iphone

[sweetcell]

allowing the pre to sync to itunes made the pre that much more attractive, and took away a feature that apple considers exclusive to the iphone: itunes.  now, with itunes 8.2.1,  if a consumer is deciding between buying a pre or an iphone (first-time buyers, people whose contracts have just expired, those looking to switch, etc), the iphone has one more feature that the pre doesn't.  i guess apple valued this exclusivity over the potential itunes song sales to pre customers.

I would still like to know how this is good for the consumer AT ALL?  I'm not naive to think that some part of every business decision has to have some benefit to the consumer...

it probably isn't, but i suspect the apple execs who decided this were thinking of themselves here.  came down to something like "additional exclusivity of iphone > ill-will created by said exclusivity for non-iphone users + lost itunes sales".  whether this equation hold true, tho... tbd.

what's interesting to me in this pseudo-monopolistic behavior is the collateral damage.  ex: record labels.  they probably want the pre to sync, since that will increase song sales.  apple's single-minded decision to exclude the pre has cost the record labels (and artists, producers, etc) money... not much they can do about it.

[vansmack]

what's interesting to me in this pseudo-monopolistic behavior is the collateral damage.  ex: record labels.  they probably want the pre to sync, since that will increase song sales.  apple's single-minded decision to exclude the pre has cost the record labels (and artists, producers, etc) money... not much they can do about it.

But by the time you got around to answering the question, you weren't able to distinguish anything from the point I was trying to make.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the consumer.

And record labels want anybody but Apple right now.  They are tired of being bullied around by Jobs and Co.  I have no pity for them.  They made their bed now they must sleep in it.  It's exactly this scenario I'm trying to avoid for the consumer by pointing these things out as people continue to tout the innovation coming out of Cupertino.  It's business models people, and one's that are bad for consumers.

The labels were actually happy that the Pre has an Amazon MP3 download app and not an iTMS app.

[thirsty moore]

That said there are a lot of people, including bands, that want no part of record labels. As long as my iPhone or iPod plays mp3's or aac's, I'm happy.

[Jaguar]

Logic always dictates with me, and that's my biggest problem with Apple and the iPhone - how people simply throw logic out the window because of a flashy commercial or an aesthetically pleasing device.  They make good products that people and, now with at&t, companies overpay for simply to become beholden to the beast.  That defies all logic to me.

This is what I've always called a MacHandicap.

Regarding Sprint: I've totally given up on them. They never, ever worked inside any kind of building for me. Didn't work in my apartment. Moved to a different neighborhood and I still couldn't get any kind of reception. Never worked at work in any of the different buildings that I tried it in. Went to visit my parents and it didn't work inside their home. Then I visited them in their condo in Ocean City and it still didn't work. Fuck 'em! I'm with T-Mobile now. Live in a totally different apartment surrounded by lots of trees and not the best of reception for various companies. From my experience, Verizon sucks here too. No, I can't fucking hear you!!!    T-Mobile works fine for me so they got my business. Also, they seem to work fine inside every building that I've tried them in. Have never had any problems with them at all. Keep in mind, I'm only using them for a mediocre Sony Ericson phone (which I'm very happy with) and I've opted for no internet access, so it's all good for me. Not saying that that should have any bearings on your purchasing decisions but I wanted to throw those out there for whatever they are worth.

I'd love to have the top of the line Sony Ericson phone they sell in Europe. From what I've heard, they are very nice. What originally attracted me to them was their keypad. I can't stand those tiny little ET miniscule keys on most phones and I'm not into touch screens... and like Smackie, I can't stand Apple. Their phones are pretty nice but if I can find something that suits my needs, the 'other' will win out every time.

[thirsty moore]

iPhone #1

[vansmack]

Jag, you bring up two good points.

The first is that the Xperia X1 (Sony Ericsson's top phone) makes me jizz in my pants a little.  It's a beautiful phone that American carriers have avoided like the plague.  It's all over Europe and Asia and causes me a tremendous amount of cell phone envy.

And second - the most important thing in a cell phone carrier is service at home and service at work - the two places your phone is used most often.  I don't care how good their reputation is or how good their phones are, if you can't use it at those two places, then find a different carrier.

And lastly, I would also recommend you find a carrier who has terrible service at your mistress' abode.

[godsshoeshine]

i have a sony ericsson now. i like it

i had tmobile back in pittsburgh, but i lived in the middle of the city. when i moved here i didnt get reception in manassas. everyone told me that verizon was so much better, but when i got home from switching...still no signal at home

and then they wouldnt give me a phone that worked when that was my only phone and my only doorbell...

[vansmack]

Right on cue....

iTunes 8.2.1 brings Pre Music Syncing to a Halt

I LOVE this.

Palm WebOS 1.1 Now Available, Fixes iTunes 8.2.1 Syncing

They're basically telling Apple - either license it to us, or sue us and risk an anti-trust suit.  It makes me want to get one just to support them.  Smackette loves hers, but I can't have his and hers phones...

