see if they come back to their ''senses'' and stop EXPLOITING Canadians from coast to coast.

    It now looks like our ''protectors'' from the CRTC to the next ''protector'' are in total cahoots with Bell, Telus, Rogers...

    Further up, someone mentioned going to the States to buy an IPhone and then having it fixed somewhere at some Pacific Mall... Perhaps good advice for people on the West Coast but useless for any of us in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes...

    -
  48. JD Smith from Canada writes:
    Question 4:

    Is there a difference between 'memory' and 'disk storage' in the iPhone. I mean are they different devices internally or is there a logical partition of the common sub-system?
  49. JD Smith from Canada writes: The Pacific Mall is in Toronto... at Steeles and Markham... as I recall.
  50. Not 4 Harper from Canada writes: Dan Coutts - if you read the article over again you will see that the writer says he would not get an iPhone because he prefers to eat . He explains what the phone can do and then gives his opinion. I thought the article was balanced. I have heard that RIM are planning to unveil a new iPhone type product which will be available through the other cellphone providers. This might bring down the price. I agree we are getting hosed on system access fees, 911 fees and now incoming text message fees. It's too much. More competition sounds great but with our population spread out over such a large area I am not certain that there's a competitive business model that would prove to be profitable enough for cellphone companies to make the investment.
  51. Ricky Bobbie from Canada writes: I have a Blackberry and an iPod Touch. The web browser, interface, usability of the latter beats the Blackberry hands-down. The Blackberry is fantastic for push email and as a phone. If my company supports the iPhone with Exchange, I'll switch as its a better all-round device right now. I am also sure that RIM will release better products in the future so whichever product does a better job will get my support.

    @Alastair Reeves from Ottawa - as for RIM being Canadian, are we supposed to only buy Canadian built cars, TVs, computers...? That mentality isn't even defended by the likes of RIM (which is a fantastic company with 7X the market cap of GM).
  52. Robert MacDonald from Canada writes: A cell phone is designed to last a little more than 1 year.
  53. double mike from Canada writes: .
    Absolutely nothing which has “Rogers” associated with it is worth buying.
  54. Able Bodied Man from It's NOT 'VICTORIA' Island, Canada writes:
    HOW MANY MORE TIMES?

    How many more buttons will dazzle my head?

    What more can we say that hasn't been said?

    How many more times will I hear these refrains?

    The portable phone is replacing my brains.
  55. Ziad Fazel from Calgary, Canada writes: Hi JD Smith. Let me take a stab at some of your questions:

    1. A SIM card only has a little memory to carry the Subscriber Information. This is different from SD cards or similar removable storage cards that go in cameras and other kinds of cellphones, and carry 1, 2 4GB etc. You can't put those in an iPhone.

    2. iPhone (2G or 3G) has a physical SIM card that fits in a slot in the top of the phone. iPhone 2G had software locks on it to prevent you from switching to another cellular carrier. Considering Rogers is subsidizing the hardware, and expects to make money on the service, you can expect it to have software locks as well.

    3. Within a few months of iPhone 2G's introduction, various software unlock techniques matured. I would expect the same thing to happen with iPhone 3G - the digital side is very similar.

    4. iPhones work on a GSM radio interface, which in Canada is only provided by Rogers/Fido. So there is little reason to unlock it in Canada, but good reason to do so when travelling in other countries.

    5. Who knows when GSM competition will come to Canada. While a spectrum auction is under way, those competitors will have to construct new infrastructure and/or lease existing infrastructure from the incumbent oligopoly. Or Bell and Telus will have to offer GSM's 3G data. They will also have to contract with Apple, and offer a better value than Rogers.

    6. Opening up the iPhone voids the warranty, and its microelectronic assembly makes it very difficult to swap or add any parts. It comes with 8 or 16 GB of FLASH memory for storage (32 GB coming soon) and enough internal RAM and ROM to operate fast.

    Go to an Apple Store and use an iPod Touch - they are very similar to the iPhone. See how it works and integrates with your computer. Ask lots of questions. And check out

    http://www.apple.com/iphone/

    Cheers!
  56. Nassar Ben Houdja from Canada writes: Amazing what some people would rather have than money.
  57. Anthony Krass from Waterloo, Canada writes: It's a shame that a company with such bad reputation can survive and on top of that do business with Apple. Steve Jobs, please wake up or else i'll associate Apple&Rogers from now on. Apple&Rogers Apple&Rogers Apple&Rogers Apple&Rogers Apple&Rogers.

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