Competition

It has been rumored that O2 beat out other wireless carriers such as T-Mobile and Vodafone to carry the iPhone. If this is true as The Finacial Times claims it is then Apple will supposedely do a different carrier for each country in Europe for the iPhone’s release late this year.

As of late we’ve heard confirmations and denials as to which carrier would get Apple’s iPhone and many were uncertain of it’s fate in Europe due to the lack of 3G in the device as 2G networks such as EDGE are very rare.

O2 has also beaten a strong competitor, Vodafone to the punch if this rumor can be confirmed. But we’ll know very soon if it is as the contract will be signed quickly which will be followed up by an announcement.

But Apple is still negotiations with other wireless carriers across Europe and for when the iPhone’s exclusivity ends with other carriers such as O2.

Via: Pocket-Lint

Sprint says they aren’t worried about the iPhone. They feel very secure in their own product offerings and their fast network. They aren’t worried at all. So any misconceptions that their new campaign entitled, WhyPhone Raises Questions is attacking Apple’s iPhone is wrong. No, they aren’t worried.

Sprint isn’t worried that “M:Metrics Inc. in Seattle surveyed 11,000 wireless phone users in May and found about 8% of Sprint’s customers expressed a “high interest” in buying an iPhone, compared with 12% for T-Mobile and nearly 7% for Verizon Wireless. Nope they aren’t worried.

That’s why in the WhyPhone campaign they call this mystery competitor, the “why (pay-an-extra-400-hundred-dollars-or-more-phone) Phone”. Sprint has released a PDF fact sheet that compares their product offerings with this so called MyPhone.

Lately there has been some talk in the industry about a device that sounds something like a “whyPhone,” but based on initial reports and speculation, Sprint appears to offer much more when it comes to value, variety and speed.

[Via Computer World]

Crowd control and having enough stock will be two key components for Apple and AT&T’s iPhone launch. Lines will be horrendous and according to Greg’s recent poll 11.79 percent of our readers who voted will wait overnight just for an iPhone. Apple and AT&T better be prepared for anything even a jealous paint ball assailant.

Engadget reports that a June 11th memo sent by AT&T to retail stores suggests managers communicate extended store hours to their landlords and highly suggest the use of stanchions to help conform the line of iPhone buyers.

In addition to crowd control USA Today reports additional launch day info. A whopping 2,000 sales people will be added to AT&T stores with half staying just to handle the iPhone launch and that certain stores will receive a higher inventory count than other outlets. These figures were based on iPod sales for that region.

It’s no surprise that as we await June 29th, the hype surrounding the iPhone has gone through the roof. Lines may very well wrap around stores, short supplies will cause waiters to riot, ok well not as dramatic but you do get the picture.

Arstechnica is reporting the same thing, long lines, long waits and limited supplies. No doubt if you’re a die hard Apple fan or really do need an iPhone you’ll probably line up opening day or even pitch a tent and make some friends.

Your plan of attack will vary depending on whether you go to an Apple or AT&T store. Luckily I was right by an Apple store and decided to ask an employee about the iPhone’s launch day.

This employee had managed previous launch events at various Apple stores and noted that for every event, lines went far out the store and start right by the entrance so as not to disturb other buyers. He also suggested coming at least 3 hours early to get a spot up front and to check in at 12PM at the earliest to see how the line will be structured. Also, as far as the manager of… more...

While Apple has already found a US carrier for the iPhone (AT&T), the company seems to be having difficulties in Europe. While there are far more choices abroad Apple seems to have angered potential carriers coming off as extremely arrogant, some have claimed they will never carry the iPhone.

A report issued by analyst Avi Greengart on Monday suggested Apple would have to go retail only when selling iPhones in Europe unless Orange (The Apple iPhone exclusively on Orange) can meet the steep demands put in place and is the only carrier left for Apple to choose from with a widespread EDGE network. Even though Apple may have burned it’s bridges concerning wireless providers in Europe, a significant opportunity may be in place.

Avi notes that the high end market is wide open for Apple, whether or not consumers accustomed to buying sub 200 dollar phones will consider an iPhone is not the issue. Apple commanding the high end sales could allow themselves to test the iPhone significantly before cheaper models are introduced. there will be little to no competition and nothing to stop Apple from innovating the iPhone, should some part of the phone fail, corrections can be… more...

