iPhone Sticks It to the Cell Companies
By David Golding
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Sorry for adding one more thing to the iPhone hype. I just have to pass along an observation that I think has been overlooked. Probably one of the best virtues of the iPhone is its push to force a change in how cell phone companies make and offer their products. AT&T, Verizon, and all the others claim that they make you sign contracts to subsidize the phone, but with the iPhone, that’s not true. You will be purchasing the phone from Apple, not AT&T. In other countries there aren’t any restrictions on what features a cell phone can have. But here in the U.S., the cell companies have a death grip on what a cell phone is capable of doing.
For example, let’s say you want a video player on the phone. The cell phone companies strip out video power to fit their own strategies for cell phone service. It’s not like they’re looking to integrate video with iTunes, for example. They want to power the whole thing, from digital video distribution for mobile devices to streaming video over their network. In this respect, not one manufacturer (Motorola, Nokia, etc.) has yet really fought for the consumer.
Apple, however, has vigorously taken head on the cell phone companies. When Verizon didn’t like the initial deal, they sent them packing and went with Cingular. Apple essentially has put the consumer up top, trying to put the features into the phone that we all want. To date, no one can doubt that it’s the most advanced smart phone out there. And the pricing plan, everything with AT&T has had Apple all over it.
So even if the iPhone is too expensive for you, one thing it is going to do is make it possible for manufacturers to demand more out of their deals with cell companies. No doubt Nokia, LG, or Motorola will try to build a better smartphone, and when they do, the competition will force cell companies to exit the practice of forcing the feature list to be what they want it to be. And if you do buy an iPhone, thanks for sticking it to the cell companies!
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