Few companies inspire the kind of product lust that Apple does, and it's no secret that Mac users can be somewhat evangelical about the company from Cupertino. To many Apple fans in Canada, it's sheer torture that TV shows and movies aren't yet available in the Canadian iTunes Music Store, or that the iPhone is taking so damn long to cross the border.
In the United States, the iPhone has been the must-have tech trinket of 2007, and it's bound to be a massive success here—presumably via exclusive contract with Rogers and their compatible GSM wireless network. With both Apple and Rogers notoriously tight-lipped, Canadian iPhonatics are poring over every leaked promotional campaign and poorly-'shopped hoax ad. This morning, a website glitch from Apple itself sent hearts aflutter, only to dash them to pieces when corrected a couple of hours later.
Apple's retail outlet in the Eaton Centre holds regular in-store workshops on its products. When November's schedule went up, the weekend events featured seminars on "getting to know your new iPhone in a workshop that takes you through the basics," causing a ripple in the Reality Distortion Field that was felt from Vancouver to St. John's.
The sad truth is that the workshop doesn't exist. Apple pulled the page, and Apple Store employees claimed that the schedule was copied and pasted from the American stores' schedules and left accidentally unedited.
As for the imminent arrival of the iPhone, Rogers has repeatedly denied rumors of its arrival, while Apple's official response has been, "La la la, I can't hear you," especially when referring to an alleged trademark dispute over the iPhone name. Most notable, however, is that Rogers Wireless will have to revise its exorbitant data rates, which are sickeningly high—not because they have to be, but because of what the industry calls "perceived value" (at current rates, an iPhone user could get slammed with a monthly bill upwards of $700). Competitors Telus and Bell Mobility recently established flat-rate (though still very expensive) unlimited data plans targeted to smartphone and PC card users, and Canada's telcos still frustratingly see text messaging and name display as premium features.
For now, technophiles can get a taste of the iPhone by picking up the similar iPod Touch, which can also be "jailbroken" to display the full iPhone operating system features (until a subsequent software update, when Apple will undo your diabolical meddling). Still, we suspect that we'll be among the hordes opening a vein when the iPhone drops in Toronto...and no, you can't play with it. Get yer own.
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3 cents... Per Kilobyte?
That's hilarious.
That's not hilarious; it's disgusting.
I became a texting fiend in Seoul but I'd hate to think what my bill would be if I continued the practice here. About $25's worth of air time lasted me over 3 months while I was there, with far more talking and texting than I'd ever done in Canada.
I'm more interested in the OpenMoko than the iPhone anyway.
Way back in the dark ages of the late '90s, Fido had a data plan for $5/month plus whatever air time you used while connected. You needed a phone that could emulate a modem (many did), a cable, and the dial-up ISP of your choice. It was slow, but it worked well and the price was right. Plus, you could send faxes. I still have the adapter card that connected my cell phone to my handheld computer and gave me truly mobile and basically unlimited Internet in 1999.
When Fido started rolling out GPRS in 2001(ish), they gave us a demo and sang its praises, but wouldn't commit to any kind of pricing beyond a three-month introduction. No wonder, since the $5 data plan disappeared soon enough and was replaced by the ridiculous data rates that still dominate the industry in Canada.
Marc, when something is that mind meltingly idiotic you've got to find it funny. Otherwise you'd go mad.
I mean, 3 cents per kilobyte! I didn't even realise that kilobytes were a useable measure these days! It's like selling soft drinks in millilitres or something.
From an Apple comments board:
"I just spoke to someone at the eaton centre apple store and they confirmed with me that it was a mistake and that apple is in the process of correcting it. He told me that the workshop is actually at the apple store at the easton town centre which is in Columbus, Ohio."
So no iPhone. Not surprising really, considering Rogers has now announced all their Christmas phones.
It still boggles me that the non-regulatory, non-governmental "system access fee" is legal, and the whole genesis of it is completely slimy. So, it basically boils down to this:
ONLY $30 PER MONTH!
(plus $7 more)
Which is like saying, "that chocolate bar is ONLY 60¢ (plus a 40¢ customer consumption fee)."
But what if the chocolate bar is soooo deliicciooussss
Marc - There's a nationwide class action lawsuit, recently certified by a judge in Saskatoon, for just that issue: http://www.merchantlaw.com/cellular.html
That fee is why I have not gotten a cell phone here in Canada. I had a phone plan in Atlanta that gave me unlimited talk and text for $50 a month. Think the data charge was dirt cheap but I had no need for it. It's ridiculous that these guys can charge something like that and get away with it for so long. Ty thanks for the link I'm going to follow that suit closely and see where it goes.
I wouldn't really be surprised if you heard an announcement sometime in early January regarding the iPhone being available here through Rogers. My guess is they're keeping mention of the iPhone quiet to dump off inventory before Christmas knowing full well how quickly demand for other headsets will fall once they actually release a phone the general public are discussing pre-release (the last one like that was the RAZR, and inexplicably phone companies are still milking that one.)
While the data plan is obviously a huge stumbling block, aside from internet the iPhone is functional on Rogers' network once unlocked, as a friend much more technologically inclined than me showed me on his a few weeks ago. Talk, text and wi-fi all work here already.
It certainly wouldn't be here before the holidays anyway, since ramping up the launch of a major product and working out all the testing and media buying takes more than a few months. I'd say Q1 at the earliest.
Also remember that the iPhone needs to be activated on the network via iTunes and it has the previously nonexistent visual voicemail feature, both of which require some major technical rejigging and testing on the Rogers end.
The key for the data is really to favour the WiFi instead of the piddly EDGE network. A jailbroken iPod Touch works fantastically for browsing the web, buying music the ITunes store and checking/writing email if you are constantly around an accessible WiFi network. I'm also positive that Rogers will include an unlimited data plan with the iPhone, which I also believe is part of the agreement with Apple. You can't have a device constantly and automatically checking and downloading email all day long without a plan like that.
a jailbroken touch is great in the downtown core with so many wi-fi networks that are easy to access. once you start moving out of core areas, it would be nice to have the ability to use EDGE (or whatever rogers uses) to check your email/use google maps while driving.
I picked up an iPhone in Buffalo, unlocked it myself (surprisingly easy) and put in my old Rogers SIM card. Had to disable EDGE so as not to get billed $100 for watching a video on YouTube. The data plan rates in this country are completely out of touch with the rest of the world.
Great phone though! Needless to say...
I don't like posting to criticize what people decide to put up, but I am quite sick of hearing about the damn iphone. I've been hearing about this damn thing daily for about a year.
In light of that, it's not surprising that so many people are interested in having one.