Boz
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
123 Fireballs!
Posts: 10,355
|
Post by Boz on Jun 9, 2009 12:42:49 GMT -5
Weird. Oh well. Far be it from me to argue with Consumer Reports. I guess they do suck and I'm the exception.
I've never had a single issue with a phone call on my iPhone, either in the DC area or when traveling (granted, most of my travels are to other major metropolitan areas). Sure, Verizon is the only one here who works on WMATA, but that's a contract issue I think, right, not anything to do with coverage?
Like I said, weird.
|
|
DFW HOYA
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,913
|
Post by DFW HOYA on Jun 9, 2009 13:22:15 GMT -5
Is the iPhone somehow predominate on the coasts? I hear a lot of talk that it's the phone of choice among the NYC and DC crowd, but it commands only 19% of smartphone sales nationwide and 6% overall, which is not an overwhelming position; hence, the need to price cut with the 4GB model.
And only with AT&T? That's a non-starter.
|
|
SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,988
|
Post by SFHoya99 on Jun 9, 2009 13:52:15 GMT -5
AT&T loses its exclusivity pretty soon -- they had two years as part of their deal, which I assume they paid a ton of money for. Apparently it was well worth it -- there was some data out there stating an extremely high % of new AT&T users were iPhone users.
But it's one reason I don't have one yet, despite being an apple guy my whole life.
They are pretty freaking awesome, though.
As for coastal:
1. I imagine that Mac ownership and the "hip" factor in iPhone sales play much better on the coasts than in other parts of the country.
2. More importantly, I don't think any of the hardware or plans are priced regionally -- simple economics mean that the higher salaries on the coasts probably allow for more people paying $120 cell phone bills and dropping $600 on the phone (originally).
|
|
thebin
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,869
|
Post by thebin on Jun 9, 2009 15:29:52 GMT -5
The 8gig 3g is now $99, which is insanely cheap, even with contract issues considered. This thing is worth $400 if it's worth a penny. Anyone know what Apples loses on these things? Cost to manufacture (before app sales) has to be way past the cost to buy one.
|
|
guru
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,666
|
Post by guru on Jun 9, 2009 15:58:08 GMT -5
The 8gig 3g is now $99, which is insanely cheap, even with contract issues considered. This thing is worth $400 if it's worth a penny. Anyone know what Apples loses on these things? Cost to manufacture (before app sales) has to be way past the cost to buy one. I agree - at 99 bucks the 3G is a steal. I bought a refurbished one at that price early this year and it has worked perfectly. Also haven't had any connectivity problems in the DC area. I couldn't be happier with the thing - totally addicted to it, and my monthly costs are lower than when I had a blackberry curve. |
|
jgalt
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,380
|
Post by jgalt on Jun 9, 2009 16:08:43 GMT -5
The 8gig 3g is now $99, which is insanely cheap, even with contract issues considered. This thing is worth $400 if it's worth a penny. Anyone know what Apples loses on these things? Cost to manufacture (before app sales) has to be way past the cost to buy one. I think it is a AT&T who lose out, because they are the ones who offer the rebate. At least that is what happened with the original 3G's. I have no major problems with my iphone and AT&T service. In my experience it is better than most of my friends most of whom have Verizon. For example there is little service in my basement. With my old razor i got no service at all (this was on AT&T), my friends with Verizon get very little service every so often, I fluctuate between Full 3G and no service, but for the most part i get enough service to receive a short call (long enough for me to go somewhere else with more service) or get a text. With my iphone i have never had any problems getting texts or voicemails right away. I think some people are more sensitive to having little service or having a few dropped calls. Im pretty lax about it so it doesnt really bother me. I lose very few calls anyway and when i do it is clearly because i am in a basement or an elevator or something of that sort. As for MMS, AT&T says that MMS wont be available for a "few months" for existing customers because they have to "manually" enable it on ever customer's account. While that sounds pretty lame and outrageous it is what it is. Just think that if you owned a different phone, like a razor or something, and it didnt have MMS you would have to get a whole new phone for new features not just download new software. |
|
GIGAFAN99
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,487
|
Post by GIGAFAN99 on Jun 9, 2009 18:16:26 GMT -5
Just hijacking the Apple thread to announce that after years of being on Sprint and having terrible devices, the Pre is fantastic.
The big points for me:
OS is extremely responsive. Great usability.
Was worried about the keyboard, but it's the best I've used. Hey, curved keys and spaces in between. Was that so hard? My blackberry has all the feel of a Scrabble game show plunger and I inevitably fat-Homer mash the virtual keyboards. This is perfect.
Good size. I thought the iPhone and its lame knockoff Instinct were too bulky.
Bonus: The sound quality is better than either of my ipods.
So I'm a Pre fan. No apps that can give me shiatsu yet but I can wait since I'm not a gaming nut or anything. Don't get me wrong, this won't help Sprint or Palm but it does help me. So job well done, even if your respective stock prices don't show it.
|
|
|
|
Post by HometownHoya on Jun 9, 2009 20:06:44 GMT -5
Just hijacking the Apple thread to announce that after years of being on Sprint and having terrible devices, the Pre is fantastic. The big points for me: OS is extremely responsive. Great usability. Was worried about the keyboard, but it's the best I've used. Hey, curved keys and spaces in between. Was that so hard? My blackberry has all the feel of a Scrabble game show plunger and I inevitably fat-Homer mash the virtual keyboards. This is perfect. Good size. I thought the iPhone and its lame knockoff Instinct were too bulky. Bonus: The sound quality is better than either of my ipods. So I'm a Pre fan. No apps that can give me shiatsu yet but I can wait since I'm not a gaming nut or anything. Don't get me wrong, this won't help Sprint or Palm but it does help me. So job well done, even if your respective stock prices don't show it. I have heard great first person reviews about the Pre. If I didn't already have an iPhone (and love it) I would definitely get it. Any phone needs a keyboard and the OS is great! I feel like once the word goes out Palm and Sprint (well at least Palm) will see more profits from this. |
|
