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Vancouver Sun: Don't buy the iPhone

canada.com — If you don't like the price of an iPhone, don't buy it. One side-effect of the year-long wait for iPhones in Canada is that other gadgets, such as the much-talked about Samsung Instinct, are providing new competition. If Rogers finds it has priced itself out of the market, it won't take a petition to ring in lower prices.

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  • fudged71, on 07/05/2008, -43/+34yes, money talks... but still tell them how pissed you are
    http://www.petitiononline.com/iPhone99/petition.ht ...
    • Turbojugend27, on 07/05/2008, -10/+42HAHAHAA, I laugh when people start petitions. Rogers really will take time to view that as well.
      • cdiggy, on 07/05/2008, -7/+5Actually, Rogers has responded to all of my emails regarding our dissatisfaction with their plans. So far, they are defending their plans, or saying that those aren't the only plans (there is some flexibility). But at least they are reading what we have to say and are responding. So yeah, I think it's safe to say they are also aware of the 30,000+ strong online petition as well.

        PS: being pessimistic is hardly constructive to the cause, what actions are you taking? none? ahh, right, so just bitching then.. I see
      • AlanLivingston, on 07/05/2008, -2/+2The cause? Is getting an iPhone a worthy cause?

        You are so shallow.
      • jasonh1234, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2If they ignore it they're even stupider than people give them credit for. How often do petitions get that big that fast?! Ignoring it = a couple more nails in the coffin.
    • nicko68, on 07/05/2008, -4/+12Online petitions don't do anything. Seriously, if people just refuse to buy them, Rogers will have to do something (either on their own, or prompted by Apple).

      It just means the Apple fanboys will have to exercise some self-restraint.
      • jasonh1234, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Really? You sure about that? Cause last time I checked this online petition attracted international attention to Canada's situation. International attention = Nothing?
        Your assessment = Fail
  • specialK16, on 07/05/2008, -45/+37And people still suck Job's dick like there's no tomorow....
    • ColinCampbell, on 07/05/2008, -0/+42I'm willing to give credit where credit is due, the iPhone is great, but there's no way I'm entering into a 3-year contract with Rogers for a phone with insanely expensive plans. It's supposed to be a rich experience, with internet browsing. Their data plans make it almost useless. I was ready and willing to pay the ETF on my current phone to sign the dotted line, but not so much anymore. ***** you Rogers. Lower your prices or you won't have my money.
    • wacomwacoff, on 07/05/2008, -5/+28Steve Jobs has nothing to do with this. The Canadian iPhone provider - Rogers - has crap terms and contracts that make it really unappealing, and that's a real shame, because the iPhone's the best data device on the market.
      • TheRedNewt, on 07/05/2008, -2/+11It's too bad that Apple didn't have the ability to negotiate for better terms for their customers when choosing an exclusive carrier then...
      • Gutterpunk, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7@TheRedNewt : Unless you can point us to a CDMA iPhone, Apple didn't have a choice. Rogers is the only GSM provider in Canada (beside the odd third party reseller, but they are using Rogers' network anyway)
      • jakem1, on 07/05/2008, -3/+1I love this argument. Of course Apple have something to do with it. Are you telling me that they had no idea what sort of contract Rogers were going to offer customers when they signed the deal to work together to sell the iPhone? It's silly to suggest that Apple knew nothing about this and had no control over the situation.

        Also, if Apple really cared about the fact that Rogers was charging too much they could have allowed other carriers to sell their phone. They chose not to do this in Canada and this is the end result.
      • wacomwacoff, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1No, jakem1. I'm saying that they had to make consessions to the only major provider in Canada, same as they had to do with AT&T in America. They had to work with the only provider who'd agree to their terms. Thus, a bad deal from Rogers. It's a compromise.
    • ATLien74, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7I'm a mac user, and I will NOT get an iPhone untill it's available on multiple carriers. I have looked at other wannabe iPhones and they all suck. I guess I'm pretty much just waiting on an Android phone at this point.
      • jonnyeh, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4Until there's another carrier that supports GSM, it ain't gonna happen. We should be petitioning Bell and Telus to switch to GSM, not to Rogers to lower their prices.
      • SupaDawg, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6Telus and Bell are both bidding on pieces of the GSM band in the current wireless auction. So it may not be too long.
    • phogasmic, on 07/05/2008, -5/+11This is not Steve Jobs fault. Its greedy Rogers Wireless.
      • artfuldodga, on 07/05/2008, -6/+4Not Jobs fault? If you think Jobs/Apple wasn't aware of Rogers plans for their device in advance... you are mistaken
      • SealandRes1, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3So what if apple knew about Rogers plan in advance? What exactly could apple have done? Switch to a CDMA carrier?
  • lubokduit, on 07/05/2008, -20/+0oh i see..
  • NeutrixX, on 07/05/2008, -35/+18Yes, let's not buy one, and buy some ***** phone that doesn't sync up worth a cr*p to any of my contacts, addresses and music. Let's not even ask it to sync up to my calendar events. Yup. Samsung's got a pretty useful smart phone alright... did I mention you need Office on Windows to even sync it up to contacts on a pc. Yup, again pretty awesome competition to the iPhone... not.
    • AirRaven, on 07/05/2008, -4/+5...Sounds like you're after a PDA to me. =P
    • LeadHead, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2At the moment, Canada's phone service providers are almost at a monopoly. There's really only 2 providers with GOOD coverage: Rogers and Telus. It's gotten to the point where everything is just unruly expensive, even to send a text message.

