Apple chose the right carrier. If they do bring extra revenue to Cingular (through the surge of subscribers), they just might be able to strong-arm them into deploying a true 3G data network. But can they strong-arm Cingular into being something other a bunch of pricks? I refuse to ever deal with Cingular again, not even if my life depended on it.

The best measure of a successful negotiation is one where your opponent (potential business partner) thinks that they have the upper hand, while you quietly prepare to pull the rug from under them. What AT&T isn't counting on is that the iPhone will encourage the build-up of WiFi network availability, which bypasses AT&T's network completely. As this aspect of the platform gains more traction, the need for AT&T's cell phone data network deminishes, and eventually, this can lead to a large disruption in what we currently consider to be cell phone network infrastructure versus open internet infrasctructure. It's extremely short-sighted of AT&T executives to think that Apple got the short end of the deal.

"If you want an iPhone, you are going to get the luxury of being on the Cingular network"

"there are bad guys out there that unlock phones"

And here I thought the record industry set the standard for delusional arrogance and stupidity. This guy is trying to give them a run for their money. As for his second statement, it's perfectly legal to unlock your phone (of course, it's perfectly legal for Cingular to make it as difficult as possible to do, too).

You could pretty much say there is chestbeating BS on both sides with regards to Jobs saying they "changed their network" and iPod VP Tony Fadell saying bow Cingular "broke all their typical process rules to make it happen".

There is hubris and arrogance on both sides thinking they got the upper hand which is utterly ridiculous because in order to make the phone part of the iPhone work, Apple needs to cooperate closely with whichever provider(s) they end up dealing with even after it is released (and this is especially true when they have to negotiate deals in Europe and Asia) and vice versa where the provider needs to have their backend accomodate the features of the iPhone.

It wouldn't be too surprising if Apple will have to make quite a bit of concessions just to get into Japan (look at how long it took them to get the iTunes Store there and the compromises they needed to make).

Cingular?! They are routinely at the bottom end of the customer service polls, and have the BOTTOM broadband speed of all broadband enabled wireless companies. I simply CANNOT break my contract with Verizon just because the iPhone seems a bit "cooler". Verizon EVDO allows me download speeds around 900Kbps while Cingular is network limited to no more than 100K. Really, why would I do that to myself? My Powerbook uses an EVDO card to work remotely at wired "office" speeds. Cingular simply cannot compete here (which means Apple cannot compete here). Its a shame - the door is WIDE open for competition.

wiseweasel, I hope you are right. The cell phone companies need to embrace their real reality - they are just entry points to the great digital river in the sky. The quickest way for them to stop wasting their time and energy trying to develop a competitive edge using differences that are meaningless is to adopt GSM as a national standard. (CDMA vs GSM is meaningless except that 180 countries use GSM and we should too. Kind of like we all use 110v 60 cycle power, just because it's a better system-wide approach, the system being the nation) I've always found this very compelling: http://isen.com/stupid.html

I truly hope you are right, but I probably won't be part of the first wave using the iPhone. I've already dropped AT&T once. I won't be going back.

I ditched Cingular for T-Mobile. Couldn't be happier.

So long as iPhone is only available on Cingular, I won't be buying one.

So does this support or undermine Apple's argument that opening the platform would be a risk? There are hundreds of thousands (millions?) of Windows Mobile phones out there; if they are being so aggressively (and successfully?) hacked to the users benefit and it hasn't collapse the world's communication system yet, is an open system really a risk?

What AT&T isn't counting on is that the iPhone will encourage the build-up of WiFi network availability, which bypasses AT&T's network completely. As this aspect of the platform gains more traction, the need for AT&T's cell phone data network deminishes, and eventually, this can lead to a large disruption in what we currently consider to be cell phone network infrastructure versus open internet infrasctructure.

Oh, that's rich. So the entire country (nay, the WORLD!) will NOW be building-up the WiFi because of Apple's new gadget? Talk about hubris!

And while it sounds great, do you think it then becomes a nation-wide FREE wifi network? Who's paying for all that broadband traffic? And will there be enough bandwidth for all those iPhone users out there? Are you planning on trusting all your communications to Starbucks?

And did Apple actually say you could make phone calls on this over WiFi?

BTW, since its an exclusive deal for two years, Cingular still gets their money for those two years. Which is better then not getting it, because, as you've already stated, the entire cell-phone network industry is slated for bankruptcy, now that Apple has developed a phone. Which is better then Verizon, who, by the end of 2007, will have just 7 customers.

that this closed system of Apple's for the iPhone will last indefinitely ?

People are acting like it can't be or won;t ever be hacked/cracked or modded_

5 minutes after my cell phone was released to the public a couple of years ago - there were mods left and right_

Nice. And how quickly has the iPod been modded/cracked? Where's all the mods for that to add missing features?

And not everyone is in love with using unapproved apps that may fail the second Apple pushes an OS update. Or software that may have no support (as opposed to Apple's software, which is approved but generally has no support).

I can see OSX's built in voice capabilities tied to the speakerphone and an AppleScript or 2 having this thing dialing for pizaa or ordering grocies or calling to set an appointment - no problem_ All while I'm driving down the road - broadcasting my music to my surroundsound speaker system jamming out_

What you can see, and what'll be there, that's two different things. And I just have my doubts that you'll be able to play music AND make calls at the same time. The problem is there's too many people falling over themselves to kill Steve's a** over a product you could only see through a case, like it was the Hope Diamond or something. And they still have four months to fix all the problems with it, add two months for that stupid "FCC approval" c*** Jobs was talking about, before it gets released.

the first ever to run a ful-blown desktop OS [OS X]

Um, its not a full desktop OS, its a pared-down version of an OS, sort of like Windows CE/Mobile. But if you want to pretend its a full OS, that's fine.

Well Couldn't they just sell a phone sans provider and let people just pick who they want? Why do they need to tie it to ANY service???



Well, no, not really. Cingular and tmobile use sim cards. I don't know if sprint does, and i know verizon doesn't. This is a costly option as you'd need several models. Firstly sprint uses a PTT network called NexTel. I didn't see a PTT button on the iPhone. Also, you'd need different broadcasting technologies for verizon and the other carriers. I don't know why people keep trying to make cingular out as some company with horrible service. If this were true there is no way in h*** i would stat with them iPhone or not. I think apple too this into though as well, the folks there are not idiots. This isn't just a cell phone by the way, it's an iPod and internet communicator as well. People are focusing far far too much on just the music part or just the cell phone part. This is by all means a landmark device, the first of its kind, and it needs to be taken as and talked about with that in mind.

I just realized that people have been howling at apple for years to bring back the newton...... I think this is the device in question, just under a new post-jobs-return iName. I wonder if anyone who was a mac head before the iPod will buy this phone, or what they think of it. I think it is brilliant, and i can't wait to own one and see for myself.