[vansmack]

Google Voice iPhone app rejected, current GV apps lose connection with iTunes

No word on whether this was done by at&t or Apple, but it doesn't really matter....

[godsshoeshine]

that is a bummer. i'm sold on google voice for no other reason than i like talking on my home phone for long conversations, and i only have those with people that are long distance calls. its easier for me to use an app than bust out the laptop, to be honest

[chaz]

An interesting read for those that follow the smart phone sector.

Should Microsoft Buy Palm?

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10300823-82.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

[vansmack]

That article is way off base and tries to fix too many problems with what it mistakes as one simple solution that is anything but.

The last thing the mobile industry needs is consolidation of OS developers.  We've only got 4 (Apple, MS, Google and Palm - sorry symbian folks, but you've been relegated to the cheapie bin).   If Microsoft were to give up on the Zune (which I dispute as a foregone conclusion), buying Palm does not solve that.  What MS should do, and what I think is clear from the following screenshots MS is about to do, is roll Zune into the phone OS:

WinMo 6.5 Touchscreen (aka titanium)


Zune HD Touch Screen


It's becoming more and more clear that WinMo 7 will continue down this path and be an integration of the two.  There - one problem solved.

So that, according this article leaves MS with a second problem - no hardware provider for an MS branded phone.  But why does MS need a hardware provider?  They have always been the biggest software maker in the world, and with the exception of the Xbox/Xbox 360, they have generally been poor at their attempts to release their own hardware.  Their problem has always been that they can't survive as a hardware only company because they make most of their money by licensing it's software to other companies.  Why leave that business model?  There's no incentive in it for MS or the consumer when it comes to phone OS.

Now, suppose, just for the sake of playing this out, that MS does decide that they need their own hardware in the phone business.  Why Palm?  You overpay for OS developers who are on a completely different track than you are (WebOS is a different platform than WinMo).  If you only need a hardware provider, MS would be much better served by contracting with HTC to provide a MS branded phone.  It would cost half as much, it's already used to your platform, and they're putting out the most innovative hardware on the market (sorry Apple folks, but the iPhone hasn't changed its appearance in 3 years now, to where HTC has a new phone every 2 months or so).

So there you go.  A much simpler and cost saving solution:

Roll Zune into WinMo, if you need hardware contract with HTC.

For the record, I don't think Palm needs to be bought, but if anybody should buy Palm, it's Google.  HTC is selling better phones for Android than the Google "branded" ones,  and since Google doesn't license the Google Brand on software that has been altered, eventually they're going to need their own hardware for control purposes (unless they take the MS approach - we don't need hardware, we just want OS credit).  Palm is a stone's throw from Google HQ, and WebOS and Android are much closer platforms for development.

[vansmack]

There was another point being made in that article that I would like to pick at.  The author said that WinMo 6.5 is not a big upgrade (I disagree with that by the way, and I have come 360 on that stance - I dismissed it before I tried it and I suspect he has in this case as well).  On top of that, he says that "any upgrade is up the carrier."

This may be true for Apple and att&t, but is not true for WinMo or Palm.  I find this very perplexing, but people don't call Dell before they upgrade programs on their computer, even an OS, so why is it that they feel they must wait until the carrier releases the update?

My HTC Diamond stayed on WinMo 6.1 with TouchFlo for about 3 months before I switched to early editions of WinMo 6.5 and then new editions of TouchFlo (HTC's interface).  I haven't once called Sprint and when I visit the store I help them with the updates to they can have the new interface.  There's a whole developers world out there for HTC and WinMo phones and I flash a new ROM about every week now because the updates are coming out so fast.  It's absurd to discount a phone OS, especially a WinMo phone, because the "carrier might now upgrade" when it is simple to do it yourself.

For all the negative reasons posted why WinMo is not as good as the iPhone, it's ability to be altered and updated without the permission of MS or your carrier is by far one of it's strengths, not something to complain about.   

[Arthwys]

I just noticed this thread for the first time, and all I have to say is.  I make phone calls with my cell phone.  It works every time, unless I'm in the mountains of western Maryland.  And that's it.  I'm perfectly happy with that.  And only that.

[walkonby]

so i have sprint.  basic phone.  i live in the mountain-ish area of the shenandoah valley, va.  shitty service all around . . . four bars to one bar to no bars to two bars to four bars back to one bar (in the course of one to four minutes) all the time.  i want to upgrade.  the new sprint palm pre looks tasty, but someone in the office just said that every single older version of that phone has sucked ass for reception.  should i just jump onto the iphone bandwagon on at&t?  boy it looks very tasty.  i don't even mind changing my number for work or business cards or anything.  is their reception better (or worth the switch over)?  will iphone ever give up their "retarded, we only serve one carrier even though we'd make alot more money for apple if we just were on more" motto?  i need a new phone asap, so your delightful input is appreciated.

edit - and if i call at&t to ask how's reception out where i live, are they just going to lie to me and say it's great just to sell me a phone.  everybody i know in my office is old and is still stuck on the blackberry kick.  i guess they think the iphone is for the young-uns.