~~~ On 2007/07/20 10:11, Steven Scotten at splicer@paroxysm.com wrote ~~~
> On Jul 19, 2007, at 6:50 PM, Joshua Cearley wrote:
>
> ...
> Show me a phone you can buy in America from a cellular phone company
> that is NOT carrier-locked. The only way to get unlocked phones any
> more is to spend hundreds of dollars for the models that the
> companies give away for free.
>
> I fail to see how any of this is Apple's fault or a failing of the
> iPhone. ... Why pick on the iPhone when it's
> the entire industry that needs fixing?
>
> ...and considering that people seem very happy to get their "free"
> carrier-locked phones instead of paying $200 for the same phone that
> they could take to another carrier, why pin this on the companies? It
> looks like the consumers are the ones dictating the terms.
>
>
> Steve
>
> PS I paid over $400 for my unlocked Treo rather than get a carrier-
> locked one for $150. So don't blame me.
Dead-on. The industry back home milks customers like cash-cows. That's not
Apple's fault, and it's not the fault of the iPhone. If we are so desperate
to have our phones at any cost that we won't fight them over this, they'll
sell us phones *at any cost* -- any cost that'll make their accountants and
share-holders smile.
Move to Europe and the story is different, at least in most of it. I'm
currently living in the UK, and I've never paid for a phone, from my first
one to the present. They were all free with my subscriptions. I have 2
Sony Ericssons, a K810i and a K800i, and they were my "free handset
upgrades". Last month they phoned and practically begged me to take another
upgrade of the 800, perhaps to a second 810 or to that flashy Nokia with the
5mp camera, or even the SE W810, among others. I had to say no -- I'm
starting to feel guilty for the wastage of hardware. So they cut my
subscription by £10 ($20) per month on that account instead. That's 2/3
price. Sweet!
Almost forgot to mention; I've never had a locked phone. For my very first
phone, I explained to them that I travel and would like the option of using
local SIMs in different countries, and they said, "OK". It's never been an
issue since. In any case, most providers here do the same, and for those
rare occasions when your phone is locked, there are shops on every high
street that'll unlock you for £15-£20.
As long as we let an industry treat us badly, they will. When we go after
legislators and keep complaining, and complain to the manufacturers,
eventually they fix it. I always get a shock when I realize that there's an
industry where UK consumers are actually at a huge advantage over the US.
Time to rise up and fight back! Power to the people!
Shalom.
Christian
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
³Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from a Newton.²
-- What Arthur C. Clarke meant to say
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(With thanks to Chod Lang)
http://tinyurl.com/29y2dl
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
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