Tag: iPhone

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iPhone 3G: Seven Impossible Days

The title to this post has nothing to do with anything other than iPhone 3G will be released in seven days. “Seven Impossible Days” is a song recorded by Mr. Big.

It is the Fourth of July celebration for people in The United States, and Friday for the rest of the world.

In the meantime, MacNN reports that iPhone 3G starts forming at Apple Store Fifth Ave. in New York. I gotta say that these people are crazy. That’s “Seven Impossible Days” for me to wait in line for the iPhone 3G.

OK, at least I tried making sense of the title to this post to the content, even though no one might get it.

For all of our Canadian friends, unfortunately you’re no longer at the top of “Oh noes, our wireless data plans are ripping us off” list. Our Norwegian friends seems to be getting a more expensive plan.

what else?

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iPhone 3G and The Subsidy Dilemma

The original iPhone brought an interesting and effective concept to the mobile phone industry. The iPhone activation process was regarded as on of the greatest things that Apple brought to the mobile industry. Customer can buy the iPhone and activate it at their own time through iTunes. No more wasting the precious time at the store waiting for the phone activations. There were some problems with the activation process for the first few days as record numbers of people trying to do the same thing at the same time. After all the hickups the iPhone set a new standard for the mobile phone industry, the activation process in particular.

Since its introductions in January 2007, the iPhone was criticized by the so-called-tech-journalists who didn’t even have access to the phone. They screamed and yelled about the lack of 3G network support and the pricing of the iPhone. Let’s take a look at the two factors.

  1. 3G Network Support.
    Having a faster wireless network on the iPhone is a definite advantage. Some said that the 3G network support requires more power consumptions thus shortening the battery life. The so-called-tech-journalists declared that the iPhone is severely behind the times for not having 3G network support. The irony of this argument is that the same “tech journalists” were saying that the 3G support in the iPhone is pretty much useless because of AT&T’s lack of 3G network in the United States. Honestly, why would these so-called-tech-journalists criticize the original iPhone for not having 3G network support? That’s a rhetorical question.
  2. iPhone Pricing.
    In the United States, the iPhone was originally priced at $499 and $599 for the 4GB and 8GB iPhone respectively. The so-called-tech-journalists screamed and yelled for the lack of subsidy on the iPhone. Fast forward a year later, AT&T is now subsidizing the iPhone 3G with a few caveats. Based on the available informations, iPhone 3G requires in-store-activations and a two-year-agreement. Whatever happened to the easy-to-do activation process through iTunes? It’s now gone because of the subsidy. The pay-as-you-go plan is currently not available for the iPhone 3G. AT&T wants to deter all the unlocking by forcing the in-store-activation. For sure they are losing money for subsidizing phones that are not bound to their service contracts.

What have we learned here? We can’t have the cake and eat it too.

Eight more days to go, and we’ll see if how Apple would handle the iPhone 3G sales in their own retail stores. Until then, we could only speculate.

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The July Promise

There are a lot of things to write about, and I’m planning to write at least once a day for the month of July.

Let’s see what’s coming in this month.

Obviously, the iPhone 3G is coming July 11th. The continuing uproars against Canadian TelCo. Lots of news from the Apple camp.

I will be doing some camera work during the 4th of July Weekend. I’ll write more about it.

For starter, it’s July 1st. Ten more day to go till iPhone 3G madness, or lack thereof.

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The Adventure of an iPhone, One Year Later.

June 29th, 2007.

It was 18:00 hour at local time, the Apple Store reopened to welcome the marauding gangs of Apple enthusiasts. They had been waiting for hours just to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars  for the covetted iPhone. Yeah, it has been a year since the release of the iPhone. Technically it has been 366 days since the iPhone first went on sale, thanks to the leap year.

Anyway, I walked into an Apple Store for an appointment at the Genius Bar. I brought an iPhone that I purchased 366 days prior. The vibrate module has apparently fallen off. One of the “Geniuses” called my name and tended to my iPhone need. He looked at the dents and scratches on the iPhone and let a little laugh escape. I could only replied: “I know, but what can you do for me?”

I immediately asked: “Can you confirm if this iPhone is still under Warranty?”

He then answered: “As of today, no iPhone is out of warranty yet.”

That’s when I was pleasantly surprised. Apple initially set the term of their warranty as 365 days/year. Thanks to the wonderful leap year, the 365th day from June 29th 2007 falls on June 27th, 2008. Apple has been nice enough to rectify this situation by making the 1 year term involving February 29th as 366 days.

Anyway, it was a no brainer to verify hat the iPhone no longer vibrates. Not long after, I walked out with a perfectly functioning iPhone, courtesy of Apple Genius Bar.

When July 11 2008 comes, I know where I’ll be. Back at the Apple Store, picking up at least an iPhone 3G.

Well, I still have my original iPhone, and now my friend has a new iPhone. Did I mentioned that it was actually my friend’s iPhone? Yes I did buy the iPhone, but my friend paid for it. I have my own.

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The Revolt Against Rogers Canada

short version which will be updated later with a longer version because this one is really bugging me.

Blah blah blah iPhone 3g blah blah Canada, blah blah blah Rogers.

Rogers reveals iPhone 3G plan for Canada. No unlimited wireless data plan.

The series of tubes explodes with anger. iPhone 3G + Rogers = Screw You Canadian.

blah blah blah, tell Steve Jobs about it blah blah blah.

——-

Compared to AT&T plan for the iPhone 3G in the United States, the Canadian seems to get the shor end of the stick.

The main question is, why the revolt now? What about the Blackberry data plan? It was even more horrible than the iPhone 3G data plan.

The iPhone 3G can stir things up better than the Blackberry. Where’s the revolt against the Blackberry data plan? Blackberry + Rogers = Screw You Canadian

All in all, the wireless data plans in Canada are horrible to begin with. That has nothing to do with the iPhone 3G. Is the iPhone 3G plan any better than before. It seems to be that way, but what do I knwo. I’m still trying to figure it out reading Rogers site.

In clonclusion, blah blah blah iPhone 3G blah blah blah Steve Jobs blah blah blah Apple blah blah blah Rogers screws customers regardless.

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AirPort Utility 5.3.2

AirPort Utility Icon

Apple has been one busy company during the WWDC week. AirPort Utility 5.3.2 is released today for Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard, and Windows XP/Vista.

06/11/2008

AirPort Utility 5.3.2 for Leopard – 8.8MB | Tiger – 9.3MB | Windows – 10.3MB
Wireless networking that works with most Wi-Fi enabled devices, including Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod touch, and more.