Jim Cramer of the popular “Mad Money” TV show thinks Ivan Seidenberg, the CEO of Verizon shpould get mad props. In his show, according to his website, TheStreet.com, Cramer said, “Seidenberg should take Verizon even higher and deserves the benefit of the doubt.”

But when Cramer then asked Seidenberg about how the iPhone would impact Verizon, thats when the real propping came out. In this case, it was Seidenberg propping up Verizon’s flexibility, advanced network, and breadth of choices as reasons why Verizon can counter AT&T and Apple’s iPhone.

The iPhone is going to create a lot of buzz and add “sizzle” to the industry, Seidenberg said. He believes that people will go to Apple and AT&T stores and then compare the product with what Verizon has to offer.

Although I believe that Verizon does indeed have a more dvanced network and greater flexibility, there is no way in hell people will take the time to compare options between Verizon and AT&T. Why? Well, mostly because those who are interetsed in the iPhone are caring more about the “sizzle” than anything else. And right now, if… more...

Verizon always said they would respond to AT&T and their iPhone. But I think most people (me included) figured that would mean some “wickedly uncool” Motorola phone or a novelty Chocolate phone or something. Never in a million years did I expect Verizon would sell the fabulous LG Prada: perhaps the closest thing to an iPhone in the world.

According to TheStreet.com, Verizon’s answer to the iPhone is the LG Prada phone retailing for $600, one honey more than the iPhone. In my opinion this is the smart thing for Verizon to do. The Prada phone is already out in the market and has gained a lot of exposure for its luxury brand name and iPhone like features.

Maybe Verizon Wireless will retain some customers after all.

[Via Network World]

Maybe I missed something, but I was sure that I heard correctly that Motorola was going to unveil a new “wickedly cool” phone today. I was told this device would be a “media monster” and Apple should worry about how to compete with it. Was I the only one that thought Ed Zander and Motorola may have had something legit in the works?

Wait. Are you saying that the RAZR2 phone that was announced today was the device he was talking about? You mean the thing that looks like the old RAZR only it does streaming TV, is a tad slimmer, and is made of different materials? I don’t know about you, but this hardly warrants a comparison to the iPhone. It barely warrants a comparison to any other phone except for the RAZR.

Here are the specs of the RAZR2 according to tgdaily:

The Razr2 will be offered in three versions - the V9 (3G HSDPA), V9m (EVDO CDMA) and the V8 (GSM). At the core of each phone is a 500 MHz ARM11, which Motorola says is about 10 times faster than the original Razr. The feature set also includes a 2.2”… more...

Add Ed Zander to the list of CEO’s that haven’t had a good night’s sleep since the announcement of the iPhone. When recently asked about the iPhone, a cocky Motorola Chairman and CEO Ed Zander said, “How do you deal with the iPhone? How do they deal with us?”

Zander then announced that next week, a new “media monster” phone will be revealed by Motorola and that it “meets one of the company’s product development goals to offer ‘wickedly cool’ products.” How “wickedly cool” can this thing be? Zander and Motorola might have produced the RAZR but they really haven’t produced anything else since so pardon me for the skepticism. Is it “wickedly cool” using the RAZR as its guide?

Zander says that the iPhone will “stimulate the overall market for feature-rich mobile devices” and that is good for Motorola. I would argue that might be like the head of the Creative Zen line saying “the iPod will stimulate the overall market for MP3 devices and that is good for us.” Zander has to say these things because his company is reporting a $181 million first quarter net loss.… more...

It always seems to happen. In the last few months, every time a competitor in the phone industry announces their next big thing, it is always dubbed the “answer to the iPhone.” But what people need to remember is even if a company advances their own product line, it does not mean that it will even come close to the iPhone.

I know, I know, nothing more than blind faith following the iPhone: a product that isn’t even out yet. But take this announcement for example, and let’s talk fact.

Research In Motion just announced the new Blackberry Curve. It has a new “liquid silver” finish and lightweight frame. A 320 X 240 LCD display, web access, a fancy new trackball device, a 2.0 megapixel camera, and a QWERTY keyboard.

Can someone please explain to me, how any of this competes with the iPhone specs?

Let’s compare specs head-to-head:
Screen size: Curve=320X240 pixels iPhone: 3.5 inches
Input Method: Curve=Trackball? iPhone: Multi-touch
GSM: Curve=Quadband iPhone=Quadband
Thickness: Curve=15.5mm iPhone=11.6mm
Weight: Curve=111 grams iPhone=135 grams

So there… more...