My current Nokia phone is seriously on its last legs. I've been holding out replacing it because to get a new phone would require me to sign to a new contract and all the fiddly mess that goes with it. After all, I've been working myself out of debt rather than aiming to get back into debt.
I've been tempted by the usability of the iPhone for some time. As anyone who knows me can attest - I'm a big fan of Apple, and the ability to have a Smartphone that synchs with my mac is very appealing.
So what has gone wrong?
Vodafone has unfortunately opened that can of worms that has been waiting to explode - mobile data usage.
New Zealand has some of the highest prices for internet and mobile usage in the world. We have had all manner of excuses piled out about this, and now the iPhone may be the product that causes companies to pause and think.
I watched the "rebuttal" from Vodafone last night on Campbell Live, and it comes down to 'this is our cheapest plan' and 'New Zealand is isolated.'
Now I'm not a big fan of John Campbell, he's a bit of a phoney himself I feel, but damn if he didn't do a good job of making Vodafone's PR guy look like a fool. Campbell was armed with figures - including Australian markets - and the PR guy kept running back to his "we have plans from $50 and up" over and over like a mantra, as if that would answer the question.
Then as a defence he argued that New Zealand has the highest fixed broadband costs too. Dumb move - that's not a defence for high prices, that's an example why Vodafone could have led the way by competitive pricing.
As it is, they seriously underestimated the backlash, I suspect. We wont know until the actual release day how much this pricing plan has worked or failed - but given the rumblings, and the fact that the people Vodafone are counting on purchasing the device are savvy enough to know that they are being ripped off - this could be a bit of a bomb for VF.
The harsh reality is that a similar plan on Telecom with an OKTA touch - which might not have all the iPhone's features, but is close enough for a lot of users - is a few HUNDRED dollars cheaper on a two year plan.
Arguing that the iPhone is a unique product is a weak defence, as comparably there are still alternatives, and when nearby nations are selling this item for demonstrably better deals - it is a bit rich to argue that "it's the best deal compared to our other prices"
Guys, if your other prices are stupidly high, this defence is a failure. And I looked - I stuck with Telecom because Vodafones standard contracts are ridiculously priced compared to the current plans Telecom is offering. So even standard Vodafone plans are a rip-off.
All in all, Vodafone have made a big marketing error here. I predict that there will be a pick up rate - but a number of people will be waiting to see if Telecom offers a better deal once they get to run the iPhone off their network...
Love and Huggles
Conan
7 comments:
yup, vodafone are pretty shitty.
from their FAQ:
No, iPhone will not be available on Prepay.
(yet you can opt to buy the phone outright, still can't have it on prepay... and ti costs $979 for the 8gb).
and they blatantly lied about that being their best data plans... but the iphone isn't allowed to use their best casual data usage one.
from the FAQ:
Question
Will I be able to use the new $1 per day casual data rate on my iPhone?
Answer
No. You’ll need to get either an iPhone plan, or a compatible On Account plan (You Choose, talkZone, or Corporate) with a compatible broadband plan for mobile.
sorry if this sounds like a rant, but my nokia is also dying and I was looking forward to a ~$400 8gb phone on a decent contract.
pipe dreams it seems, i'll be cheaper to buy one outright from the EU unlocked and ship it here.
-Sam
I talked to the people in the shop today, and their attitude was "if you're not paying up front when you come in, we don't care."
Basically, Vodafone's attitude has made me decide I'm better off waiting until Telecom's GSM network is active, getting an iPhone outright without contract and porting it over to Telecom.
To be blunt, Telecom aren't huggy nice folk - but they are more upfront about what they are doing than Vodafone. And they do offer reliable plans. Not always flashy - but certainly better value given Vodafone's conditional plans.
They seriously screwed up on this one. The shame is that there will be enough technophiles out there who'll buy the new phones that VF simply wont give a shit.
Conan
I actually know someone (who loves apple even more than you!) with an iPhone. He says *much* better when unlocked/hacked. Much, much, much better.
Giffy, yeah I heard that there is a bunch of decent software if the phone is jailbroken.
I'd mainly be after a comic book reader, an e-book reader (hopefully supporting the .lit format), and some kind of ical integration for google calendar.
hmm... almost any pda could handle that for me.. but I'd also like to be able to play movies, and pdas suck for that.
Damn Apple for making a brilliant piece of hardware and damn vodafone for taking advantage of the lack of open selling.
is open selling even the term I want to use? whatever allowing anyone to sell/import is termed.
Conan, we should get together sometime, you live pretty close and I never see you except at events.
I have Guitar Hero now, so it would be teh awesome to hang out - drop me a line! :)
I know you've got an iPod touch, so this might interest you: http://www.sizlopedia.com/2008/07/12/how-to-update-ipod-touch-to-firmware-20-for-free/
Running it now myself -- no problems.
Of course, it means my iPod is no longer unlocked -- but I hear that may just be a matter of time: http://gizmodo.com/5023971/iphone-os-20-unlocked
Hmm, not sure if you got that first URL intact. Let's try again:
http://www.sizlopedia.com/2008/07/12/
how-to-update-ipod-touch-to-firmware-20-for-free/
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