O2 is poised to reduce prices on the iPhone 3G in the UK. It would seem.
According to a report in Mobile Today, the online arm of the UK cellular-industry trade rag Mobile, the iPhone will be free on £35 and £45 per-month plans. Currently, the 16GB version is free on a £75 per month contract and the 8GB version is free on £75 …
>> but these two issues simply rule it out for me as a phone.
you mean, they rule it out for you as a PDA
phones are for talking to people and you can't really use turn-by-turn navigation while you're talking to someone. get a printout from googlemaps instead
.. it has a decent camera (5mp) with VGA (or higher) video recording, can do turn-by-turn satnav, and can run apps concurrently (a slingplayer client would be nice also!).
I'm not going to jailbreak my phone to fix this relatively minor niggle. But is is a thorn in the side of my iPhone.
Not as bad an not being able to use the thing as a satnav in my car though. I wouldn't mind if they insisted that it was attached to a charger while working as a GPS.
And using it as a modem. I've had to splash out an extra £15 / month for an orange dongle when I've got a perfectly capable 3G bluetooth device. Grrrr.
And I can't leave fring running in the background.
Have never actually felt the need to copy/paste yet, but I guess this will be a niggle too.
I don't care about the camera. It's crap. OK for snaps in daylight (if nothing is moving). I've got a perfectly good compact + a dSLR for that.
Fix these things, stick a camera on the front for vid conf.
The iphone is a nice computer in a small box with a small screen. But what if they split the two - what if you could plug your iphone into a different screen and keyboard? Then you could have a 7inch nettop or a 10 inch laptop, both powered by your iphone.
The connection wouldn't be wires as you have on a conventional computer. It would be a slot-in connection (proprietary, of course) that would envelop the phone - looking at it you've never know your phone was inside.
Once you've made that leap, then the alternate form factors wouldn't stop at keyboards and screens but include power supplies, separate batteries and so on. You could have tablets (5 inch or 10 inch) or even change the display - an eInk display tablet with iTunes for reading matter would flatten Amazon's Kindle.
Apple ipod already has a wide range of accessory partners, so there is a ready group of manufacturers. Apple gets to provide a market for clones, yet keeps control of the end user experience and charges the manufacturer for the privilege. By keeping them dumb (because they are nothing without the iphone brain), the new class of device aren't really clones but zombies.
"It might even allow true turn-by-turn GPS navigation - or even cut and paste.
I love everything about the iphone but these two issues simply rule it out for me as a phone."
Just FYI, neither of those things make it a phone. They don't rule it out as a phone at all.
I don't think it will be long before "The ability to communicate verbally with somebody a great distance away" is listed as a Feature, rather than a Purpose. >.<
You obviously didn't notice the key words in text that you quoted.. the ones that said "for me", as in "they rule it out FOR ME as a phone".
Some people do require their phones to do these things! Once you have had a phone that does, it is very hard to move to a phone that doesn't.
Maybe we shouldn't call them phones, then you would be happy? How about multimedia computers? Oh.. Nokia already got that one ;)
Seriously though - a lot of people seemt to come on here and comment to the effect of "why on earth would a phone need a (camera/gps/radio/coffee maker) as long as it can make calls". There are plenty of phones out there which are perfect for those people, but some people DO want all the extra features, and believe it or not do actually use them!
And the other argument is usually "why do I want a camera on my phone when I have a perfectly good (compact/dslr/photo studio)?". Well because I don't want to carry about a massive camera, however I do always carry about my phone! And I appreciate that my phone snaps won't be stunning, but they do the job.
I don't know what it is about phones & netbooks that bring out the fail brigade. All I ever notice about these people is that they fail to grasp the fact that sometimes the lowest common denominator isn't what the majority want.
Yes these are still phones, but the feature-set that comes with that functionality is what people compare in order to choose the phone that is right for them.
Takes about 5 minutes and is incredibly straightforward, it gives lots of added functionality, allows updates to the OS software through iTunes (then re-Jailbreak). You can easily restore if there is a problem that requires returning the product.
"Takes about 5 minutes and is incredibly straightforward, it gives lots of added functionality, allows updates to the OS software through iTunes (then re-Jailbreak). You can easily restore if there is a problem that requires returning the product.
What's the issue?"
Apart from the dubious legality, and the fact that it's still a hassle?
Well, there's the simple question of why the hell SHOULD I have to hack my phone to do standard things? Forwarding txt's is actually quite useful; and how ANY computer can not have cut'n'paste is beyond me.