      No we don't want Rogers to jack the price up more on account of the iphone

      I'm not going to buy it until their heads are screwed on properly
      • KaiserArny, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Well Telus Sucks too. Most of Telus coverage is from Bell. So I don't know why they would be any better than Bell. Used to be a Clearnet customer but after the sale, The conditions Telus imposed sucked.
      • viruz, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2"Canada's phone service providers are almost at a monopoly"

        That my friend is an Oligopoly

        oligopoly |ˌäliˈgäpəlē|
        noun ( pl. -lies)
        a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.
    • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 07/05/2008, -1/+9Because the iPhone is the only good phone in the market. Yup.
    • heartsblood, on 07/05/2008, -3/+12I think you're a little confused. you see my blackberry has been done that for the last 5 years. And I don't have to pay $100/m to use it.
    • Tenoq, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3That's actually a fair point - you need a $200+ copy of MS Office to sync your calendar/email/contacts on Windows Mobile devices.
      • nigh7dagger, on 07/05/2008, -3/+0www.piratebay.org

        Doesn't Canada have looser laws about it?
      • jakem1, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Or an Exchange account.
  • bonlebon, on 07/05/2008, -12/+41Dugg cause this way to "think different"
    • Frost9999, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6Think different and buy an Openmoko.
    • norm7, on 07/05/2008, -3/+4think different and stop buying phones loaded down with a bunch of useless features just so you can be a show off.
  • nolz, on 07/05/2008, -3/+109Simple economics baby. Lower the demand, lower the prices.
    • blanketfury, on 07/05/2008, -23/+2Apparently you've been sleeping in class :P

      Price and quantitiy demanded have an INVERSE relationship when it comes to the law of demand:

      http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/e ...

      • LNahid2000, on 07/05/2008, -1/+13Go down to E1 in the article you linked to. If we decrease demand (which would create excess supply) as shown in that diagram, prices will have a tendency to fall.
    • reduxien, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6he was talking about the demand CURVE, not quantity demanded. if you shift the demand curve left (which is what he meant by "lower the demand"), the prices are lowered for all quantities.
    • aeosocial, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Yes, the issue is: movement ALONG or SHIFT of the demand curve as stated by reduxien.
    • smpx, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Ipod touch + any other phone = pretty much everything you need.
      Do you REALLY need gps for your commute to work?
    • blanketfury, on 07/05/2008, -5/+0YOU ARE ALL WRONG! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!!!!!

      When it comes to IPhones and Steve Jobs, the law of supply and demand does not apply.

      Economics is that simple. Good day.
    • 808ethan, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1simple economics baby, form exclusive agreements (pay people to only produce *****) and everyone will thank you for giving them a monopoly!

