Wireless Week In Review
It’s been awhile, nonetheless I thought I’d revive, er, resume my wireless week in review posts. With that awkward introduction, here are the news items of note that captured my fancy last week and the expected impact of the events:
1) For those gadget lovers with their heads buried in the sand this week, Rogers announced its pricing for the iPhone, which it will begin selling on July 11. The reaction from prospective users was negative to put it mildly. iPhone lovers are upset because Rogers won’t offer unlimited data plans unlike carriers based in other developed countries. Entry level iPhone (voice & data) plans start at what seems like a reasonable $60 price tag but heavy duty mobile web surfers and e-mail addicts will probably have to upgrade to the pricier $100+ plans if they are to use the device like a personal computer.
Net effect: Canadian iPhone users are going to have to pay no less than $150 a month to Rogers for the device if they want their iPhones to be anything more than a fashion accessory or a novelty.
2) Who doesn’t want to be Patrick Pichette, Google’s new chief financial officer, right now? Bell Canada’s outgoing president of operations will soon become the chief financial officer of Google Inc. Mr. Pichette, who struck me as understated sort the times we’ve spoken, must really know how to turn on the charm in person. So much so, Google is reportedly willing to pay Bell Canada’s outgoing president of operations the tidy sum of US$2.125-million for his first year of service.
As part of his pay package, Mr. Pichette will receive a $500,000 signing bonus. (Too bad the U.S. dollar is as low as it is right now though somehow I think he’ll manage.)
The hiring of Mr. Pichette is no doubt a well-deserved promotion for the seven-year veteran of Bell Canada. Anyone that has had to deal with the mess that is Bell Canada and still lives to speak about it must surely be qualified to head up Google’s finance department.
3) Nokia made its N78 device available at company stores in New York and Chicago. The smartphone has piqued the interest of many Europeans because it’s one of the company’s first devices to run the Ovi service. This is Nokia’s attempt to generate sales from mobile music and video games, which has for years been the exclusive domain of its carrier partners. If it is like any other Nokia device, it will be a technically superior product. However, the company faces an uphill battle for mindshare in North America given the media and consumer fascination with Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry.
Technorati Tags: Google, Bell Canada, Apple, iPhone, Rogers, Nokia N78
Rogers iPhone pricing plan backlash
To say Canadians are disappointed with the service plans announced by Rogers yesterday is an understatement.
Mad, angry, even vindictive are more appropriate adjectives that can be used to describe the visceral comments posted by agitated Canadians on various blogs and in response to news stories.
In a very unscientific research study today, the negative comments (and they’re not hard to distinguish) far outweighed the positive ones by about a 10:1 ratio. I’m being generous.
In short, prospective iPhone users are upset Rogers won’t offer unlimited data plans. In most, if not all, western nations where the iPhone has been released to date, carriers have offered unlimited data as an option for consumers.
Rogers, by contrast, has decided to offer plans with data usage ceilings. For those that missed the news, see the rates below. (thanks to Stephen Taylor for the graphic posted on his blog.)
Despite protests to the contrary by the carriers and the high priests of Bay St., it is widely believed that Canadian carriers maintain some of the highest wireless prices in the developed world.
Here’s a smattering of the angrier, and sometimes entertaining, comments that have hit the blogosphere over the past 36 hours:
“I will tell you one thing: I will not be getting an iPhone any time soon! Rogers, I would have bought one on July 11th if you had offered a $30 all you can eat data plan… but don’t count on it anymore! OK!”
Rogers’ most expensive plan includes only 800 anytime minutes whereas AT&T’s ($130 per month) includes unlimited anytime minutes.
Note. Unlimited
And yet the company has the gall to claim its packages are “high value”. What did Charles Dickens call Roger, one of the characters in Oliver Twist?
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/16242
“The fact that the Canadian partner has decided not to offer unlimited data plans as part of its offering changes the very nature of this device from one of free-flowing, integrated-in-to-my-life use, to a tool where the ever-present concern is that the meter is running as I use it.
As a result, I will not be purchasing an iPhone 3G. Until the Canadian wireless partner can bring forward pricing plans for its service which are more closely aligned with the natural operating design of the stunning product Apple has created, I simply cannot justify purchasing an iPhone.
I hope - as the visionaries behind the product - Apple takes a serious look at the service pricing scenarios which Rogers has put forward for the iPhone, and takes the appropriate steps to rectify this problem.”
- johnny appleseed on the unofficial apple weblog (TUAW)
“Big shock that the plans are terrible and expensive compared to other countries.
