Comments on: Apple and AT&T: Who's Exploiting Whom?

By: steve, cleveland oh

steve, cleveland oh — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:06:46 +0000

Jim from Cincinatti – Thanks for your statistically relevant comment. I am sure you represent the greater cell phone market.

By: John from Cincinatti

John from Cincinatti — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:08:33 +0000

I think everyones forgetting that AT&T has less than 2 years on their contract with Apple. After that, i fully expect the iPhone to be offered with other carriers.

Now how many customers will start switching to Verizon when/if they offer the iPhone? How many are willing not to switch to AT&T now and wait for the iPhone to improve and be offered with other carriers in the future?

By: James Katt, Monterey, CA

James Katt, Monterey, CA — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:31:43 +0000

The iPhone will bring in millions of new AT&T customers and millions of new Mac Users.

Both AT&T and Apple are laughing all the way to the bank. The relationship is profitable for them both.

Apple's customers are generally fanatically love their Apple products. Because of this, they naturally sell Apple's products in conversation with others. This brings in more customers to Apple.

The iPhone attracts users who are fed up with other cell phones, just as Steve Jobs predicted.

Now with the new SDK in January, the iPhone will soon take over from Blackberry and Palm and Windows Mobile smartphones.

By: Jim Richmond VA

Jim Richmond VA — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:39:39 +0000

Methinks thou art too melodramatic.

Since when has Apple warranted the nefarious undertones ascribed to it in your writing?

Apple, believe it or not, is one of the least exploitive companies on the planet. Shrewd, yes, exploitive no. Evil iBricking notwithstanding.

Just an observation: it's become trendy lately to malign the company as, for example, 'the new Microsoft', etc. It's just plain wrong.

I realize it may lead you to believe that the article is more compelling if you cast the Apple/ATT relationship as exploitive, but it's gratuitous at best to do so.

By: Jakub Kudlacz, North Hollywood, CA

Jakub Kudlacz, North Hollywood, CA — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:22:22 +0000

I think a lot of people are wrong in regard to early termination of a contract. If you want an iPhone now, why wouldn't you pay 150 dollars to terminate your contract with your current provider. Many people that use services such as text messaging, internet, picture messaging and so on would rather get the iphone now and it will cost them extra 150 bucks, its not even days work. You don't go out to dinner twice and there you go. Besides time is money, so why waste your time to get what you really want. Especially since the product you acquire will make you more productive and efficient. You will probably get your money back in few months if not sooner.

By: mark, boston, ma

mark, boston, ma — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:02:59 +0000

By the way, I'm still on T-mobile with my crappy RAZR 2. Just waiting for it to expire. Often been tempted to just go ahead and terminate, especially whenever I travel (and I do a lot).

Marc Zeedar at macopinion.com has an interesting series (yes, just an anecdote) of being on the road with just iPhone and no laptop.

By: henry, chandler, arizona

henry, chandler, arizona — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:26:44 +0000

I dunno that switching in the middle of a two year contract with T-Mobile was a dumb idea. My family and I found it easy to dump our T-Mobile products (an MDA, Blackberry, and three Sidekicks) in favor of Apple's iPhone.

Yes, having to pay $1000 to terminate our contracts was a downside; paying it, however, was easy to swallow considering the ease of use we're experiencing with our iPhones.

Earlier this year we dumped our windows boxes in favor of an iMac, three MacBooks, and a MacBook Pro. Even though the Macs were more expensive than some of the windows boxes we looked at it was a no-brainer making the switch.

We dumped T-Mobile because they did a very poor job of integrating their products with our Macs. Now that we have our iPhones everything just works.

I'm wondering if other new Mac users will be sharing our experience over the next few months. What happens when they discover that their T-Mobile, Verizon, and other phones are causing too much friction in their digital lives?

By: mark, boston, ma

mark, boston, ma — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:46:40 +0000

I do want to point out that the Jan 2007 ChangeWave survey occurred after iPhone was introduced. So Oct's 23% is still 9% above what is was before iPhone was introduced. And Verizon's 28% before has only rebounded to 21%.

So I think Todd is wrong. The 28% and 30% were from a backlog of all the people with contracts expiring in the first 6 months of 2007, and just waiting for iPhone to come.

By: mark, boston, ma

mark, boston, ma — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:40:40 +0000

When PED states things correctly, there's no reason to correct him.

I can think of several things to criticize/bash Apple for, but PED hasn't written about any of them. If he did and used factual evidence to do so, I'd support him.

ex ped: Several things? You've got my e-mail address, Mark. Feel free to drop me a line. –Philip Elmer-DeWitt

By: Nodack Phoenix AZ

Nodack Phoenix AZ — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:50:57 +0000

The article suggests that anybody that was going to switch to the iPhone gas done it already. How many people are locked into another wireless carrier and are just waiting for their contract to run out so they can switch.

There has been so much talk about the dreaded two year contract with AT&T. I had no idea that AT&T was the only wireless carrier on the planet that makes you sign a a two year contract with them when you sign up. Just kidding, pretty much all of them except maybe one company makes you sign up for two years.

Anybody that was going to buy an iPhone has done so already?

It really doesn't matter what the "experts" think because nobody knows what is going through the minds of millions of cell phone users but themselves.

If iPhone sales go flat over the next quarter then we will know that the "experts" were right. Since the "experts" are wrong 99% of the time, my money us on Applesince they keep proving the "experts" wrong quarter after quarter.