      Its great!
  • seastobble, on 07/05/2008, -5/+135really, if you don't think the price is worth your money, then don't buy it.
    • Kitchenfire, on 07/05/2008, -3/+20It's not about the price of the iPhone. It's about the outrageous pricing Rogers is charging with impunity because they have a monopoly over this product.
      • stklaw, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Sad thing is, when you have a monopoly over something, you can do ***** like this. And all we can do is whine.
    • stelth, on 07/05/2008, -1/+7At this point, only fools will be buying this device. Anyone with any kind of tech knowledge will easily scoff at this.
      • jman583, on 07/05/2008, -2/+5So Apple fanboys will be the only iPhone owners?
  • jim1977, on 07/05/2008, -19/+13iPhone: who gives a ***** about wars and global warming when we've got something this important to lobby against the price of?
  • stev, on 07/05/2008, -24/+86People are ***** idiots. This thing will sell like crazy when it's released here.
    • PinkChicken, on 07/05/2008, -0/+10If I was a betting man, I'd say you're right.
    • clockdist, on 07/05/2008, -3/+2I don't know...I'm not in Canada, so I don't know how much stories like these are getting noticed by Canadians. Naturally, Rogers is going to wait and see how well it sells in its first week before slashing any prices.
      No petitions are needed, just your spending power. Don't buy the iPhone in Canada, and the rates will drop.
      The end.
    • rkettner, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2Yep... all this media attention against Rogers is really just helping to spread the word about the iPhone coming to Canada. At the end of the day... Rogers will probably move more iPhones because of it. Not because people like Rogers, but because they like the iPhone.
    • smpx, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3Beg to differ, every single apple-loving friend of mine has basically scoffed at the new iphone. A price drop will happen in a few months, when people will actually see it as a product worth buying.
    • outlaw686, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2It's a good way to tell who is a ***** idiot
    • jtbell04, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1On launch day, wait outside a Rogers outlet, and punch everyone leaving with an iPhone in the nose.

      Then, maybe people will learn.
  • AliV, on 07/05/2008, -11/+3Here in the UK we do have unlimited data, does anyone know why they didn't follow suit in the US? Here are the tariffs:
    http://www.o2.co.uk/iphone/paymonthly
    • franklymister, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5It is unlimited data in the United States.
    • 9ball, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6> why they didn't follow suit in the US?

      They do have unlimited data in the US.
      Back to geography class for you: US != Canada. ;)
    • noahhoward, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Well to be fair, when the iPhone first came out the providers were nto permitted to put a subsidy on the phone which is what O2 is doing but to be realistic for a minute O2 is far more progressive than any of the ***** we have here.
    • ElTomacco, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Note the Canadian flag next to the headline.
  • JonGalt, on 07/05/2008, -19/+28And then do not buy it. What moron would pay 115.00$ a month for 2gb of data? Im pretty sure this rogers guy thinks all canandians are mentally handicapped.

    And anyways...doesn't ATT have an exsclusive contract to sell the Iphone? Or did this change and I missed it?
    • sstephenson, on 07/05/2008, -0/+22US Exclusivity
    • badqat, on 07/05/2008, -2/+14Exclusive in the United States has what to do with the rest of the world?
      • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -5/+3Nothing. But AT&T operates in other countries, he's just saying that they only have an exclusivity agreement for the US.
      • gcnaddict, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Sarcasm.

        It's an evolutionary trait, apparently.
    • bovox, on 07/05/2008, -2/+6I've had the iPhone for a year now. I checked my logs and I've downloaded/uploaded a little over a gig in that time. So those prices aren't too farfetched for a normal user.
      • WebfluidDotCom, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I agree, my usage indicates the same thing.
      • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4Yup, same here. I think 400mb is fine for the average user, especially if you're in an urban area (or do a lot of email from work/home) and you can hit a wifi connection regularly.
      • HolyChimp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1I'm at about 130mb and I completely restored my iPhone ready for the WWDC. Then I found out the 2.0 update wasn't until July..
        Of course, if I had 3G I'd probably use a lot more data for things like YouTube and the iTunes store.
      • metallikop, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1In all that time have you had the Application store? Would you have used your data plan more and WiFi less if it was 3G and not Edge? Do you have applications that stream video or music? Regardless, they're crippling some of the biggest and best features of the iPhone. Granted, most users won't use 2gig worth of data transfer but why cripple those that will? This is a horrible idea on Rogers' part.
    • Evicted, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3AT&T is virtually nonexistent in Canada, and I don't even know if they have mobile services.
    • e2superman, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3American != rest of the world. Exclusive is US as was said. Time to go on vacation and realize asia and europe like cell phones probably more than Americans.
    • kyleabcd, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Thinks?
  • n1eb, on 07/05/2008, -13/+1I's funny how Canadians refer to the US as "south of the border". So are the Canadians getting the new 3G version or the version that's a year old?
    • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4"North of the border" for Canadians is also the US. If you're in Detroit, "south of the border" is Canada. Funny how all that works.
    • Bender1010, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3It's just a saying to describe the general direction most of the USA is in relation to Canada.

      Anyway, not touching the iPhone with Rogers for obvious reasons.
    • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1They're getting the 3G version. I wonder if they ever got the iPhone trademark from Comwave in Canada? I never heard anything about it, but they must have settled it in someway if they're releasing the phone.
      • HolyChimp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Maybe it'll be the ehPhone!