The data examples are also misleading. Loading a page like Facebook will use more like 1.2MB of data each time. That reduces your browsing from 3000 pages to 330. I would also imagine that the Maps application sucks a ton of that bandwidth.
Boo Rogers. I hope, hope, hope that we start to see some real mobile competition in this country soon.
“Just get rid of your phones then people and don’t complain. Don’t buy them then.
No one NEEDS a cell phone. It’s a luxury.
I got rid of mine two years ago and couldn’t be happier. I get by just fine with out it.
Oh but that’s just me I guess, and I “don’t have a job where I need it” some would say; who cares then anyhow, the company pays for it?
Canadians like to complain about everything.
If you don’t like the price, don’t buy it. Or if you’re jealous that another country has better plans, move.
Oh but “we shouldn’t have to move, we should have the same service as everyone else.”
Seriously? Are there any two countries that have the same ‘rates’ for anything? Not just cell phones? All countries differ, so deal with it.
Sounds like a bunch a pre-school whiners.
The power is in your hands NOT to purchase their product.
Amen to David’s comment. The iPhone data plans offered by Rogers may very well be among the highest in the developed world, if not the highest. If you’re not happy with the iPhone plans announced, don’t buy an iPhone. It’s that simple.
Technorati Tags: Rogers, iPhone, Apple
Rogers Wireless Releases iPhone Plans
Rogers announced a series of iPhone pricing plans with usage limits this morning, quashing speculation the carrier would offer all-you-can-eat deals for users of the much-anticipated gadget.
The hope, purveyed by this here blogger and others that fanned the iPhone pricing speculation in recent weeks, was that Rogers would make a $30 unlimited data plan like the one offered by U.S. counterpart AT&T, available to users. Rogers will start selling the iPhone on July 11.
The reality will be much different for users of the iPhone on the Rogers networks once that date arrives. The entry-level iPhone combo voice and data plans, which costs $60 a month, gives users 400MB of data and 150 daytime minutes. The $75 a month plan provides users with a 750MB data allotment and 450 daytime minutes.
These limits will more than likely be too low for many smartphone users. iPhone fanatics that take the $60 Rogers plan - the cheapest plan offered by the carrier - will probably find they will reach the plan limits quickly.
It’s not hard to chew up 400MB in other words. Rogers, for its part, says the plan using 400 MB of data equates to 200,000 text e-mails or 3,100 web pages or 1,360 photo attachments. The 2GB plan represents up to 1,048,000 text e-mails or 16,000 Web pages or 7,000 photo attachments.
I’m not sure I follow the math. As a longtime smartphone user, it’s not hard to hit a data usage ceiling.
Check out a few web sites, your Facebook page, send some text messages to your friends while waiting for your ride. Repeat the cycle enough times, throw in some other data-oriented activities and voila! You’ve reached your limit.
iPhone users worried about overage limits and accompanying costs can use the Wi-Fi hotspots as part of a monthly iPhone subscription. Probably a smart practice to employ - the overage charges weren’t immediately apparent. One guess - it won’t be cheap.
Equally notable is the low daytime minute allotment, especially on the low-end plans, which makes it a non-starter for business people, who are typically heavy voice and data users. Urban professionals, who rely on their mobile device for all their communications needs, may also find the entry-level plans insufficient.
These are the types of customers Rogers is trying to attract with the iPhone.
Those target customers, who typically use the device like a personal computer, will probably have to opt for the $100 or $115 per month iPhone option from Rogers.
Per my original prediction, Canadian iPhone users who want the device to be something more than a fashion accessory or the occasional Web browsing device will need to pay between $150 to $200 a month (once the system access fee, features such as voicemail and taxes are included.)
The pricing plans puts the iPhone within the realm of reality for some Canadians. Many others, who had anticipated the arrival of unlimited data pricing plans, will be disappointed.
Technorati Tags: Rogers, iPhone, Apple
Canadian iPhone pricing
The iPhone pricing cat is out of the bag.
Canadian Mac blog ehMac.ca has apparently got its hands on an e-mail detailing the iPhone service plan prices, which look quite reasonable on the surface.
For $30 a month, consumers will apparently be given unlimited web and e-mail access. The data service must be combined with a voice plan from Rogers. Visual voicemail, a key selling point for iPhone enthusiasts, is included as part of a voicemail plan.
Enterprise users that want personal and corporate e-mail are on the hook for $45 a month on top of calling plan costs.
All told, iPhone users will likely pay anywhere from $80 to $100 a month once taxes and the system access fee is included in the final tally. Not bad - right?
Probably. There are two kickers users need to be aware of before consumer buy an iPhone in July.
