- Posts tagged ATT
- Explore ATT on posterous
Sprint's first shot at derailing the AT&T and T-Mobile deal misses the mark
Sprint has already fired a shot in an attempt to sway regulators to kill the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger. There are a number of things regulators can look at to squash this deal, but I don't find Sprint's current points convincing.
AT&T and Verizon are already by far the largest wireless providers.
Correct, and that wouldn't change (though they'd swap places).
A combined AT&T and T-Mobile would be almost three times the size of Sprint, the third largest wireless competitor.
Verizon is almost three times the size of T-Mobile right now, did Sprint complain about this?
If approved, the merger would result in a wireless industry dominated overwhelmingly by two vertically-integrated companies that control almost 80% of the US wireless post-paid market.
The wireless industry is currently dominated by two vertically integrated companies that control over 70% of the US market. Again, where were Sprint's complaints?
From a US market standpoint, #2 buying a distant #4 does not alter things as radically as Sprint implies.
Sprint's concern seems mostly driven by their own desire for T-Mobile, and knowing this deal can spell trouble for them. Going to the feds so quickly after they got outplayed and outbid may be the only action they think they can take right now, but it doesn't make these particular arguments valid.
Perhaps the most important stat from Validas's wireless smartphone bill analysis
But, more than 4 percent of VZW Smartphones consume more than 2 gigabytes per month, as opposed to just 1.6 percent of iPhones.
That's it right there.
Remember when AT&T introduced their data caps? The highest cap was set at 2GB, and there was outrage. AT&T said only 2% of their customers use more than that each month, but few believed them. Well, it's just 1.6%.
I dropped two iPhones on our family plan to the $15 200MB cap, and mine to the $25 2GB cap. That's $35 a month saved with no decrease in activity on our part.
The caps work, and they save you money. Lots to complain about AT&T for, but not everything they do is evil. This one's putting money in my pocket, and would do the same for 98.4% of you.
AT&T Needs A Map For That
Meanwhile, somewhere in Michigan, an iPhone owner is invited to the AT&T store a mile from my California home.
The Kin: Poor Sales? Seems to me this was all Microsoft.
It seems that after doing some initial work on these phones based around Danger's proprietary Sidekick OS, Andy Lees -- the SVP of Microsoft's mobile division -- instructed everyone to go back to the drawing board and rebuild the OS based on Windows CE. It appears the company didn't want a project that wasn't directly connected to its Windows kernel. This move allegedly set the release of the devices back 18 months, during which time Redmond's carrier partner [Verizon] became increasingly frustrated with the delays. Apparently when it came time to actually bring the Kins to market, Big Red had soured on the deal altogether and was no longer planning to offer the bargain-basement pricing deals it first had tendered. The rest, as they say, is history -- though we don't think even great prices could have accounted for what was fundamentally a flawed product.
No company with a serious strategy and belief in a product kills it just seven weeks after launch, no matter how poorly it initially sells. A smart company might hold the line a little longer, spin a press release, or maybe tweak their strategy.
But this was Microsoft:
- It's just like Microsoft to decide the Kin must be Windows-based, and ignore the IP they'd bought in Danger.
- It's just like Microsoft to not understand an 18-month delay is poison in the mobile market. This isn't Windows or Office, where customers feel there's nowhere else to go.
- It's just like Microsoft for various teams to pull in different directions; even now there's only talk of unifying their mobile efforts.
- It's just like Microsoft to write off tens of millions of dollars spent on the project so quickly because, well, they figure they can afford it.
This product should never have been released. It's clear many in power were ready to kill it—at a moment's notice and with little reason—without even the appearance of trying to make a go of it. Yet for all those who could agree to kill it so soon after launch, they hadn't the guts (or sense, take your pick) to kill it beforehand.
On top of that, Microsoft angered Verizon, the US carrier with no love for Apple since they can't sell the iPhone. A decent Windows Phone 7 on Verizon might have made a good team against the iPhone/AT&T, but instead they're barely speaking, with Microsoft saying they're releasing WP7 phones on GSM first.
The Microsoft Kin should have been another Palm Foleo, an idea that got too far internally, but cooler heads prevailed and avoided the embarrassment of a launch. Sure, Palm was kicked around a little for announcing a product they didn't deliver, but it's nothing compared to the critique Microsoft deserves for wasting years of time, resources, and money for a seven-week stint to prove they're still clueless in the mobile sector.
Deat AT&T: I'm one of your happy customers, no sense in trying to piss me off
I just received the above email from AT&T regarding my iPhone 4.
This is odd. You see, my order was taken at an AT&T Store the first day pre-orders were allowed. I received confirmation the next day, and a tracking number a couple of days after that. The device was delivered right on schedule June 24th, and getting it activated (a "swap" with another phone on our family plan) was easy as well.In short, AT&T rocked for me through the whole process. Sending me an email now saying I'm not going to receive the phone I've already had for six days is not going to bring me down. Confuse me, yes, but bring me down, no.
AT&T To Allow Phone Number Swapping For iPhone 4 Without A Store Visit?
However, if the number you used to order your device is NOT the number you intend to use with your iPhone 4, follow these simple steps when your device arrives and an ATT representative will help you activate.
I bought my iPhone 4 using an eligible number on our family plan with the intent of swapping it to my number after activation. The eligible member of the family would end up with my 3GS; I'd get the 4.
AT&T has no problem with this. In fact, it's written in the purchase receipt and confirmation email that if you plan to swap phones you just have to bring both of them into a store after the new one is activated.
However, today we got a text message from AT&T linking to the above page. It seems AT&T has set it up so that phone swapping can be done over the phone, there's no need for a store visit. Cool!
Will this work? I never know if AT&T's ideas, even the good ones, will get implemented right. Obviously, I'll follow the procedure and see what happens. Worst case scenario is I go to the store and wait in line like I'd already planned to. Doing it over the phone would sure be nice, though.
Not a bad day's work
Yesterday Apple and its carrier partners took pre-orders for more than 600,000 of Apple’s new iPhone 4.
