PSA: Things to keep in mind if you’re planning on buying an iPhone
Ξ June 30th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Hardware, Mac Stuff, Rumor Mill |
Well folks, the evidence is starting to roll in that those of us(myself included) who jumped ship to prepare for an iPhone did so under false pretenses. I’m disenchanted by the fact that it’s so crippled and the process and integreation isn’t what was to be expected… There are two dealbreakers for me here. No FAN discount, and no support for Exchange PUSH. I was considering it since I was under the impression that the corporate “hookup” I have would apply to the iPhone. So such dice.. Apple, like with everything else they have ever sold offers absolutely ZERO discount and price adjustments(such as Macbooks being sold in places such as Guitar Center.)
Here is some of the latest news and I will continue to report on this as information becomes availible. Click the link to see the entire thread including any updates to the information.
Quoted from http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/579009962631/m/221004385831/p/1:
PSA: Things to keep in mind if you’re planning on buying an iPhone – Topic by The Faceless Rebel
All of these have been confirmed and verified as factual at this time. One hopes that as word of some of these things gets out, AT&T and Apple will loosen some of the more onerous restrictions. This is not supposed to be an Apple-bashing/Apple-worshiping flamewar thread. The Battlefront is that way if those are the droids you’re looking for. If you’re here to worship at the Altar of Jobs, the Mac Achaia is also that way. This thread is merely to provide useful information to prospective iPhone buyers and nothing more.1) All iPhones must have a voice plan AND a data plan. AT&T is offering “bundle” plans with iPhone which consists of nothing more than a voice plan and data plan stuck together. They cost exactly the same as a regular phone with data and voice plans, there is no discount with the bundle.
2) iPhone is not only SIM-locked to AT&T, it is locked to the specific SIM it comes with. No other SIMs will work. If you put a different SIM in, you can use the iPod functions of the iPhone such as playing music, but the cellular network is locked out.
3) There is no way to transfer your existing contacts from your current SIM within the iPhone. You need to first transfer your existing contacts from your old SIM into iTunes, and then to the iPhone. If you already own a USB cable for your current phone, then you’re good to go. Most recent phones come with a USB data cable of some sort unless you got one of the cheapest free phones, in which case you aren’t in the iPhone’s target market anyways. Note that Bluetooth currently does not work for data transfer of any kind.
4) iPhone cannot be activated in the AT&T store. You must go home and activate through iTunes with a valid credit card. Current customers of AT&T are reporting very long activation wait times, as long as 2-4 hours.
5) If you buy an iPhone to try it, remember there is a 10% restocking fee if you open the box even if you are within the return period. This falls in line with Apple’s standard return policy, but not with AT&T’s. It’s an Apple product being sold at the AT&T store.
6) The return period is 14 days instead of the usual 30. Again in line with the Apple return policy, not the AT&T one.
7) Currently the iPhone does not support Adobe Flash, and it is unknown if it ever will as Apple is currently embargoing all 3rd party application development. Teh Great and Mighty Jobs has hinted there may be Flash at some point in the future.
Just to reiterate point (7), currently no 3rd party application development is allowed for iPhone. There is no SDK, and it cannot run ordinary Mac OS X applications. Furthermore even if you made an app there is no way to install your app on the iPhone as iTunes won’t allow it anyways. iTunes only lets you transfer music and videos.
9) Just to reiterate point (8), there is also no Java support so you can’t make applications that way. Apple has said there will never be Java support. Teh Great and Mighty Steve doesn’t like Java.
10) The battery is internal, just as with iPods. After 300-400 charges, you need to send your iPhone to Apple and they will replace the battery for a fee. Heavy cell phone users will probably need to send their iPhone in for a new battery in a year or less. I suspect that most Generation 1 iPhone buyers will upgrade to Generation 2 iPhone the moment it comes out anyways, so this point may be largely moot.
11) iPhone only supports AT&T’s 2.5G/EDGE network at this time, though Teh Great and Mighty Steve has already commented that there will be a 3G/UMTS/HSPA version of the iPhone when AT&T rolls out 3G in enough areas to justify support. I’ve been a Cingular/AT&T customer for a long time now, and knowing the glacial pace that AT&T rolls out network upgrades, that means the wait for a 3G iPhone could be long indeed.
12) There is no iChat at this time, and since 3rd party apps are not allowed, no other IM clients can ever be released for iPhone.
13) Currently the iPhone cannot use ordinary music tracks from iTunes as ringtones. It’s not known at this time if you can create your own ringtones in iTunes and then send them to your iPhone tagged as ringtones, or if this won’t be allowed because AT&T wants to violate you for additional fees to buy their premade ringtones. Remember, wireless companies never use lube.
14) The iPhone is exclusive to AT&T for at least 5 years. 5 years is like an eternity in the world of wireless communications. So, learn to like the restrictions that Apple and AT&T have placed on the iPhone, or don’t buy it, because you’re not going to see a Verizon or T-Mobile iPhone anytime soon. Remember, Apple never uses lube.
15) Bluetooth support is crippled. There is no OBEX so you cannot transfer music or other files to other devices. There are UNCONFIRMED reports that right now Bluetooth only works with the iPhone’s headset and nothing else. *STAND BY FOR UPDATED INFORMATION*
16) Just to reiterate points (7), (8), and (9), running AJAX scripts (AJAX stands for Asynchronous Javascript and XML, in case you’re wondering what AJAX is) does not in any way count as having a real SDK or being able to create and run 3rd party applications. There is no Reality Distortion Field powerful enough to make anyone think AJAX is the same as real applications.
17) Currently there is no voice dialing support in the iPhone. That is likely to change in the future, as just about everyone will clamor for such a feature to be implemented.
18) There are NO discounts on iPhone. No upgrade discount, no new customer discount, and no FAN (corporate/university) discount. You pay full price like everyone else, or you don’t get to buy iPhone. Simple.
19) Currently the bundled voice/data iPhone plans do not work with FAN discounts. iPhone buyers who have FAN accounts are now finding they cannot activate at all. This is presumably better than the previous problem where people who had FAN discounts were losing them from their accounts. I’m guessing that AT&T is working on this as we speak. Normally FAN discounts only work on voice plans and not data plans, so AT&T needs to figure out a way to calculate the value of their bundled plans separately and apply the FAN discount to the voice part of the plan only.
I hope this PSA has been helpful to prospective iPhone buyers. I would suggest that anyone interested in iPhone wait for the 2nd generation product rather than put down $500-600 for a device which seeks to restrict everything you can do with it while simultaneously finding creative new ways to siphon money from your wallet.