First is the 3-year plan. Canadians will be asked to commit to one before their beloved device is activated on the Rogers/Fido networks.This is a unique Canadian wireless construct. Users should calculate their costs over the three-year period before entering a Rogers store.
Another potential kicker is the Rogers definition of unlimited data usage. In the Canadian wireless vernacular, unlimited has in past not been used in the strict Webster’s definition of the word, leading to higher-than-expected costs for Canadian smartphone users. The low ceiling on unlimited data plans has also acted as an inhibitor of sorts to smartphone adoption in Canada.
As more handsets, like the iPhone, are introduced to Canadians and data plans are made to be truly unlimited, expect to see more BlackBerrys and iPhones in the hands and on the hips of Canadians in the near future.
First up is the second-generation iPhone, which operates on Wi-Fi, EDGE and 3G networks. Rogers will make it available to Canadians on July 11. The 8GB model will be sold for $199 and the 16GB model will be sold for $299.
Rogers wireless plans to "evolve"
So how low will Rogers go?
That’s the question yet to be answered by the wireless service provider, which earlier today all but said it will lower data rates or throw more features into its wireless plans next month when it foists the iPhone on Canadians.
Rogers chief executive Nadir Mohamed said the company’s wireless plans need to “evolve” now that Canadians are using their handsets for to trade e-mail messages, play games and music.
He made the comments on Monday at a telecom conference in Toronto.
The changes come as the Canadian wireless spectrum auction, which will bring a new slate of competitors to the marketplace, winds down.
But Canadians shouldn’t hold their breath while waiting for a truly ‘unlimited’ data plan.
Mr. Mohamed and his talented counterparts that run the wireless divisions of Bell Canada and Telus have chosen not to engage in price wars unlike their U.S. brethren. The Big Three have also pooh-poohed the idea of U.S. ‘all-you-can-eat’ plans, which are commonplace now in the U.S.
Rogers instead has emphasized its superior handsets and GSM network to take a leadership position in Canada.
Overall, the Canadian approach to wireless pricing has meant jaw-dropping bills for most domestic smartphone users, especially those that travel outside their respective area codes.
But this pricing dynamic is changing as subscriber growth slows down and the federal government subsidizes a new slate of wireless entrants via the reserved spectrum sold off as part of the auction.
“We want pricing that actually drives adoption,” Mr. Mohamed told Bloomberg News. “What you will see categorically is more value.”
This likely doesn’t mean substantially lower prices though more bang for the wireless buck may be delivered in future.
Expect data usage ceilings to be lifted somewhat but future iPhone users will still need to open up their pocketbooks probably to the tune of $150 to $200 a month.
Zune’s chances for success - improving by the generation
The Zune, with little fanfare, was made available to Canadians for the first time on Friday. The real question is ‘does anyone care?’
Initially, the answer for most Canadians will be a resounding ‘no.’
When people think of digital music, the iPod and Apple (generally speaking) come to mind. The iPod is to digital music as Kleenex is to tissues or Google is to search. Apple upped the ante last week in Canada last week with the news that Rogers will introduce the iPhone on July 11. It’s a different device category to be sure but the announcement only served to further reinforce the notion that Apple is at the forefront of mobile music development.
Making the situation more difficult for Microsoft is the negative attention showered on the Zune to date. What little media attention the Zune has received in the United States has been mostly of the negative variety.
Nonetheless, it’s far too early to discount the software giant as a viable competitor in the fast-growing digital music player market.
Don’t laugh. Look at Microsoft did in the home video game console with its xbox. Sony, with its Playstation, was the leader in that field for a numbers of years. Microsoft, with the latest generation released about two years, has leapfrogged Sony to become the No. 1 console supplier.
This isn’t to say the Zune will overtake Apple’s role as the No. 1 provider of digital music players. Quite the opposite. Apple owns roughly 70% of the market for digital music players, which is a nearly insurmountable gap to overcome.
But Microsoft’s cash and wherewithal makes it a force to be reckoned in the music player market even though it remains far behind Apple and even bit competitors such as Sandisk. Microsoft will make it work. The company needs the Zune to be a success if it is to maintain its status as the de facto personal computing ecosystem leader.
These factors have led to the second iteration of the Zune, which is (apparently) a much improved version of the device that was first released almost two years ago in the United States.
Microsoft wisely threw a lot of spaghetti on the walls when it created the second-generation Zune. Much of it looks like it will stick.
Take for instance the device’s social aspects. There’s an online Zune community which allows you to connect with friends, whose musical predilections you can monitor and mock by tracking their Zune profiles.
