The 3G iPhone Has Arrived But Turn Off The 3G Function

Implications: I am still laughing after reading reviews of the new iPhone 3G. The Wall Street Journal’s article by Walter Mossberg is insightful and riotous.  Mossberg’s recommendations are priceless.

Analysis: I am not a cult follower of Steve Jobs and Apple.  I think and demand the best from my vendors; and I hate giving them a pass.  I applaud Apple for actually deploying a 3G iPhone.  I applaud AT&T for putting the screws to Apple and Jobs to get a 3G iPhone.

I think Apple did the handset business and consumer a service by entering the handset fray.  Apple has raised the bar.  Only a company like Apple could scare the living noogies out of the global handset vendor community.  Apple’s share of the handset market does not even come close to approaching the double digits and yet because of the company’s high profile it has energized an entire industry.

I give AT&T a lot of credit for taking this bold step.  I am even happier with AT&T since it cut its revenue share with Apple and reduced the price of the phone.  AT&T needs to keep reminding Apple they are just another handset vendor.  AT&T owes it to their customers to create competition amongst its handset vendors.  AT&T, it’s time to get LG and your other vendors working to outdo the iPhone.  Thank goodness, Apple does not own any of the critical intellectual property in the iPhone.

Now in regard to the review of the iPhone 3G.  Mossberg’s article must be gnawing at AT&T.  Why in the world didn’t AT&T demand Apple build the handset with replaceable batteries?  For gosh sakes didn’t anyone at AT&T remind Apple that the user of the handset is an AT&T customer and not an Apple customer.  Once, the vendor sells the handset to the customer, the vendor steps away from the customer.  AT&T needs to remind Apple that handset vendors don’t make carriers look bad.  Who do you think the customer is going to get upset with; the vendor or the carrier?  The answer is: The Carrier.

Truthfully, battery life has always been a challenge.  As services increase in complexity, the greater the drain on the battery will be.  I think the fact that a customer has to send the iPhone into Apple for a new battery is ridiculous.  What is Apple hoping to do; sell an upgraded handset while the old one is in the shop for weeks?  By the way overnight shipping is expensive; who is going to pay for that?

The battery life is really not an issue for me.  In a year or two a better battery will come out.  When a user’s handset finally needs a new one, Apple will install a better battery when the user ships the handset to Apple.

AT&T it is time to take the vendor to the woodshed.

As for the new costs associated with text messages and higher fees for unlimited data, well I would not yell too loudly about that.  Carriers as a rule try not to leave money on the table.  It is far easier for a carrier to reduce prices over the life of a plan or a service rather than increasing the price.  By moving the iPhone (and theoretically the services as well) to a 3G environment, it behooved AT&T to charge more.  If it becomes necessary for AT&T to reduce the price to generate sales, they can still do that later.  The last thing AT&T should do is leave money on the table.

There are other improvements in the iPhone 3G.  Look I should not be too hard on the iPhone, many of the new features; especially the anticipated third party software.  I say make it easier and better for the consumer.  I predict other vendors will follow suit and copy Apple.

The real issue for me is this continued relationship Apple insists on having with AT&T’s customers.  Apple is a vendor; plain and simple.  AT&T is a carrier.  As long as Apple is required to physically install a new battery, the longer AT&T has to contend with a vendor sticking its nose into its customer relationship.   My suggestion to AT&T is that it tell Apple to design the next phone with a replaceable battery, one that a user can buy at an AT&T store.

In ending, you can buy the new iPhone 3G but just turn off the 3G feature so that you can extend the battery life. Ha! Ha!

You cannot make this stuff up.  Ha! Ha!