AT&T iPhone not to be pre-sold
23 comments
Filed in AT&T, Apple, EDGE, Exclusives, GSM
If you have not been able to get your iPhone fix as of lately, this might help hold you over. According to an internal document from AT&T, the Apple iPhone has "advanced software 5 years ahead of any phone". But you already knew that. AT&T also states that they will be "the only wireless carrier in the U.S. launching the iPhone and will have exclusivity for the forseeable future."The document goes on to detail the selling process of the iPhone:
- "iPhone will be available sometime in June. The exact date has not been announced, specific dates should not be provided to customers.
- Sales for the iPhone will be on a first come, first served basis. No wait list of names will be taken and NO pre-selling is allowed.
- Two models of the iPhone will be available, a 4GB will retail at $499 and have an 8GB will retail at $599. If asked what the price will be, answer that the prices have been announced as $499 for the 4G, and $599 for the 8G, respectively. There should NOT be any additional speculation/discussion about pricing."
A $500 iPod that makes phone calls; SWWWEEET
Permalink | Reply
Why won a $500 ipod that makes phone calls when you can own a $600 ipod . . . that makes phone calls!
Permalink | Reply
All of this heavy-handed verbiage about NOT speculating on pricing… Looks like there will be subsidization after all. You’ll walk in expecting to be banged-over-the-head with a $6-hundo price tag and be happy when you fork over $450 instead (with a new 2 year contract).
Excellent.
Permalink | Reply
I don’t know, I can ‘forsee’ two years into the future. Unless AT&T thinks the world is going to come to an end before their exclusive contract expires.
Permalink | Reply
how arrogant is it to say it’s “five years ahead” in s/w? 2yrs in an eternity in any type of technology, and samsung seems to have some pretty advanced reverse engineering *cough*ripoff*cough*
what could they even mean by that? are they talking about the touch sceen? whatever it is, i’ll bet there’s a copy cat six months later
Permalink | Reply
I think by 5 years ahead they mean the software running underneath the phone and its abilities. As far as cell phone software goes its very proprietary and doesn’t leave lots of room for advancement. The iPhone however, at least by the looks of it, might have some more flexibility in the way its used.
Permalink | Reply
Actually, I believe it was Steve Jobs who said that the iPhone had software that was at least 5 years ahead of anything else available now. The information on the internal communication document is nothing that has not previously been announced, if you’ve been closely watching the reports on this item.
Permalink | Reply
There’s a line “Your Music, Your Way” in there capitalized like it will be their new slogan. I did a Google search and nothing even remotely related to Apple or AT&T showed up.
Does this mean we will be able to purchase music wirelessly after all?!?!
Permalink | Reply
Let’s get this straight. The iPhone is NOT 5 years ahead of its time. It reflects the best technology of TODAY.
All other phones happen to be 5 years BEHIND. Big distinction.
Permalink | Reply
Vista was at least 3 years behind Mac OS X. I suspect it will be at least 3 years before any other phone will match Apples combination of form, function, and quality
Permalink | Reply
This is not the best idea - only one provider ist not really perfect…
Permalink | Reply
When has Cingular/AT&T ever had pre-sells for any of their devices? As far as I know they never have. So why should the iPhone be any different?
Permalink | Reply
There will be a competitor six months before it:
http://www.openmoko.org
Permalink | Reply
mainstream cell phones in other countries like Japan have been 4 to 5 years ahead of the U.S. for decades, so when Jobs arrogantly said 5 years ahead……..I hope he meant ahead of phones in the U.S.
The Iphone will be a flop!!! prices will drop by $200.00 after 2-3 months.
Permalink | Reply
“Vista was at least 3 years behind Mac OS X. I suspect it will be at least 3 years before any other phone will match Apples combination of form, function, and quality”
It still is very far behind Mac OS X…it will be another 5 years until their next OS upgrade, which then might pull it ahead of tiger. By that time Apple will be on OS 12!
The iPhone’s core (OS X) and multi-touch is what makes it revolutionary and 5 years ahead of any other phone. If anything, I think Jobs was being modest!
Permalink | Reply
The Blackberry 8800 will still blow the iPhone away, in terms of cost, function abilities, email capabilities, keyboard usability, and screen size. 8800 does not look too shabby.
I cannot see how useful the touch screen keyboard can be. Society is too used to the qwerty keyboard, and most of us grew up typing 80 words a minute to the qwerty keyboard; therefore, corporate businesses will not adapt to the Iphone.
You’ll only find Ricky Martin wannabes with this phone.
Blackberry and the Qwerty keyboard will win the battle at the end of the day.
Permalink | Reply
what does ricky martin have to do with it?
Permalink | Reply
I just love the idea of somebody typing 80 words a minute on a Blackberry as the reason why corporate businesses will not adapt to (I assume this should read: adopt) the iPhone; what about non-corporate businesses?
Permalink | Reply
It is dumb to put it on one carrier and it will not decrease in price. It will be a big hit when it goes to other carriers. Apple is making a huge mistake in making it only with one carrier. Hope apple gets smart and unlocks it.
Permalink | Reply
Why should they presell the iphone? It’s the one device that will get people in line to go into the stores. Preselling it would just keep customers out of the stores.
Permalink | Reply
does ricky martin has an iphone? maybe…
Permalink | Reply
apple doesn’t have to unlock the iphones…luckily everybody can do this now within 5 minutes
Permalink | Reply
i think that your all wrong about the iphone. its the best phone that has come out and yeah it is 5 years ahead of its time but so what. im 14 years old and i have the iphone and its better that any other phone thats out there.
Permalink | Reply