Another differentiating factor apparently is the software that helps users organize music on their PCs.
The skins created for the Canadian Zune owners are a clever and fun way to the interest of gadget lovers.
With each iteration, the Zune looks less like a ‘me too’ device.
All of these factors gives the company a much better chance of success in Canada and abroad. By my count, the device can be considered a success if it is to reach double digit market share sometime in 2010. This isn’t a unrealistic goal as the digital player market still has a lot of room to grow.
The company could however do itself a few favours.
Microsoft should allow its device to connect to iTunes. Easier said than done I understand given Apple’s wish to go it alone. Whether its music organization software is irrelevant. The company needs to work out a deal with Apple. Microsoft has leverage in said negotiations.
Second, Microsoft should allow its users to share music more readily. Three shares of a song isn’t enough, which is what Zune users can do currently with their songs. This (proposed) feature will help further differentiate the device from Apple’s iPod and other competitors.
These are ‘perfect world’ suggestions of course and are much more difficult to implement than discuss.
Regardless, people always want alternatives and the digital music player market is no different. The iPod may be cool and/or entrenched in the marketplace. Nonetheless, some consumers will want to try another device if only to be different.
Expect to see a few more Zunes on the hips and in the hands of Canadians in the coming months and years to come.
iPhone in the Enterprise: Don’t Hold Your Breath
So the much-discussed iPhone will soon run all sorts of business software on faster so-called 3G networks as of next month.
Great news for the consumer who has been longing to use his or her iPhone for business purposes - right?
Good luck. The odds are still against against the employee when the inevitable iPhone showdown with the IT department - that will inevitably occur over the months to come.
Here are three reasons why:
1) Security. It’s nowhere near where it needs to be if enterprises are to trust the iPhone to handle sensitive corporate data. The forthcoming iPhone, dubbed the 3G iPhone for its ability to run on the latest wireless networks, acts as a four-lane highway for hackers trying to access sensitive data over a Wi-Fi network. Furthermore,
2) Support. This is a long-time problem for Apple when trying to sell to businesses in Canada and worldwide. Apple CEO Steve Jobs did very little to dispel the notion that Apple is better off servicing consumers during the worldwide developer conference held in the San Francisco area this past week. Very few details were provided as to how Apple will answer the demands of users and administrators with remote management, password or other concerns. How about remote troubleshooting? You get the picture.
3) Company DNA. Jobs himself has said in past he prefers to service consumers. Despite Apple’s latest push into the enterprise, one has to wonder what the company’s response will be when businesses come calling - the company has been down this road before without much success.
Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone will be better equipped to handle the security and IT management needs of mobile professionals and CIOs. The forthcoming wave of applications being created by mobile app developers will also allow users to better handle their business needs. But the device is still wanting in many areas such as lack of native data encryption and an over-the-air means to deploy enterprise applications. There are too many others to mention in this space.
Just don’t expect too many of your colleagues over the next year to have iPhones for business purposes anytime soon.
The iPhone is still very much a device suited for consumers and the smallest of businesses, where security and support are of lesser concern.
The BlackBerry, Nokia, and the Windows Mobile camp will rule the day in all other types of enterprises for the foreseeable future.
iPhone pricing in Canada - unlimited or not?
With Rogers set to bring the iPhone to Canada next month, the question for Canuck gadget lovers becomes this: how much will I have to fork over to own and operate the coveted device on a monthly basis?
Canadians will have to wait for several weeks to get the answer. Rogers and Apple only said they’ll announce rate pricing plans at a later date.
But it’s fair to say the answer will probably upset Canadians eager to get their gadget-loving hands on the popular device.
???????? ????? ????????Canada’s voice and data wireless plans are expensive when compared to its developed nation peers.
So it’s hard to imagine Rogers coming out of the gate with a US$20 all you can eat iPhone data plan like AT&T in the United States did last year at this time.
One small bonus: The Financial Times reported earlier today that Apple has struck deals with carriers to allow for subsidized phones. This may mean Canadian iPhone owners will have part of the upfront cost subsidized by Rogers when the user inevitably is asked to take an onerous 3-year contract.
To date, iPhone owners have been asked to pay the full freight, whether or not they took a contract or not.
The iPhone announcements were made earlier today at Apple’s worldwide developer conference (WWDC), a four-day company love-in for developers. Apple also said it’s going to introduce a faster version of the iPhone in 22 countries, including Canada, next month.
The new iPhone, which is designed to run on high-speed 3G networks, has captured the fancy of gadget lovers because of its touchscreen, the web browsing experience and its slick design.
iPhone owners won’t be disappointed. As a former iPhone owner, I can say the device offers an unparalled mobile web browsing experience. The battery life was poor but I attribute it to my amateur phone unlocking skills. Others that have unlocked the iPhone haven’t had problems.
