When it comes to talking a good game, AT&T may very well be the King. I’ve lost count of the Press Releases or public statements about how fixes for their iPhone users’ greatest complaints seem just over the horizon.
Never mind the first two items are already available on AT&T’s network for other phones…
There is already a lot of noise over this all around the ‘net. Owners of the iPhone 3G saying they’re getting ripped off, or not being treated like “loyal customers,” because they’re not being offered the fully subsidized price for the new iPhone 3G S. In reality the AT&T upgrade pricing is pretty much like all phone subsidies in the U.S. (and, for that matter, many other parts of the world). Actually, it’s a little better…
I’ve defended AT&T on occasion regarding the iPhone, but its latest moves (or non-moves) make it hard to do so.
To recap its defense, I’ve praised AT&T for the following:
Yet, for all the good, AT&T lately is acting like a tanker that takes forever to turn. Apple’s comments about AT&T in the WWDC keynote on June 8 seemed tinged with dissatisfaction…
So Verizon is finally acting like they “get it,” specifically asking people who leave their service if “the iPhone” has anything to do with it.
The problem with this is that by saying “the iPhone” they imply having the device just like it exists on AT&T’s network. But knowing Verizon there’s a good chance that wouldn’t be the case.
So I’ve fixed the survey, and offer it to Verizon free of charge so that they may get an accurate picture of whether people would stay on their network for “the iPhone”…
In a previous post, a comment from Rus at FIXYOURTHINKING.com stated that the iPhone was being subsidized by AT&T to get the price drop seen today. Since it seemed the device would be available at $199 anywhere in the U.S. — and according to Steve Jobs will be no more expensive than $199 (U.S.) in all other countries – it didn’t seem to me like a subsidy at all.
However, in wading through post-WWDC Keynote discussions, blog posts and news stories about pricing, plans, etc., the most important data bits come right from AT&T’s own press release (emphasis mine):
Today AT&T officially rolled out part of their free WiFi strategy in partnership with Starbucks.
If you have a Starbucks card registered, you can use it to get an AT&T WiFi login and password good for two free hours of WiFi every day. The catch? You must use the card at least once each month, and AT&T sends you four promotional emails a year.
Good article from Wired on the untold iPhone story. It’s not a hit-piece, or even a worship-piece, but rather an article that confirms — for those to blind to see it — just how the iPhone has shaken up the wireless industry in the US.
Well written, and with numerous details I had not yet heard. Recommended reading.
(Landov photo from the Wired story.)
AT&T and Apple announced their plan rates for the iPhone today. A chart listing all the options is here.
When AT&T announced that there would be special plans for the iPhone, a lot of people thought that maybe this meant there would be some price gouging, but if anything the reality is otherwise.
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