Canadian Iphone peddler told off by Apple

Just a not on the last line in this article: "But winning a high-profile contract from Apple has thrown this policy into sharp relief."

Rogers didn't "win" anything - they are the only 3G service provider in Canada. The got the contract be default. 

Lack of competition is the biggest problem here...

Phone companies here aren't quite so blatant, they just find infuriating back door methods of stealing money from their punters.

For example, UK Vodafone users can enjoy downloads at £10 per megabyte when roaming in Europe, even when told to stay on SFR via text from their kind hearted phone operator, to get the best rates - thats because Vodafone owns SFR. At the high speed data rates achievable abroad in France on SFR this equates to £23,000 per hour data charges at maximum speed, now thats worth a story...

But then again the government did sell the 3G licenses for 22Billion pounds, but then again Vodafone and others were dumb enough to pay it.... and now we reap the "rewards".

This sort of thing is just not on and it’s giving a bad name to the business. Look, you either like the pain or you don’t and should you be a mouse in reality, why are you faffing around in The Dungeon ? Hang on, it could be that you’ve just begin to noticed the pain !! There, the only limit to greed is fear and together, they do make a lovely pair, don’t they. Everything else is just much ado about nothing. Too pricy? Since when has fashion/monopoly been about pricing? Fashion is all about your sanity or the lack of it in reality. Still can’t see it? Since when did the thumb criticized the little finger for being too inadequate and that a makeover and some accessorising is the way to make up for it? Ever since you’ve removed your thumb from your mouth. Comforting wasn’t it. 

A principle, be it evolving or devolving, has nothing to do with anyone other than informing about choices and how accepting-rejecting [reacting-to] those choices means we’ve become part of it, or through merely watching the spectacle [witnessing], the lesson is learnt. There is no need to worry about “evil” for the “good” guys will be there tackling it and when they’ve failed, and they will always fail, Nature, through strange and mysterious ways, will always be there to limit the error but never destroying it because the time for destruction is never according to those who can never create energy. Humans are merely transformers of energy. If there is no driving force, there will be no evolution, and devolution, is in many ways, the motive for people to evolve or devolve [i.e becoming principles thereof]. That’s why all that is past, from now going back to the The Big Bang, is still very much “alive”, like viruses and other principles of devolution. Without coughing, you won’t know that smoking is bad for the lungs, etc but to the fashionite, smoking is, of course, an acquired sophistication/accessory. Upside down is when the masochist complains about the pain because masoshism is about exploring the limits of/to pain. Yes, good old Roger. Onwards and upwards, we say.

I thought filling out online petitions were akin to "writing letters to Santa". This online "movement" can't have real world traction, can it? Especially with the likes of Rogers and Apple.

Just a crazy idea... since you wrote a whole article on it, could you tell us what Rogers is charging for the phone and data plan, perhaps?

The rumor seems to be true on the iPhone shipment to Canada. 

A family member in charge of the cell phone section at Rogers has been told that there will be a total of 2,000 iPhones for the entirety of Canada. 

Hence, not all stores will be carrying them or very few, on the release date. 

FRogers

Maybe it's a little picky, but Rogers is definitely NOT the only 3G carrier in Canada - Telus and Bell both offer highspeed, nation-wide networks, but they rely on CDMA/EVDO technology - and so are incompatible with the iPhone.

Rogers and Fido both operate GPRS networks that the iPhone can use - but this is only an illusion of competition, as Fido's a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications.

It looks like the best deal for Canadians wanting Internet access on their cell-phone, is going to be the Samsung Instinct - offered by Bell with a $40 calling and unlimited data plan - but it's not the iPhone.

A lot of people I know were hot for this phone until pricing. Rogers minimum plan is 60.00 and that allows 450 megabytes of data compared to the unlimited plan in the U.S which I believe is priced around 40.00. The Rogers plan options go to over a 100.00 a month but that still has limited data of 2 GB. The last time I looked our dollars were about the same size. Apple isn't getting a cut of any plans up here, they're are just selling hardware and Rogers ain't making that easy. 

Rogers has since been stick handling like Gretzky altering the Iphone plan (making the phone available for existing plans with a separate Data plan) but data is still absurdly expensive in Canada and always has been. I wouldn't trust one of these phones in the hands of anyone who doesn't actually have to pay the bill at the end of the month!

Nevemind trying to justify the need for one of these things to my wife, I can't even convince myself.

Interesting. I’m not worried though. It’s just rumor and rhetoric. Of course, with this sort of thing, it’s impossible to get an ‘official’ statement from anyone. 

However, if, as the article claims, Apple is concerned about having a negative image, it does not make sense for them to restrict the number of iPhones sold here. Even if Rogers eventually gives in to the pressure, It would ultimately only serve to vilify Apple even further, in the eyes of Canadians. How is saying, “We don’t like how our product is being deployed to you, so we’re just not going to let you have it,” going to instantly turn Apple into a superhero?