        /shameless Canadian joke.
    • WeaponAlpha, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Buried for not being able to read a map.
    • cplusplus, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4Sounds like you should travel outside the US a bit. Mexico isn't the only country that's "south of the border".
      (eg South Korea is south of the border from North Korea)
  • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -18/+14I'm going to get dugg down so far, but I'll say it anyway. These data prices are less than half of what they were a month ago. Where was the support for lower rates then? I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm celebrating these new low rates. All of a sudden apple makes a BlackBerry like device and you expect the market (read monopoly) to do a 360 so you can buy one? PS - The AT&T iPhone rates went up and they reduced the included features.
    • LeadHead, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5Well...yeah, I mean it's about time for them to get with the program, they've been ripping off customers for years. And to say the prices have been halved and people still aren't happy goes to show just how overpriced they really are.

      So why not use the iphone as a tool to fix this problem? Boycott!!!

      Maybe you'll still buy it, but there's absolutely no way I'm going to have the money to keep this plan up.
      • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I have owned an iPhone since September. I'm looking forward to my bill going from $150/month down to $60/month. I'm going to save a ton of money and now my data cap and minutes both double! You can probably see why I'm so happy. Because I travel between Canada and the US a lot, I also have an AT&T plan for my iPhone and unlimited data is a feature that I do not need nor take advantage of... I imagine there are other people who will be fine with 400mb a month and those are the people who are going to buy the phone and use that plan. If you're in an urban area, there's enough wifi that you rarely need to tap the cell towers for internet.
    • sarchosis, on 07/05/2008, -5/+6Less than half of crap is still crap.
    • aaronvegh, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1You'll note also that Rogers is the only 3G network to have dropped prices compared to EDGE rates. AT&T raised them, because they need to recoup their expenses for establishing the faster network. Clearly, Rogers has already made their money back many times, thanks to their hugely expensive Blackberry data plans going to government and large business employees. Consumers -- the iPhone's primary market -- won't tolerate even these prices. But only time will tell!
    • e2superman, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3iPhone is not like a BlackBerry. Each has their strengths. There is no way the iPhone can replace the BlackBerry "today" in the corporate email world. Exchange interface is nice but companies want a secure encrypted interface (not over the internet per say). My company does NOT have a globally accessable exchange server. It works instead with BB Ent Server to go from my blackberry with 256bit encryption to the BB network and then to my corporate BB Server. All secure. This facy exchange server compatibility that the iphone has is not a replacement. Oh and if you have anidiot company like mine we use Lotus Notes (puke). Then you have to use the blackberry for sure. (btw we are not some small company, try 80k people or more).
      • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Ya, lots of big companies still rock Lotus Notes.
  • amightywind, on 07/05/2008, -22/+1Hear that Canadians. Don't buy the best. Buy a clunky RIM, or a Samsung. A few years back I bought a Samsung cheap. It worked like it was programmed by monkeys on LSD.
    • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -3/+8What's wrong with the RIM devices? They have a much larger share than Apple, they must be doing something right. Oh, maybe it's that whole data push thing. Apple didn't think people actually wanted that feature until corporate users refused to buy the iPhone. Other people will say it's the keyboard, but I think the iPhone keyboard is fine... I'll beat a BlackBerry user any day in speed and accuracy on the iPhone keyboard. The one downside to the touch keyboard is that you have to look at it to use it, very difficult to dial the phone without looking (while driving for example).
      • amightywind, on 07/05/2008, -9/+3If you are going to judge your cell phone by how easy it is to type in traffic, then you are one warped individual, and you should be arrested. RIMs are clunky.
      • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -2/+3@amightwind
        I prefer my iPhone to a BlackBerry, so clearly I'm not judging my device by how easy it is to dial while not looking. I included that point for people who are trying to decide which device is right for them. If they make a lot of hands free calls from the car, this is an important point... and will hopefully let them make a decision that will make their habit safer. I also defended the iPhone keyboard, saying it is faster than a BlackBerry keyboard. It sounds like you need a nap.
        PS - Remind me what is clunky about RIM devices? Most fortune 500 companies don't continue to purchase clunky devices by the millions.
  • IggyPop, on 07/05/2008, -7/+80***** Rogers.
    • lordspidey, on 07/05/2008, -2/+5***** the MPAA/RIAA while you're at it.

