I will probably not be buying an iPhone 3G.
For starters, in NZ the new Vodafone plans launched for the iPhone are laughably terrible.
It’s a given that no-one is buying an iPhone and not anticipating using it for web browsing and whatnot, so you’d expect that iPhone-specific plans would reflect that with hefty data caps, or maybe even a speed-decrease when you hit the cap instead of an over-use charge.
No.
Vodafone’s iPhone-specific plans are, amazingly, actually worse (for data at least) than even the general voice and data plans they already offered. You might get a few more voice minutes and txts but the data side of it is absolutely terrible. Their iPhone-specific $250/month plan gets you 1GB/month of data. However their generic 3G broadband pro plan gives you 6GB/month for around $100 total, with a $10 discount if you use less than 3G.
So the new hotness plans are, bewilderingly, completely outclassed by their old busted plans.
But yeah, as I say, not really a biggie because you can just buy the handset outright and use it on your old plans, while pointing and laughing at the absurd new ones as they drool in the corner and soil themselves.
The main reason that I won’t be getting one is apple’s fault. I fairly routinely use my current 3G phone as a modem for my laptop. It’s a pretty normal thing to do, actually, if you want to get connectivity remotely. My Nokia N95 does it without any problems at all. It’s so normal and routine in fact, that I didn’t for a moment presume that any modern phone handset wouldn’t do it.
However, I found out today the iPhone does not support it.
At all.
So, I’m afraid that’s a dealbreaker for me – and a very strange piece of functionality for Apple to leave out of a handset made in 2008.
[Edit: I’ve just been informed that there may actually be a way to make this happen. I am investigating. I’m still inclined to let the first wave of 3G iphones be field-tested by others, I think. I’ll just have a play with someone elses and make sure it can do what I want.]
July 8, 2008 at 11:12 pm
For $250/month I’d expect the phone to come with a butler to plug it into the charger for me.
July 9, 2008 at 12:19 am
They’re nice devices, but I don’t see the point of spending that much money (even the handset alone is expensive, never mind the dumb plans) when you have something similar that works fine. There will probably be new models with more storage space and whatnot out in reasonably short order.
July 9, 2008 at 12:44 am
If you never buy a piece of tech because a better piece of tech will come out soon, you’d never own any tech.
July 9, 2008 at 12:48 am
Yes, but when the current model doesn’t have enough of something you want, and the next one probably will, then it might be prudent to wait 😀
July 9, 2008 at 1:35 am
Oh yeah, obviously! I certainly won’t be buying it when it doesn’t do something that I routinely use.
July 9, 2008 at 10:09 am
Handset outright price really isn’t expensive compared to the market. I can think of several phones from other makers more expensive. It’s about in the middle of what the traditional ‘smartphone’ market price is, and it more or less is one. (That range is, from Vodafone, between $700 and $1500)
July 9, 2008 at 10:16 am
Yeah, JSR already pointed that out to me – I think they’re all ridiculously priced 🙂 Especially considering that in most cases they’re being sold here for very much more than in other countries, so it’s not even a matter of it being justifiably expensive to make small components or anything like that.
(Obviously I’m not the target market for a smartphone, so, grain of salt and all that.)
July 9, 2008 at 12:22 am
Since I use my present (crappy) phone to send or receive about one text a week, somehow I don’t think any of the plans on offer from anybody, for anything, are very cost effective 🙂
July 9, 2008 at 3:39 am
Like you, I use my phone to send and receive a few text messages each week, so IF I was going to buy an iPhone (Which I’m not at the moment, coz I think the pricing/plans are silly) I would think of it as a shiny new replacement for my busted old iPod, but with convenient camera, web, and phone features.
I’ve heard (from someone who has done much more research than I have) that the 3G iPhones don’t have a copy/paste feature, or PXT functionality? So you can take pics with the camera, but you can’t send them via pxt to other phones. And you can receive emails, but you can’t copy/paste URLs into the browser (for example). I haven’t had a play with one myself, so I’m not sure… but if that is the case, I think I would find those little quirks annoying.
July 9, 2008 at 6:24 am
I need three portable gizmos: a PDA, a Phone, and a music device.
Currently I’m combining the PDA and Phone (Palm Treo) and a separate iPod.
(bad choice, the Treo is an awful phone).
Now with the exciting new iPhone stuff from Vodaphone, I’m thinking of going
to:
iPod Touch + cheapo phone.
Still two devices, still does the three things I need. Wouldn’t it be nice
to have all three in one device? But I currently spend $20 every couple of
months on my phone. a handful of texts and many calls to 0800 helpdesks. Not
spending four times that for the convenience of one less device.
mobile internet? Would be nice, but I think emigrating is the only
way to get that. NZ telecommunications is firmly entrenched in the 80’s.
– MugginsM