Holding the iPhone ransom from their customers is not going to help Apple’s case one bit. They may deliver a bit of a blow to Rogers’ iPhone sales profits, initially. Although, judging by Apple’s price Nazi enforcement with the iPhone, there likely isn’t any profit to be make on the sale of the devices. The real profit is through the vampirical act of carriers locking buyers into a contract, allowing them to be slowly bled dry over the next three years, using ridonculously high service prices.
Both Apple and Rogers are out for the same thing every other company is – Wealth and control. Can we blame them for trying to make a buck? (yes)

I guess the moral of the story is that there are no heroes here. Just villains. (Vampires Mostly). But remember, a vampire can’t come in unless it’s invited. So let’s all go buy the Instinct from Bell and succumb to another brand of villains…

As for me, well, it’s not about the Hamilton’s baby. I’m in it for the tech. You can catch this cash cow in line on Thursday night, waiting to be milked.

/.JP 

Let's face it, Canadian population is widespread and sparse compared to the american. We have always paid more partially because of that. We have paid more tax, more for gas, more for everything. Roger's cellphone plan is just the tip of the iceberg. We are pretty much the europeans of north america. If you don't like the plan, just don't buy it. After all, we can live without iphone, 3G, especially when wifi is everywhere these days. Get a psp instead, it can do almost everything iphone can do except for the touch screen.

I get my high speed Internet (for my house) using a mobe 3G technology called EV-DO (still no other choice in this suburban neighbourhood). Last monthly billing cycle we used 45 GB (that is not a typo).

With Rogers idiot 3 or 5 cents per kB, the monthly bill would have been somewhere north of $1.3 Million. With the Telus unlimited and 'tether as much as you want' plan we're on, well under $100 all in.

Rogers data rates are completely insane.

Also, they're not the only "3G" provider in Canada. They're perhaps the only "GSM 3G" provider in Canada. Telus and Bell both offer EV-DO which is an alternate 3G technology.

To summarize - it's the plan stupid. And Rogers plans are some of the stupidest on earth. $40 to look at CNN.com once.


We just got our iphone plans released today.
Starts at a whopping NZ$80/mth, with the phone 8GB @ NZ$550, complete with 120 minutes calling (OK), 600 national Txt (OK) and 250MB data (crap).
What I hate is that I don't need 120minutes of national calling.
Eat that Canada!

Various Rogers stores are now being contacted and told they will not be carrying the iPhones, on the release date.

If you really want one, go to the 330 Bay or 130 King W locations in downtown Toronto. They will carry the lions share of iPhones. (Couple hundred each)

Rogers only 'won' cause they are really the only GSM provider as has been posted... Add to that, Bell, or Telus, or the various Provincial Telcos are all running CDMA / EVDO networks that work quite well in comparison. 

See the problem as has been pointed out is lack of competition... However that is not the cause; its a symptom...

Canada, in case many of you are unaware is really freaking big. And for the most part, extremely sparsely populated. 

So yeah Competition would be great, however, putting up 50 towers for the mind numbingly huge population of 1 million people in a province that is bigger then say 4 Germanies... Well Who in their right mind is going to come in to be the 3rd or 4th competitor putting down that many towers to get a chunk of a small pie? Do the math. So... The Provincial telcos had to share and lease their assets as per the agreements or decisions made by a government board known as the CRTC. Considering they all went CDMA, that means then that all competitiors looking to get into the marketplace w/o putting up towers are going to be offering CDMA service... rogers is privately owned, and as such doesn't have to share didley squat... So One provider for iphone... (2 if you count their little mutt FIDO).

So unlike Europe, or the United States; with decent population densities spread throughout the majority of their country... 

We have a small amount of people (35 millionish) spread over the second largest country in the world... Is it a wonder why we have few competitors? Is it also a wonder why when all the real hard work had to be done (laying lines, running fiber trunks 800km for 15000 people) most of our telcos were government owned?

For almost 3 years now, I've had a contract with MTS ( ex manitoba government run telco) for Unlimited data (real tethered unlimited, not unlimited web browsing) a decent phone package, unlimited text, voicemail, 3 way calling, etc.. for $75 a month. Rogers still can't touch this, and I've had this plan for almost 3 years. That being said, neither can Telus... (Telus leases access to many MTS towers outside of major centers in Manitoba). I roam for free with free data inside Canada on Bell's Network... 

So pricing for some of us isn't that bad. However, Rogers has always had ludicrous data rates, and intitial device rates... Almost 3 years ago I paid $199 for my Treo 650... and got my 3 year contract... Rogers wanted at least double that and didn't offer any sort of unlimited data package... I've tethered my treo 650 all over the country... thousands of KM's away.. for free. 

Our pricing is higher then U.S pricing... but in all fairness, it kinda has to be if we want cell access from a tower put up in the middle of nowhere for the perhaps 4 farmhouses and a seasonal igloo that inhabit its broadcast space.

Something to think about...

you can't afford an iphone... boo-frigging-hoo... here's a tip... DON'T BUY ONE.... is that concept too hard to understand? if something is out of your financial grasp, DON'T BUY IT... 

you don't see people crying about ferraris being too expensive do you?