      And ***** Comcast too.
      • RSterkenburg, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1And Scientology. And purple people.
    • Perk, on 07/06/2008, -2/+2In the 25th Century?
  • sambapati87, on 07/05/2008, -10/+24Thank you... I am tired of people complaining about the prices of things like they are being forced to buy it somehow.
    • Comprox, on 07/05/2008, -2/+9People are complaining due to 2 reasons:
      1. There is a baseline of what the price should/could be.
      2. The product is fairly unique. Yes, there are a few knock offs now, but nothing comes close.

      If the product was new, then people would have little reason to complain about prices, but they know how much it should cost. And since there is no exact knock off to buy instead, they have a full right to whine all they want. This is price gouging at it's finest.
  • TheConman, on 07/05/2008, -10/+3...but canada only has one road?
  • tsincaat, on 07/05/2008, -3/+12While the petitions may not cause Rogers to lower prices themselves, the media attention and publicity they attract could together result in lower rates or a boycott.
    • gfxlonghorn, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1This isn't exactly civil rights we are talking about, there is still a demand for a phone, and your are completely out of your mind if you think that there will be a boycott as a result. Not like any of the Canadian Digg users were going to buy an Iphone in the first place anyways.
  • knighter, on 07/05/2008, -4/+21All the complaining and petitions won't change anything. People will still line up like sheep to buy one from Rogers regardless of the price. Just because you won't do it doesn't mean that your neighbor, and thousands of other people like him who don't pay attention to this stuff won't be there with cash in hand.
    • markalex, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Do your part. Spread the word about these outrageous rates. Change is on our door step. Friends don't let friends buy iphones from rogers.
  • kd420, on 07/05/2008, -4/+14I still know all the rich and stupid ***** are going to buy it so they can show off, and thus keep the price where it is. Hopefully everyone just laughs at their stupidity.
    • AndrewWiggin, on 07/05/2008, -1/+12I'm sick of people talking about the iPhone as a device to show off like that's any reason at all to buy one. I may get dugg down for saying it, but it's pretty much the most user friendly and fun device I've every used and THAT'S why I bought one. I've never once approached someone to show it off.
  • trollick, on 07/05/2008, -2/+9What if I like the price but I don't have enough money, do I still buy it?
    • BoneStamp, on 07/05/2008, -2/+11Nope. You get a better job and/or wait/save... otherwise every teenager would have a BMW in their parents driveway.
      • Aroundtown27, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5if you could have only passed on this knowledge to everyone in the states with a subprime mortgage....
    • gleongelpi, on 07/05/2008, -3/+2No, you stick your finger in that precious place, and see if you can feel your brains.
    • supergnome, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Yeah, just put it on your credit card -- that's what everyone else does!
  • errorunknown, on 07/05/2008, -13/+0Silly Canadians and their petty protests
    • FrankFutter, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2We want more money! and bennagins coupons please
  • rootsm3, on 07/05/2008, -16/+41Didn't want the iPhone before, still don't want it.

    I hate iPhones because people whip them out and get social boners.
    • Palaceguard, on 07/05/2008, -4/+2What wrong with that?
    • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 07/05/2008, -5/+2I just want it for my own personal boner.
    • nogami, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7People who buy the iPhone at Rogers' prices are just gonna get laughed at in their social circles.

      If anyone I know is stupid enough to buy one at those prices, I'm gonna be making fun of them for quite some time... The duration of a 3 year contract most likely.
      • SupaDawg, on 07/05/2008, -4/+4I've already decided that a Canadian with an iPhone is a surefire indication of a ***** moron. I will make a point of outing any retard that buys one.
    • usingpond, on 07/05/2008, -3/+2What if there was this crazy idea that maybe it's a great handheld device?
    • harryhood53, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3^
      Simple case of penis envy here.

      Seriously though, do not buy the 3G iPhone. As an owner of an unlocked, jailbroken 2.5G, Apple/Rogers has once again found a creative way to ***** over customers. This is coming from a long time Apple "whore".
    • xero9, on 07/05/2008, -2/+2Would you want one if you knew you could put some porn on it, and shoot one off at work without anyone knowing?

      Might help with that social boner..
      • rootsm3, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Well I'm physically incapable of getting a boner but I see your point.
    • smpx, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4My ipod touch works great for the bathroom quicky solo. Thinner, too.
  • franklymister, on 07/05/2008, -4/+8A petition makes perfect sense. Rogers is a business, they're going to go where the money is. If sales are low, and there are petitions from people who say they would buy one if it were priced more competitively, of course they'll take it seriously.