Rogers customer service may be an issue if early reports back are any indication. Look to this space later this week for further iPhone pricing details.
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Apple WWDC rumor roundup
It’s early June which means Apple is set to host its worldwide developer conference in Cupertino, Calif.
Most if not all of the news to be announced over the next four days seems to have already been spilled onto the web in the form of rumours. The noise leading up to any Apple event is typically deafening.
The most widely-dispersed and discussed rumor leading up to Apple’s annual developer love-in involves, not surprisingly, the iPhone. That is to say a 3G version of the iPhone will most likely be announced when Steve Jobs takes the stage later today. It’ll be old news for anyone that has punched Apple into a Google News search field over the past three months.
Apple has signed a number of deals with carriers in countries overseas where 3G networks have been the norm for some time, hence the need for a 3G iPhone.
There is much more debate about features that may or may not be included in next-generation iPhones. The rumours run the gamut - everything from GPS functionality, a QWERTY keyboard, a wider screen, and video chat capabilities are frequently-discussed possibilities.
One other product that will surely be announced later this week is something called the Mac Fusion, according to The Unofficial Apple Weblob (TUAW). The blog posted three photos of the new device, which is apparently an updated Mac Mini. Apple hasn’t released an updated Mac Mini for almost a year, which is almost a lifetime in Steve Jobs years. The new Mac Mini, if TUAW is correct, will be flatter and contains a dual-core processor from Intel like its Macbook and iMac siblings.
It’s also supposed to make the lives of application developers easier. The ad copy, obtained by TUAW, reads like something created by Apple marketing types.
“Building your applications for the Mac has never been easier. Mac Fusion was designed exclusively for new developers wishing to port their existing programs to the Mac without breaking the bank. Mac Fusion allows you to explore the power and stability of Max OS X while keeping the ability to run alternate operating systems such as Windows or Linux, via Boot Camp.”
The iTunes App Store, a clearing house for iPhone application development, will likely go live this week. The software developer kit has been available for download for months which has led presumably to the creation of applications for the popular iPhone. Expect Steve Jobs to show off some of the new apps and the App Store at some point this week.
Commentary will be added once the Apple parade starts early this afternoon (1PM EST).
Twitter hater
Faced with constant service interruptions and an annoying hype cycle, I’ve relegated Twitter to the snail mail category of communications.
That is to say I’ll check it once a day for a very short period of time, assuming of course the network is operational.
The reasons for my frustration with the network are manyfold. The overhyped social network has been hobbled by service problems over the past month if not longer. Furthermore, information is hard to organize and frankly the Twitter hype far exceeds its utility even when the thing is at peak performance.
Nary a day has gone by where I haven’t received a message along the lines of: “Something went wrong! Try again!” Or how about the oft-used overly cute and annoying message: “Bring that beat back! You’ll be able to access Twitter in a few seconds.”
Why is that what seems like every other social network is able to grow with its user base except for Twitter?
Twitter has tried to blame its poor performance on everything and everyone. First, it was the fault of Lee Mighdoll, the former vice-president of engineering, who was likely pushed out in April. Then it was the fault of Ruby on Rails, a reliable open source Web application framework. I personally think Osama Bin Laden has something to do with Twitter’s performance problems.
I also receive far more spam, of the social network variety, if you will on Twitter. It’s not the traditional garden variety e-mail spam. It’s more like the barnacle type. You know what I’m talking about Twitterers. They’re the spambots/dummy accounts that want you to click through to some link farm that’s chock o block with self-hypnosis or stop smoking messages. I receive at least 2 of these notices a week.
The second major reason is the terrible organization of information on Twitter. The more people I follow on the network, the less
There are of course features that make it appealing on a limited basis - the microblogging feature most notably. The negatives far outweigh the positives.
Then there are the Web snobs that for some unknown reason prefer Twitter. The avid Tweeters or Twitterers blindly insist Twitter is a better social network despite its obvious flaws. The slavish devotion to what increasingly seems like a flawed platform only makes me want to decrease my usage further.
Yet I will remain a Twitter user - it’s hard to ignore a platform that’s adding 1.2 million users a month. This is the power of networks. It is relegated to a network I will check no more than once a day status. Long live Facebook. Long live LinkedIn and Plurk. There’s a reason the first two networks mentioned will remain well-trafficked sites for the time being at least.
Performance matters. Down with Twitter. Wait a sec - it’s already down!
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