Verizon rejected Apple iPhone deal

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:12:54 -0500, SinghaLvr <[email protected]>
wrote in <[email protected]>:

>>> And I'm glad Apple would handle repairs. I've always had Macs and always
>>> had great (though rare) repair experiences.
>>
>> You've been lucky to miss out on warranty problems.
>>
><http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...nG=Google+Sear
>
>> ch>
>
>I can't complain. I had one machine swapped out for a brand new (not refirb
>one). Even better: I bought a computer off of e-bay (iMac). It was dead on
>arrival. I went to a CompUSA who kept it for 3 weeks and still didn't fix
>it. So, I called Apple. They not only sent me a new machine, but they
>upgraded me to a later model. I had it less than 24 hours after my phone
>call.
>
>That's one of the reasons I stick with Macs now. It's a far better consumer
>experience than buying a machine from one of the "you really should take an
>extended warrantee with that from our personal warrantee department" houses.

My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
better than for Macs.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

---

› See More: Verizon rejected Apple iPhone deal

Cubit wrote:
> Silly me, but the idea of a $500 phone seems absurd.

Or $600.

But that wasn't the sticking point according to the article. Verizon
wouldn't have cared about the handset cost, but giving monthly revenue
to the handset maker is unprecedented. Having Apple handle distribution
and repairs would seem to be a good thing, not a bad thing.

In a few months, there will be other similar handsets released, and the
hoopla over the iPhone will give way to the reality that it costs $600
and that it lacks a lot of PDA functionality. The gadget freaks will buy
it, or those that were going to buy a video iPod and that have Cingular
already, but it's not going to cause a lot of Verizon customers to jump
ship. Look at how poor the Cingular network was rated in most U.S. metro
areas, and think about how many people will give up coverage for
watching movies on a small screen.

Wasn't so long ago that $500 was a good price for any phone, and it's
still a good price for a high-end smart phone.

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:36:05 GMT, "Cubit" <[email protected]> wrote in
<[email protected]>:

>Silly me, but the idea of a $500 phone seems absurd.
>
>
>"Billybobh3" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Verizon rejected Apple iPhone deal
>> Updated 1/29/2007 9:50 AM ET
>>
>>
>>
>> By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY
>> NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cellphone carrier, passed
>> on the chance to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone almost two
>> years ago, balking at Apple's rich financial terms and other demands.
>> Among other things, Apple wanted a percentage of the monthly
>> cellphone fees, say over how and where iPhones could be sold and control
>> of the relationship with iPhone customers, said Jim Gerace, a Verizon
>> Wireless vice president. "We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the
>> Apple iPhone. We just couldn't reach a deal that was mutually beneficial."
>>
>> Verizon's decision to pull the plug on talks sent Apple into the
>> waiting arms of Cingular, which will be the exclusive U.S. carrier for the
>> iPhone. The multifunction device is expected to ship in June and cost
>> about $500.
>>
>> Apple and Cingular (which now is solely owned by AT&T and adopting
>> that brand name) have declined to discuss terms of their alliance. But the
>> Apple-Verizon talks offer a peek into the computer giant's thinking.
>>
>> According to Verizon, Apple CEO Steve Jobs insisted that he have hard
>> control over iPhone distribution.
>>
>> The problem? While Apple and Verizon stores would have it, Wal-Mart,
>> Best Buy and other Verizon distributors could have been left out. "That
>> would have put our own distribution partners at a disadvantage" to Apple
>> and Verizon stores, Gerace said.
>>
>> Customer care was another hitch: If an iPhone went haywire, Apple
>> wanted sole discretion over whether to replace or repair the phone. "They
>> would have been stepping in between us and our customers to the point
>> where we would have almost had to take a back seat . on hardware and
>> service support," Gerace says.
>>
>> Cingular won't talk about the financial terms or say how long its
>> iPhone exclusivity lasts, but two people with direct knowledge of the deal
>> say it's a five-year contract. The exclusive is USA-only, leaving Apple
>> free to market its iPhone globally.
>>
>> Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment on any
>> aspect of this story.
>>
>> Mark Siegel, a Cingular spokesman, said, "We think this is a win for
>> Apple, and it is a win for Cingular."
>>
>> Siegel declined to comment on customer care plans but said Cingular
>> would field calls related to the wireless service. "I don't want to leave
>> the impression that these (iPhone) customers are not ours. They are."
>>
>> Siegel would not say whether Cingular distributors, which include
>> Wal-Mart and RadioShack, would get the iPhone. The deal announcement
>> referred only to Cingular and Apple stores and their websites.
>>
>>
>>
>

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:09:36 -0800, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote in <[email protected]>:

>Cubit wrote:
>> Silly me, but the idea of a $500 phone seems absurd.
>
>Or $600.
>
>But that wasn't the sticking point according to the article. Verizon
>wouldn't have cared about the handset cost, but giving monthly revenue
>to the handset maker is unprecedented. Having Apple handle distribution
>and repairs would seem to be a good thing, not a bad thing.
>
>In a few months, there will be other similar handsets released, and the
>hoopla over the iPhone will give way to the reality that it costs $600
>and that it lacks a lot of PDA functionality. ...

That's like saying there are lots of MP3 players, so the iPod isn't a
big deal. LOL

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

In article <[email protected]>,
John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
> better than for Macs.

When and what exactly was your Mac warranty support experience? I've had
nothing but decent, prompt support (though rarely needed).

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

On 2007-01-31, Cubit <[email protected]> wrote:
> Silly me, but the idea of a $500 phone seems absurd.

That's the first-phone-shipped price. An analyst quoted in a New York
Times business section article yesterday expected the price to drop to
about $115 within a year or two. I don't know if that is correct, but
it is typical for mobile phones to be introduced at a high price and
then drop from there.