I will get an iphone when they are 32GB or hopefully more in size.... 16GB just now is far too expensive for the size. Think im gonna end up buying one in europe somewhere, 500 euros is a bit steep for a glorified phone / media player / camera / spirit level oh and that awesome carlsberg pint thing...
....do you mean 'slash price' or 'cut price' or 'reduce price' ?? ...axe in this context usually means to delete/remove/terminate... I thought your headline meant they wear going to make them free.....!!!!
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O2 to axe iPhone prices?
O2 is poised to reduce prices on the iPhone 3G in the UK. It would seem. According to a report in Mobile Today, the online arm of the UK cellular-industry trade rag Mobile, the iPhone will be free on £35 and £45 per-month plans. Currently, the 16GB version is free on a £75 per month contract and the 8GB version is free on £75 …
This topic is closed for new posts.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 07:16 GMT
Steve Button
But will the new one be able to FWD an SMS ? #
That would be a nice feature, wouldn't it?
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 10:33 GMT
Ben Hodson
There's a chance that ..... #
It might even allow true turn-by-turn GPS navigation - or even cut and paste.
I love everything about the iphone but these two issues simply rule it out for me as a phone.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 10:33 GMT
Anonymous Coward
5mp camera with flash and I'm in #
so..with iphone 3.0 software finally delivering standard phone functions , all they
need is to give the hardware the features that other phones at this level of the market
have - a decent camera with flash. et voila - I'm in.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 10:35 GMT
Simon Buttress
@ Steve Button #
I don't think it will, cut & paste neither.
That simple functionality has (probably) been deemed of little use by Apple, if it ain't in by now it'll probably never be in.
This post has been deleted by its author
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
jai
re: There's a chance that ..... #
>> but these two issues simply rule it out for me as a phone.
you mean, they rule it out for you as a PDA
phones are for talking to people and you can't really use turn-by-turn navigation while you're talking to someone. get a printout from googlemaps instead
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Stephen Penna
I will buy it if.. #
.. it has a decent camera (5mp) with VGA (or higher) video recording, can do turn-by-turn satnav, and can run apps concurrently (a slingplayer client would be nice also!).
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Steve Button
@Henry Helmet - Oh COME ON! #
I'm not going to jailbreak my phone to fix this relatively minor niggle. But is is a thorn in the side of my iPhone.
Not as bad an not being able to use the thing as a satnav in my car though. I wouldn't mind if they insisted that it was attached to a charger while working as a GPS.
And using it as a modem. I've had to splash out an extra £15 / month for an orange dongle when I've got a perfectly capable 3G bluetooth device. Grrrr.
And I can't leave fring running in the background.
Have never actually felt the need to copy/paste yet, but I guess this will be a niggle too.
I don't care about the camera. It's crap. OK for snaps in daylight (if nothing is moving). I've got a perfectly good compact + a dSLR for that.
Fix these things, stick a camera on the front for vid conf.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Hee hee! #
Windows Mobile 7 or Apple iPhone 3.0?
Who says competition is bad?
Perhaps it is merely a challenge to extract the best bits of goodness then proffer those to the public.
Go guys go!
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Steve
Feature Requirements #
Turn-by-turn Sat Nav
Better Camera with propper "Xeon" flash
Forward SMS
Send video / propper MMS
Cut & Paste
Multiple apps running at the same time
Got that then I'm in. Till then I still contest that it's a half baked phone and I'll stay with the Nokia N series.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Philip Cunningham
I want a zombie #
The iphone is a nice computer in a small box with a small screen. But what if they split the two - what if you could plug your iphone into a different screen and keyboard? Then you could have a 7inch nettop or a 10 inch laptop, both powered by your iphone.
The connection wouldn't be wires as you have on a conventional computer. It would be a slot-in connection (proprietary, of course) that would envelop the phone - looking at it you've never know your phone was inside.
Once you've made that leap, then the alternate form factors wouldn't stop at keyboards and screens but include power supplies, separate batteries and so on. You could have tablets (5 inch or 10 inch) or even change the display - an eInk display tablet with iTunes for reading matter would flatten Amazon's Kindle.
Apple ipod already has a wide range of accessory partners, so there is a ready group of manufacturers. Apple gets to provide a market for clones, yet keeps control of the end user experience and charges the manufacturer for the privilege. By keeping them dumb (because they are nothing without the iphone brain), the new class of device aren't really clones but zombies.
What's not to like?
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Shane Orahilly
@ Ben Hodson #
"It might even allow true turn-by-turn GPS navigation - or even cut and paste.
I love everything about the iphone but these two issues simply rule it out for me as a phone."