    But a Samsung Instinct? That's not even a worthy competitor to a Sidekick. It's not an alternative to an iPhone.
    • Snokage, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1how can you say that about the instinct?
      • franklymister, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1It's not even a smartphone. It's just a feature phone, and the features don't even work that well.
        It was designed to check a lot of boxes off on the spec sheet, and to look good in ads - not to be a great device.
    • smpx, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1For the people who don't know the difference between 3g and 2g, the instinct is as useful as the iphone.
      • franklymister, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1It's not about feature lists, it's about actually using the thing. Non-gadget geeks will have even less reason to use the Instinct, because the crappy usability will only further infuriate them as they try to deal with "this lousy gizmo."
  • KayinAngel, on 07/05/2008, -0/+12uh, but doesn't matter what device we want to use, we (canadians) don't have any real options for decent data plans, which is where it matters most i'd think. hell i'd pay 500 for an iphone, if i knew the data plan here wasn't ridiculous. *****, i pay a crap load just for my stupid cell phone data rate (which is like 2 megs), so in reality I suppose if im paying the same for more with an iphone, its better. But there's still a monopoly up here on this *****... phone, cell, high speed internet, digital/sat tv.... there's pretty much only two options that i know of for any of those (Bell or Rogers) and both kinda suck in every department possible....

    .. well, Bell sucks a bit more because they tend to send you a collections notice before they send you the actual bill.
    • HumanRecalled, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3@.. well, Bell sucks a bit more because they tend to send you a collections notice before they send you the actual bill.


      Your ***** right about that !! I had a dispute over charges cause my HTC touch didn't have call minder, answering machine or browser ! Yet i was being billed of it. A Bell rep said that the bill would be looked into and they would contact back in 24hrs. 3 weeks later i'm still fighting and in the mean time i received a letter notification that my account has been overdue for 30 days and was being sent to collection !

      Oh by the way don't call from 3:00pm on or a weekend you will be outsourced to India from Canada and get absolutely ***** nowhere due to the retarded language barrier !
      It's like pulling your own fuking teeth out with any cell provider in Canada!@!
    • MadMic23, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4True, we don't have any options for GSM phones (Rogers or Rogers owned Fido. Hmmm...)

      For TV, you have Rogers or Cogeco for cable, and Bell and StarChoice for Satellite. At least that's a bit of competition.

      Bell is definitley the best way to go for TV though. It's the only one you can hack!
  • petard, on 07/05/2008, -7/+2Thats right, no one should buy Apple's ***** and feed that horrible corporation!
    • sixthree, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1*pssst... We're hating Rogers today, not Apple :P*

      ***** ROGERS COPS RIAA VIACOM TASERS AND MCCAIN.
  • notquitegone, on 07/05/2008, -12/+2wtf is a vancouver?
    • bigbadgoat, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3It's a huge city in British Columbia you ignorant moron.
  • skellener, on 07/05/2008, -0/+20People fail to realize the DO hold power over large corporations. Don't buy their products and they will cave. It's the only thing corporations understand. If the Canadians really did band together and boycott Rogers and the iPhone, you'd see prices drop very, very fast. It would be wonderful to see it happen. I don't know if it WILL happen, but I'd love to see the rebels strike back at the empire!
    • wyrdness, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3I think that something like that has happened here in the UK. The first generation iPhone was ridiculously expensive and they didn't sell too well. Now the iPhone 2 is much more reasonably priced and will probably sell in huge numbers. It's still not cheap, but then it isn't intended to be a cheap product, but it's now much more affordable than previously.
    • kinerry, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3What you speak of is called free market capitalism.
      • skellener, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Yes, but what the telecommunications industry is doing isn't. It's monopolistic abuse and collusion.
  • phogasmic, on 07/05/2008, -0/+13I love the IPhone, but its worthless without a unlimited data plan. Rogers is stupid for not implementing one and it makes them look greedy. They will cave.
    • markalex, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3They will cave if no one buys it. DOn't buy an iphone people. wait for rogers to come crawling back on it's knees with reasonable rates. Buy an iphone = sell your soul and ***** your fellow iphone owner hopeful.
  • mmilton, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8You don't need a data plan if you have access to WIFI. The solution is to get rid of two networks, one for mobile phones and one for the Internet. Everything should be Internet-based where we all pay a flat rate with no usage charges for voice calls, no usage charges for messages, etc. We should quickly implement Internet-based wireless infrastructure everywhere, perhaps both Wifi and Wimax. This will change the phone companies as we know them. They'll be providing dumb pipes only and be irrelevant
    • outlaw686, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1I have one problem with VOIP and I would never use it as a primary telephone line in my house. If the power ever goes out in an ice storm I can at least still call out with a land based line, supposing the switching station isn't down.
  • digitallysick, on 07/05/2008, -2/+10Buy a blackberry bold instead, you get 3g, stereo blue tooth, un restricted blue tooth, modem tethering , MMS, micro sd slot, Instant Messaging, plays youtube videos, fast processor etc, the list goes on. Take your current iphone, update to the new 2.0 firmware (in a few weeks) unlock it, and put it on ebay.
    • RSterkenburg, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Bluetooth!?!?!?!!???! OMGWTFBBQ!!!! I love looking like a spaceman douchebag with my all-new Bluetooth headset!
  • dansgil, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8There really is no excuse why Rogers can't offer unlimited data. Both of their competitors, Bell and Telus, offer unlimited data for $30/month. If Rogers doesn't do the same, the iPhone will be a flop. I really would love to have an iPhone, but I if can get unlimited data on another smartphone, for less money, why would I get an iPhone?
    • Alex2, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Bell really doesn't offer unlimited data.
      Some guy in Edmonton got a 85000 dollar bill for using his phone's dial up networking over bluetooth last year.


