Patterico's Pontifications

Wait for a new carrier and a 40GB plus model. Anything less than 40 is useless if you actually use it for music and video. And what is there to say about AT&T?

Federale (a589e9) — 6/7/2010 @ 1:16 pm

> will be available in black or white,

Leaving the future “upgrade” to “Now, in colors!”

> It’s slim. It’s Apple cool. It’s still A&T.

1) It’s still Apple. Not allowing a single vendor to control my entire phone activities when there’s an alternative.

2) “It’s AT&T.”
AT&T kisses your ass because you’re paying them through the nose. That’s true of most companies. Otherwise, AT&T absolutely sucks. This is NOT true of many other companies, who provide good service to all customers. Again, “not when there’s an alternative”.

One reason they’re announcing this is to deal with the fact that they’re once more in “the Macintosh battle”.

They make what, for the moment, is the best phone. But the droid, across all makers, is outselling the iPhone, and will continue to do so because Apple doesn’t believe in “Not Sold Here”

They’re losing market share every day, and can’t grasp that they can’t win this battle no matter how inventive or excellent they are. Competition wins the overall standards race, every time. Because any good ideas created for the iPhone will also be done for the Droid.

I’d go with a Droid if/when you’re going to upgrade — it will catch up to the iPhone far faster than the IBM PC caught up with and surpassed the Mac OS.

IgotBupkis (79d71d) — 6/7/2010 @ 1:16 pm

Engadget said something about how the AT&T unlimited data plan was going away (I’m pretty sure they said it was frozen already so the new Iphone couldn’t be grandfathered). Also, I think AT&T has the exclusive for a couple more years at least.

Either way, it sounds cool if you can afford it. Actually, it sounds cool even if you can’t afford it, just more depressing in that case. 😉

Stashiu3 (44da70) — 6/7/2010 @ 1:18 pm

the headline looks like a score tally with bad spacing…

apple: 1

phone: 4

Phone is in the lead with 4!

Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 6/7/2010 @ 1:48 pm

While I disagree almost entirely with IgotBupkis’ post, I, too, must suggest that you buy an Android phone. I’ve got three such handsets — an Android Developer Phone (HTC Dream), a Google Nexus One and my newly-purchased T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide. The unlocked handsets [Dream/Nexus One] are running an open-source modified version of Android 2.1 called CyanogenMod. The Slide is running a T-Mobile-modified version of Android 2.1 sporting the “Sense” user interface. I have disabled this interface by installing a custom launcher application, something that is completely optional but preferred by many.

In any case, one nice thing about T-Mobile is that they discount your monthly plan if you own your own handset. So you could purchase an Android handset and bring it over to T-Mobile, saving a significant amount of money over the two years that you would otherwise be contractually subsidizing the cost of a new phone.

And if you decide to avoid T-Mobile as well, there’s always Verizon who offers the Droid and the Incredible — both great phones — or Sprint who has the HTC EVO 4G.

These are all much better solutions than the iPhone/AT&T combo.

h2u (dec0f9) — 6/7/2010 @ 1:54 pm

I’m tired of getting nickle and dimed by these compnies. Sprint is charging 10 bucks to use the 4g network.

bradnsa (058c94) — 6/7/2010 @ 2:07 pm

No phone is cool enough to be worth extending your contract with AT&T. Upgrade the network, not your phone. Unless you think the iPhone is coming to Verizon, that is; in that case wait until you can upgrade both.

Xrlq (1cd5bb) — 6/7/2010 @ 4:04 pm

Here’s a giggle watching Steve Jobs try to demo the phone …

SPQR (26be8b) — 6/7/2010 @ 4:07 pm

This is like having a pet rock. It’s all a question of what’s in fashion. If Mr. Jobs can get enough idiots to buy his toy and sign up with the worst possible service from AT&T so they look cool, good luck to him.

(Blackberry, Verizon. Does all I want from it.)

nk (db4a41) — 6/7/2010 @ 4:29 pm

gizmodo definitely thinks it is going to be on verizon, soon, too. in part based on the downright desperate AT&T quick upgrade rules.

fwiw.

