AT&T

News is coming from AT&T that, in preparation of the iphone launch, they are optimizing their 2.5G EDGE network. Does that mean they are putting on new rims and TV screens in the bumpers? No pimping out their rides. They are, rather, dropping new T1 lines in underperforming towers in hopes to upping the minimum performance across their network to a minimum of 80kbps.

As reported by Gizmodo via AppleInsider:

According to the report, existing limitations and bottlenecks on the AT&T EDGE network stem not from protocols but rather the network’s data backend and the way the towers are configured to allocate bandwidth to data and calls.

The launch of the iPhone will no doubt bring new customers to AT&T. I’m one of them. So it’s no surprise that they are not taking any chances when it comes to making sure their network can maximize the full capabilities of the iPhone.

This initiative, dubbed “Operation: Fine EDGE” is due to finish 2 weeks before the launch on June 29th.

[Via AppleInsider]

This will probably go down in history as the only time Steve Jobs will tell you to avoid an Apple Store but as retold by Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post:

Talking to Steve Jobs after his speech, I got a hot tip on how to be one of the first people to score a new iPhone when they go on sale in June. “Don’t go to an Apple store,” Jobs told me. “It will be a madhouse there. People will be lined up around the block, sleeping on the sidewalk to get one. Go to an AT&T/Cingular store. Most people don’t know that they will be selling them too.” Uh, they do now, Steve.

So I decided to go the extra mile and uh…anonymously call my local AT&T store. When I asked if I would be better off going to their store rather than the Apple Store on June 29th, I received the following response: “Whatever you want, Sir.” Always on their toes, those AT&T employees!

[Via The Huffington Post]

Merrill Lynch analysts today reports that although market expectations are higher, Apple will only ship 4 million iPhones this year. This is way lower than what all indications point to as initial launch demand for the phone. But to me, the most troubling news is this:

“The report indicates that monthly shipments will initially total 200,000-300,000 and ramp to about one million units by the end of the year,” McManus reports.

If previous information was correct, and there will be approximately 2000 storefronts selling the iPhone, then we may have a problem. First some quick math:

If you take the initial shipment of 300,000 iPhones and divide them equally amongst the 2000 stores, you will have an average of 150 iPhones per store.

But that doesn’t consider the amount of iPhones reserved for purchase online at Apple.com and Cingular.com. How many units do you think would be set aside for online sales? I would guess a third. Let’s say 100,000 out of the 300,000 iPhones are reserved for online sales. That would mean that on average, only 100 iPhones will be available per… more...

Think you are all set when the iPhone comes out because you got on a waiting list? Think again. We have received reports of AT&T stores ditching their waiting lists and not alerting the people previously on them.

A tipster in Tennessee wrote to iPhone Matters that when he inquired at his local AT&T store about a waiting list, he was met with the following response:

“We did, but it got too long” “Basically, it’s now first come, first served.”

Call practically any AT&T store these days, and despite a dictate from corporate forbidding waiting lists, you will probably find one to put your name on. I followed up and called my local AT&T branch and was met with a similar answer:

Me: Is there a waiting list for the iPhone I can get on?
Barry from AT&T: There used to be, but not any more.
Me: Why not?
Barry: We had a list of some 200 people and we knew we wouldn’t have enough at this branch and definitely don’t have the time to check names on the list so we ditched it.

So if you think you are… more...

The anticipation for the iPhone can arguably be described as the most anticipated gadget in history. How else can you explain the countless websites (including iPhoneMatters) that exist producing dedicated content to this yet to be released device? But apparently, it isn’t enough hype for AT&T.

With the launch (hopefully) less than a month away, Randall Stephenson, AT&T COO decided to crank up the heat again:

The executive was convinced that the Apple device would be a “game changer” for the cellphone business and make many customers—and operators—rethink their approach to phones. Many casual users were now more receptive to smartphones and other multi-purpose devices than they were in the past, Stephenson said, which reportedly merited far more publicity and praise than had already been given so far. “I don’t know what your expectations are for the iPhone, but I would tell you they’re probably too low at this point,” he claimed.

Could this be a sign that AT&T is worried? Or is it just a way to guarantee white hot hype leading up to the launch? Well, if Stephenson is reading the stories circling the iPhone and… more...

While we’ve heard mixed reports about the iPhone’s availability one thing is certain: everyone and their mother wants to sell them from AT&T to Ebay sellers and the newest contender in the arena, Fry’s Electronics.

Crunch Gear is reporting that next month Fry’s will carry the iPhone along with a service plan from AT&T as well. This could support the fact of limited supplies due to more and more retailers carrying the device.

Also what’s interesting is the date mentioned of when Fry’s Electronics will receive the iPhone: June 5th. This is 6 days before Apple’s World Wide Developers conference. I’m expecting Steve Jobs, turtle neck and all (I’m surprised Apple hasn’t ventured into the area of selling designer clothing yet) announcing “The iPhone goes on sale today!” 

So while the official date (from Apple anyways) hasn’t been pegged down yet, it looks as if we can expect yet another retailer to carry and potentially sell the iPhone mid-June.

Brier Dudley, writer for the Seattle Times, recently conducted an interview with AT&T Mobility president of national distribution, Glenn Lurie, regarding the iPhone.

Lurie has had the chance to play with the iPhone for a little longer than most review-writers out there and his impressions on the device are excellent, although I doubt he could turn around and say the device was a pile of trash what with the marriage AT&T and Apple hold.

Lurie mentions,

The anticipation that we’re seeing, the buzz we’re seeing, at least for me, has far exceeded our expectations of how important this would be to the business and us.

and also goes on to justify the high price point for the iPhone. He is basically saying what Steve Jobs said at the very beginning; when you combine a $200 iPod Nano, a $200 SmartPhone and a free-to-$50 mobile phone, you get the 4GB iPhone and at a reasonable price.

[Via MacRumors]

As a follow up to the news of Apple and AT&T’s exclsuive 5-year partnership comes a great in-depth article from USA Today on the telecom business and the fierce competitiveness between the big 3.

AT&T, apparently will live and die with their decision to work with Apple nd distribute the iPhone. Five years is a long, long time. But the big win for AT&T is the barring of Apple from developing a CDMA version of the iPhone. “AT&T rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint are both CDMA shops. AT&T uses GSM, a global standard incompatible with CDMA.”

The article goes on to explain that it isn’t just about customers: it’s also about revenue and how Wall Street reacts to the surging or slumping sales of services.

The AT&T and Verizon Wireless rivalry is particularly fierce. AT&T has slightly more customers; Verizon has more revenue. Both claim to be No. 1.

So those wondering whether the iPhone iwll come to your current provider anytime soon, keep on waiting. This of course, gives us little insight to how the European and Asian… more...