Comments on: iPhone in Canada: Zoiks!

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:44:33 +0000

@Cecily: Alas, Rogers is the only carrier in Canada that supports GSM. (Ok, Fido does to, but it's owned by Rogers.) @Amy J.: If it were Apple behind this, I'd actually have hope. But Apple has nothing to do with the Rogers plans, and if they're navigating this PR nightmare so poorly, I don't really think they'll change their tune in six months. There wasn't outcry over the original iPhone price -- it was certainly geared to early adopters. But there was outcry after the price drop, and Apple gave refunds. Because their marketing people are good and they force the business people to listen. At Rogers, it's as if the marketers were plucked from the local high school, given a microphone, and told to go deal with the public. No more ranting for me until the coffee kicks in. :) @Lee Ann: I have a strong will. This might be its match, though. Aargh. (It's not a factor of going elsewhere, though. For nearly two years I've only had a U.S. cell phone for work; I can live without a local cell. The voice plans aren't the issue for me.)

By: Lee Ann

Lee Ann — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:19:45 +0000

I encourage you to go searching for petitions to sign against Rogers as well…that’s what we’re going to do. We, too, were jumping up and down crazy-wanting iPhones (we have iPod Touches which we both adore but you can’t call on those and our current cellphones are such old crapola we really need something else). But Rogers’ plans are INSANE. So for now, Nokia, here we come, and we fight the Rogers Man. Honestly, getting a Rogers plan right now would be like saying Thank You For Shafting Us.

My instant-gratification-resistance is being severely tested, though…I feel your pain. :-(

By: Amy J.

Amy J. — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:42:20 +0000

I’ll just say that, until VERY recently, I was using an almost 8 YEAR OLD cellphone–oh yeah baby, I was kickin’ it old skool! However, the battery JUST died (it’s as old as the phone–they obviously don’t make them anymore) and forced me to get a ‘fancy-pants’ LG flip phone. I don’t think I’ll be touching the iPhone for another decade or two :). But I say you should try and wait, at least for a little while, to see if Rogers will become more reasonable (it’s like when people bought the iPhone in the US for like $400 the moment it came out and then Apple lowered the price a couple of months later by a whopping $100). It sounds like they’re just trying to screw those people who REALLY want an iPhone as soon as it’s released in Canada. Fight the man, Kim!

By: Cecily

Cecily — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:18:53 +0000

I say buy the phone and hack it/open it so that you can use it with the carrier of YOUR choosing. Own your phone, own your service, don’t let them own you. We are likely going to pass on the new round of iPhones (even though we want them!) and get super simple phones instead. If I did get an iPhone I wouldn’t be using AT&T, but simply making the alterations needed to use the slightly less abusive T-Mobile.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:58:16 +0000

@Mom: You can smile, Mom: I sent a letter to Apple a couple of days ago. :)

By: Mom

Mom — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:46:01 +0000

Activist daughter of mine: Fight for what is right.
Notify Apple of the obvious lack of equal treatment being afforded to their potential Canadian consumers. I assume that Apple has entered a contract agreement with Rogers and would not wish to have their international sales suffer as a result of this pricing.