I first saw a Motorola V3 RAZR phone in Hong Kong about 9 months before
anyone began selling them in the US. It was priced at a bit over US$1000.
It dropped quick once the volumes went up.

Dennis Ferguson

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:13:10 -0800, Kurt <[email protected]> wrote
in <[email protected]>:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
>> better than for Macs.
>
>When and what exactly was your Mac warranty support experience? I've had
>nothing but decent, prompt support (though rarely needed).

Several of my friends and colleagues have complained to me about Mac
warranty problems (e.g., Apple denying there is any problem).

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

In article <[email protected]>,
SMS <[email protected]> wrote:

> Cubit wrote:
> > Silly me, but the idea of a $500 phone seems absurd.
>
> Or $600.
>
> But that wasn't the sticking point according to the article. Verizon
> wouldn't have cared about the handset cost, but giving monthly revenue
> to the handset maker is unprecedented. Having Apple handle distribution
> and repairs would seem to be a good thing, not a bad thing.
>

Not from verizons viewpoint? I'm not sure how verizon handles these
things when it comes to high end phones but i imagine they want
customers using minutes and if justified would simply replace a
malfunctioning unit, where as apple would prefer to repair it which
obviously could take a few days to a week or more thus customers aren't
racking up minutes. Not surprising verizon wouldn't agree to this.
I'm sure they'd prefer to replace it immediately and send the
malfunctioning units back to apple themselves, which is how it should be.

> In a few months, there will be other similar handsets released, and the
> hoopla over the iPhone will give way to the reality that it costs $600
> and that it lacks a lot of PDA functionality. The gadget freaks will buy
> it, or those that were going to buy a video iPod and that have Cingular
> already, but it's not going to cause a lot of Verizon customers to jump
> ship. Look at how poor the Cingular network was rated in most U.S. metro
> areas, and think about how many people will give up coverage for
> watching movies on a small screen.

In article <[email protected]>, John Navas
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:13:10 -0800, Kurt <[email protected]> wrote
> in <[email protected]>:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
> >> better than for Macs.
> >
> >When and what exactly was your Mac warranty support experience? I've had
> >nothing but decent, prompt support (though rarely needed).
>
> Several of my friends and colleagues have complained to me about Mac
> warranty problems (e.g., Apple denying there is any problem).

In other words you have no Mac warranty support experience.

--
Charles

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:20:34 -0500, Charles <[email protected]> wrote in
<310120071820340757%[email protected]>:

>In article <[email protected]>, John Navas
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:13:10 -0800, Kurt <[email protected]> wrote
>> in <[email protected]>:
>>
>> >In article <[email protected]>,
>> > John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
>> >> better than for Macs.
>> >
>> >When and what exactly was your Mac warranty support experience? I've had
>> >nothing but decent, prompt support (though rarely needed).
>>
>> Several of my friends and colleagues have complained to me about Mac
>> warranty problems (e.g., Apple denying there is any problem).
>
>In other words you have no Mac warranty support experience.

I think that both speaks for itself and is sufficient. I know these
people well, and am quite familiar with their issues.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

John Navas <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:


>
> I think that both speaks for itself and is sufficient. I know these
> people well, and am quite familiar with their issues.
>

Sorry- this is nothing more than secondhand anecdotal ramblings and does
not even meet your own well-documented standard for usenet 'authoritative
fact' (based on your own dismissal of the same kind of information- see
Google archives if you don't believe it).

Either practice what you preach or shut the hell up. Personally, I vote
for option #2.

In article <[email protected]>,
John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:13:10 -0800, Kurt <[email protected]> wrote
> in <[email protected]>:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> My own experience is that warranty support for ThinkPads is quite a bit
> >> better than for Macs.
> >
> >When and what exactly was your Mac warranty support experience? I've had
> >nothing but decent, prompt support (though rarely needed).
>
> Several of my friends and colleagues have complained to me about Mac
> warranty problems (e.g., Apple denying there is any problem).

But not you.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

In article <[email protected]>,
Scott <[email protected]> wrote:

> John Navas <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>
> >
> > I think that both speaks for itself and is sufficient. I know these
> > people well, and am quite familiar with their issues.
> >
>
> Sorry- this is nothing more than secondhand anecdotal ramblings and does
> not even meet your own well-documented standard for usenet 'authoritative
> fact' (based on your own dismissal of the same kind of information- see
> Google archives if you don't believe it).
>
> Either practice what you preach or shut the hell up. Personally, I vote
> for option #2.

I've always owned Macs, and the Mac design community is quite demanding
about what they expect from their machines. I've rarely heard of a
problem that wasn't taken care of efficiently.
I speak from direct experience.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Charles wrote:

>> Several of my friends and colleagues have complained to me about Mac
>> warranty problems (e.g., Apple denying there is any problem).
>
> In other words you have no Mac warranty support experience.

"Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Kurt wrote:

> I've always owned Macs, and the Mac design community is quite demanding
> about what they expect from their machines. I've rarely heard of a
> problem that wasn't taken care of efficiently.
> I speak from direct experience.

I help out in the school's computer lab, and everything is Apple. The
warranty support (and out of warranty support for that matter) has been
outstanding. They are very lenient with warranty dates, and the
turnaround for repairs is measured in days, not weeks.

I would much rather have the manufacturer of the device provide the
warranty support than the reseller. When I had a problem with a Motorola
handset, I wouldn't let Verizon touch it, I sent it back to Motorola for
repair.

It's true that IBM provided excellent Thinkpad support, though the
quality of the Thinkpads varied greatly by model. The T30 and T40 had a
lot of problems.