Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Rogers iPhone Data Plan Petition

If you think it will do any good here's the Rogers iPhone Data Plan Petition. I don't really believe Rogers will listen. But what the hell, I can't think of anything else to do.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Financial Post Confirms My Suspesion...It's All Rogers Fault!

Peter Nowak of the Financial Post confirmed my hunch that its Rogers high priced data plans that are stopping me from having an iPhone. AT&T's $63 a month for 4450 minutes and unlimited data turns out to be about $295 on a Rogers plan. Thats nuts! No one is going to pay out that kind of money month in - month out.

Well this is a low point in my expectations of ever getting an iPhone. Looks like its back to tin cans and string for me. My list of enemies preventing me from getting my mitts on an iPhone is growing. Thats right Rogers. I damn you like I damned BestBuy. May your icy heart melt into a puddle in the darkest pits of Hell.

BestBuy Ownes Future Shop!

My friend Geoff emailed this to me.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) operates a global portfolio of brands with a commitment to growth and innovation. Our employees strive to provide customers around the world with superior experiences by responding to their unique needs and aspirations. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services through more than 1,150 retail stores across the United States, throughout Canada and in China. Our multi-channel operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com, BestBuy.ca and BestBuy.com.cn), Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com and GeekSquad.ca), Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers (PacificSales.com), Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com), Speakeasy (Speakeasy.net) and Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co. (Five-Star.cn). Best Buy supports the communities in which its employees work and live through volunteerism and grants that benefit children and education.

...You win this round BestBuy. Damn your evil soul.

Monday, July 9, 2007

CNET doubts BestBuy

A CNET news blog throws a cold bucket of water on BestBuy selling an iPhone anytime soon. (Why do the American press always throw in the word "hosers" to sound hip with Canadian culture...Nobody and I mean nobody uses that word here.) Like I said before if BestBuy used this as ploy to round up a bunch of email addresses, then they will pay....pay dearly. They don't know who they are dealing with. For starters I'll take all my business to Future Shop. That will show them.

Hold The iPhone!...BestBuy?!

Well folks the first crack in the iPhone-Canada caper may have just occurred. But where was the first leak? Not at Rogers, or Telus, or Canada Bell. No the first official iPhone offer comes from BestBuy Canada! Who would have thunk it. They just put up a web page on their site soliciting your email for what they promise to be updates on the availability of the iPhone.

https://www-ssl.bestbuy.ca/marketing/iphone/en/default.asp?logon=&langid=EN&test%5Fcookie=1

Either this is the worst case of gorilla marketing or we really have a fish on the hook. This might be legit since Apple have only about 4 stores in Canada and 3 of them in Toronto. BestBuy, which have about 40 stores nation wide, may be a means for Apple to sell the iPhone in Canada. I've put my email in the BestBuy system to see if the line tugs the right way. If all I get is a bunch of BestBuy spam I'm going to freak. Freak like I've never freaked before. Well...they've been warned.

A week after the iPhone is released into the wild.

Its been over a week now that the iPhone has been released in the States. The reviews and the blogs give the cell phone an A minus. They rave about the UI and the sharpness of the screen and the battery life. Most seem to catch on with the keyboard. Some not. Many find Edge too slow, almost all find the WiFi fantastic. Lots wish there was Flash support, but all marvel at how great the web pages look on the phone. Youtube "Awsome", Google Maps-"A revelation", video-"Traffic stopping", "The Pinch", "Multiouch", "The Flip" The number one word on everyone's lips is "Fun". It seems to be a ball just to use the iPhone. When was the last time someone said that about a cell phone? Anyways I'm not here to talk about the features of a phone I've never touched. No, this blog is about the iPhone coming to Canada. Now that the phone has been launched States side one would think that it would not be too long before we hear of a date for release in Canada...Well one would be wrong. The only rumors about a release are coming from Europe. With various carriers in Germany and the UK being touted as the ones to bring the iPhone over seas. But all is quiet on the Canadian front. Rogers, who are the hands on favorite to bring the iPhone here, have been saying that Apple wants to concentrate on the US, to make sure all is well there before looking to other markets. But I think they protest too much. My sources....OK....My hunch is that Canada's notoriously over priced data plans are the real culprits here. Rogers, Telus, and Canada Bell have the most expensive data plans in the world. Averaging about $50 a megabyte. In Europe its about $12. The Canadian parliament has only just recently begun to investigate this oligopoly.
A lot of people were worried about AT&T's service plan for the iPhone. The thinking being that since the demand for the iPhone was so high there was an opportunity for AT&T to gouge the customer. But to their credit they offered a very reasonable plan. A friend of mine living in the States said that he now pays less for his cell phone than he did before buying the iPhone. I have a sinking feeling that Rogers is balking at giving out unlimited data plans and to having the customer choose his or her plan in the comfort of their own homes through iTunes. Even though there was some problems with about 3% of those activating their iPhones the first couple of nights, most people said it was a painless and pleasurable experience. And considering that about 700 000 phones were being activated at the same time, AT&T should be commended for a job well done.
Now, well there is talk that some European carriers are chafing at some of Apples demands, there is no doubt that they will fall in line, the profit margin is just too juicy for them not to. The question is will Rogers relent and offer a fair and equable data plan and allow Apple to activate the phone through iTunes. I don't know what is going on at Rogers headquarters...but the silence is deafening.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Canadian Without iPhone checks his messages.



My reenactment of Brian telling me he has the iPhone

A Canadain with iPhone

My friend Brian, a Canadian working in the States, sent me this picture of his new iPhone. The picture on the iPhone is me learning that Brian has the iPhone....It still hurts.