Just FYI, neither of those things make it a phone. They don't rule it out as a phone at all.
I don't think it will be long before "The ability to communicate verbally with somebody a great distance away" is listed as a Feature, rather than a Purpose. >.<
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 17:11 GMT
Ideala2
Gentlemen? #
at Orange? I object your honour! the defence has been drinking the koolade!
Yes... i know it has little to do with the story but please do allow me the little victories... they made me miserable for 18 months.
Posted Saturday 14th March 2009 23:08 GMT
Stephen Penna
It can't be a phone! #
@Shane Orahilly:
You obviously didn't notice the key words in text that you quoted.. the ones that said "for me", as in "they rule it out FOR ME as a phone".
Some people do require their phones to do these things! Once you have had a phone that does, it is very hard to move to a phone that doesn't.
Maybe we shouldn't call them phones, then you would be happy? How about multimedia computers? Oh.. Nokia already got that one ;)
Seriously though - a lot of people seemt to come on here and comment to the effect of "why on earth would a phone need a (camera/gps/radio/coffee maker) as long as it can make calls". There are plenty of phones out there which are perfect for those people, but some people DO want all the extra features, and believe it or not do actually use them!
And the other argument is usually "why do I want a camera on my phone when I have a perfectly good (compact/dslr/photo studio)?". Well because I don't want to carry about a massive camera, however I do always carry about my phone! And I appreciate that my phone snaps won't be stunning, but they do the job.
This post has been deleted by its author
Posted Sunday 15th March 2009 17:32 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Can't see the point #
I'll wait until a version comes out for < £100 on Tesco PAYG. Mobiles will be the next bubble to burst ... you read it here first :)
Mine's the one with the battered T610 in the pocket
Posted Sunday 15th March 2009 17:32 GMT
Tony
@Stephen Penna #
Well said - about time.
I don't know what it is about phones & netbooks that bring out the fail brigade. All I ever notice about these people is that they fail to grasp the fact that sometimes the lowest common denominator isn't what the majority want.
Yes these are still phones, but the feature-set that comes with that functionality is what people compare in order to choose the phone that is right for them.
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 10:26 GMT
Andy B
Language drift #
Interesting to see 'axe' used to mean 'reduced' rather than 'got rid of entirely' - at first glance I thought O2 were handing out freebies.
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 10:26 GMT
OFI
Contract Price #
Great, now how about the price of the contracts drops a bit? For any sort of sensible plan it costs an arm and 3 toes.
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 11:16 GMT
Scott Mckenzie
Jailbreak #
Takes about 5 minutes and is incredibly straightforward, it gives lots of added functionality, allows updates to the OS software through iTunes (then re-Jailbreak). You can easily restore if there is a problem that requires returning the product.
What's the issue?
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 12:19 GMT
Martin
Jailbreaking an iPhone - why should I have to? #
"Takes about 5 minutes and is incredibly straightforward, it gives lots of added functionality, allows updates to the OS software through iTunes (then re-Jailbreak). You can easily restore if there is a problem that requires returning the product.
What's the issue?"
Apart from the dubious legality, and the fact that it's still a hassle?
Well, there's the simple question of why the hell SHOULD I have to hack my phone to do standard things? Forwarding txt's is actually quite useful; and how ANY computer can not have cut'n'paste is beyond me.
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 13:51 GMT
censored
Jailbraking - no cons?? #
Apart from it running like a dog, and the slightest tap on the icons causing them to wiggle like I was re-ordering them.
I went back to factory settings.
Posted Monday 16th March 2009 19:07 GMT
Fred
32GB be nice #
I will get an iphone when they are 32GB or hopefully more in size.... 16GB just now is far too expensive for the size. Think im gonna end up buying one in europe somewhere, 500 euros is a bit steep for a glorified phone / media player / camera / spirit level oh and that awesome carlsberg pint thing...
Posted Tuesday 17th March 2009 14:12 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Axe Price !!!! #
....do you mean 'slash price' or 'cut price' or 'reduce price' ?? ...axe in this context usually means to delete/remove/terminate... I thought your headline meant they wear going to make them free.....!!!!
Posted Friday 20th March 2009 10:40 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Alternatively? #
1 - get new iPhone when it appears (probably much discounted as I have a 3G iPhone already)
2 - run with new iPhone as an extension to present contract
3 - crack the old iPhone and either: set it up as a second line with O2 OR meddle about with it with another service provider.
Reasoning?
Well, it could be fun to dabble with the older 3G iPhone without compromising service stuff
This topic is closed for new posts.