  • SupaDawg, on 07/05/2008, -0/+13I honestly pain at the fact that I was ever a dealer for these *****. They have absolutly no clue about what the consumer wants. They got lucky that the iPhone is GSM only.

    That said, Rogers is ***** if either Bell or Telus wins GSM band in the spectrum auction. The GSM monopoly in Canada will come to an end.
  • infiniphunk, on 07/05/2008, -6/+4My sentiments exactly. Just another somewhat useful gadget. I guess all the rich little fashion victims in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal will soon be getting one though. Sad.
  • jks15, on 07/05/2008, -2/+13Dugg for the fact that the article is from The Vancouver Sun. Lower Mainland [sorry, Metro Vancouver] FTW = )
    • supergnome, on 07/05/2008, -4/+1The Best Place On Earth, real estate a steal now at $750/sqft.
  • reelectnoone, on 07/05/2008, -10/+3iPhone...do you mean iSpy ?

    Remember iPhone works only on AT&T who was caught syping without a warrant, sending customer's private information to the NSA. iPhone may give them more data to share without your knowledge or permission !
  • filovirus, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3I considered the iPhone 3G and a new ATT contract, but in the end chose a Blackberry Curve and EVDO Verizon. The main reasons are that ATT raised the price by $10 a month, ATT 3G is not in my area yet, and Verizon has way better coverage in my area, esp rural. The Blackberry does not integrate with my Mac like the iPhone, so I am still dependant on my Nano/Touch for now.

    It will be 4 years before Verizon has the iPhone. By then, it will be more functional and have about 2-3 new iterations. It was a tough choice but the right one for me.
    • sims12345, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1good choice
    • SIRBERUS, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1I'm in the same boat as you, however I refuse to pay good money for a crippled blackberry curve.

      Even if Verizon gets the iphone in 4 years... we all know it will be a crippled POS.

      I hate how there is no honest phone company alternatives. A little integrity is all I want.
  • BlueLeader, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8Don't buy it Canada! Wait the bastards out. When they don't make any money on their "privileged" position you'll have them by the short hairs.
  • flynnfx, on 07/05/2008, -5/+12Repeat after me :

    I WILL NOT BUY AN IPHONE FROM ROGERS WITH THESE CURRENT HIGHWAY ROBBERY RATE PLANS!

    And Don't.

  • galvo, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3I'm going to like having unlimited data and texts for $90 a month. That price will most likely magically rise on my bills, though.
  • blacklilyninja, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8buying an iphone with a mandatory contract for it to even work is not "buying" anything. You are renting a service at criminally high rates that if you stop paying for stops working. In effect taking that 200-600 dollar device and making it a pretty paper weight.
    but hey if you stop paying you are defaulted to pay them the balance of the contract.