A.W. (f97997) — 6/7/2010 @ 5:24 pm

Engadget said something about how the AT&T unlimited data plan was going away (I’m pretty sure they said it was frozen already so the new Iphone couldn’t be grandfathered).

Dealbreaker.

Patterico (c218bd) — 6/7/2010 @ 5:28 pm

AT&T exclusive deal for iPhone. Five year deal, around two to go.

Data plan details. If you have it already it will be grandfathered. No new sign-ups.

Stashiu3 (44da70) — 6/7/2010 @ 5:34 pm

As soon as iPhone comes to Verizon Wireless, I’m in.

RB (bed771) — 6/7/2010 @ 6:03 pm

I’ve not yet been in a place where there was Verizon service and not AT&T. I’ve been in the other situation, though. At my house, of course, there is no bars on either. Neither has 4G.

The new iPhone has 960×640 display, noise-cancellation, a flash, a picture phone (although only on wifi), 802.11n, longer battery life, a gyroscope (!) and better antennae. Plus more stuff.

I’ve got a GS with more than a year to go, but I’ll be there in 2011 when the 4G comes out. Which might even be 4G. If I had a 3 year old phone, I’d probably upgrade now.

Kevin Murphy (805c5b) — 6/7/2010 @ 6:08 pm

The current AT&T data plan of $30 unlimited is great if you watch TV on the phone a lot, and are never near wi-fi. Most people don’t use 10% of the $15 plan’s limit, let alone the $25 plan, and would save $15 by dropping to a fixed bandwidth plan.

Kevin Murphy (805c5b) — 6/7/2010 @ 6:11 pm

ATandT rules
customer satisfaction
Verizon blows dogs

ColonelHaiku (749d6d) — 6/7/2010 @ 6:18 pm

Barnum was right…

JEA (0ccd61) — 6/8/2010 @ 5:10 am

> ATandT rules customer satisfaction Verizon blows dogs

Marketing hype based on specially worded descriptions and questions, Mssr. Parrot, much like the very carefully worded “covers 96% of Americans” — take away the ending “ns” and it drops by a large fraction.

AT&T thinks they’re doing you a big favor to serve the likes of you.

I’ve never had Verizon ever be anything but polite and courteous, and the non-iPhone people I know who’ve had AT&T switched away as soon as their contract was up.

I don’t know anyone, offhand, who switched away from Verizon, excluding possibly to get an iPhone (i.e., “service” was not the cause)… and I know a lot of Verizon customers (not a statistical universe, I grant).

> While I disagree almost entirely with IgotBupkis’ post…

… except the important part… 😀
Though I’d like to know what, exactly, it is you DO disagree with, and on what basis… 😉

> I’ve not yet been in a place where there was Verizon service and not AT&T. I’ve been in the other situation, though.

Well, then you probably haven’t been outside of urban and dense suburban areas, because that’s where most of AT&T’s service is, just from looking at the service grid. I know for a fact it’s (AT&T -v- Verizon) crappier in less populous areas.

Wait till you get stranded on some back road in the middle of nowhere and have to walk 20 miles to get 1 bar with your now iRock. 😀

IgotBupkis (79d71d) — 6/8/2010 @ 5:30 pm

#18 IgotBupkis:

Well, then you probably haven’t been outside of urban and dense suburban areas,

I am sandwiched between two major metro areas on the East Coast, and no AT&T at all here…which is why I went with Verizon.

OTOH, I’ve been dealing with AT&T quite a bit for landline services for the last 6 months and have been very pleased with their customer services.

EW1(SG) (edc268) — 6/8/2010 @ 5:42 pm

That’s also why I often have more fun when I work outside my fields of knowledge or expertise. Thanks for reminding me… things have been a bit dreary lately and maybe a nice veer into the unknown is what I’m craving.

Kiev Hotel (577eff) — 1/20/2011 @ 10:38 am

6/7/2010

Apple iPhone 4

20 Responses to “Apple iPhone 4”

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