    your 200 dollar iphone now just cost you a lot more

    DON'T GIVE ROGERS YOUR MONEY
    • Quicksilver4648, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1That is what I always said about Job's "starting at $200" announcement. I can't 'buy' and iPhone at $200. I would be renting an iPhone for two years with a monthly payment and a $200 initial deposit.
  • SatansSpatula, on 07/05/2008, -6/+5Wow, I didn't know Canada had enough douchebags to support that sort of "elite professional" pricing structure.
    • Evicted, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5Canada's domestic douchebag population is on par per capita with that of the united states
  • joaquine, on 07/05/2008, -7/+2The iphone is not for the masses. If it were so easily to get it would loose its appeal just like the iPod did.
    • clockdist, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1With a $200 price tag, it is now for the masses.
    • Turbojugend27, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Like the Ipod did?? Are you serious, I see tons of them seeing everyday and I work a a futureshop in ***** nowhere. I can't imagine the amount of Ipods higher traffic stores are selling.
  • drommer, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I'll get it when they provide unlimited data, sms and incoming calls + nights and weekends and a reasonable amount of daytime outgoing minutes, say 600-800 and all the options (caller ID, voicemail and those "network fees") for 100 bucks
    • RSterkenburg, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Like the $99.00 everything plan?
  • HumanRecalled, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3I left Telus cause their roaming charges when i traveled from Central Canada to Eastern was retarded cause the towers down there are few and far between. It was so bad when i got the phone the only choice i was given was a phone number that was 3hrs away from me to the nearest City !! I couldn't even use the phone locally due to the number being in a different local cause Tower support was nill !! and i was being reamed up the ass for long distance charges !

    Switching
    Bell has virtually raped me with Data plans that i don't have and they insist my phone has it !!! Example I had the razor 1.5 yrs back and i requested TV on it. Well the phone didn't support it !! So i was duped by the salesmen saying it did ( at the time for over a year of owning it it didn't support TV or radio , now it does :() So i requested the service be stricken from my bill as the phone didn't support the feature. 7 month sof billing later and i had to call them every month for them to remove 45 dollars off my account and each time had to fight and speak to 8 different people to do so !! End result they would say this is a one time deal only !! And i would repeat i requested months ago over and over to remove said feature it's your problem not mine.

    I have since went with an HTC touch which is a nice phone but i'm baffled by the billing as features are always being billed to my phone i don't have !!

    basically your dammed if you do and your dammed if you don't :(




  • x1soundgarden1x, on 07/05/2008, -6/+1Oh Noez!! I have to pay teh money for goods and services I want but don't need!!! What am I to do!!?? How dare they charge me a price that best fits the demand curve for a popular item. Justice = free iphones for all!!!
    • cdiggy, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1Oh Noez!! I have to suck elite-corporate-hairy-nutz just to use something that other countries pay less for!! WHAT AM I TO DO!!?? How dare we not be good little slave-consumers and let the top 1% leech off of us while we get poorer and they get richer. Fascism = iphones for the l33t!!1!11!
    • norm7, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1complaining about price of food = acceptable concern
      complaining about price of gas = acceptable concern
      complaining about price of iphone = ***** entitlement whining
  • DarkDx, on 07/05/2008, -0/+13I hope the iphone flops in canada, ***** rogers...
  • kinseyincanada, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1it ha to be pointed out that these plans are half as cheap as they were last week, and the amount of data is pretty decent for the average user. I would love to see an unlimited plan, and im not going tp buy an iPhone without one, but the plans have gotten a drastic pay cut.
    • RSterkenburg, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Ummmm no, you really don't seem to know how fast you go through data on a cell phone. 2000 web pages a month... it SEEMS like a lot, on paper, but think about it. The phone is always with you, in your pocket or hand. How many web pages would you go to? Not to mention downloading media. Probably more than 60 a day.
  • judicar, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2"Potential users tech-savvy enough to know what two gigabytes represents know it won't be enough for serious websurfing."

    Really? The average webpage is 130Kb, of that at least 50% is static content that gets cached. So that comes out to 32,263 page loads a month and 1,075 unique page loads a day. That's would be some serious web surfing on a pc and probably an impossible amount on a cell phone.
    • dansgil, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5The issue is that the iPhone isn't only used for web surfing. Everything, including Maps, App Store, Weather, Stocks, Email, YouTube, etc., all use data.
    • sims12345, on 07/05/2008, -2/+4Youtube and flash are huge bandwidth hogs on a plan thsat gives you 2gb
      • SIRBERUS, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Don't worry... apple's got you covered. No flash!
    • xtremesniper, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4judicar, are you serious? The iPhone doesn't cache things forever. A few sites later, the site you visited a few minutes ago is long forgotten. Visit it again, and everything has to be redownloaded.
      • RSterkenburg, on 07/06/2008, -0/+2I was going to post this, but alas you beat me to it! You're right, the cache is probably tiiny.
  • spiritd, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4The only way to get to cellular companies, and most others for that matter is to hurt their sales. Apple and Rogers are betting on the fact that enough people in Canada will buy this simply because there's an Apple on it and it's very popular. I feel for you Canucks because frankly, you're screwed.
    :


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