Telstra softens its iPhone criticism

Phormic:

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Being firmly in bed with Microsoft, Telstra trashes the iPhone unmercifully until they realize, "Hey. This thing is going to be huge."

Apple should tell Telstra to get stuffed and go with Optus who have had a relationship with Apple in the past. Non-USA iPhones will be 3G anyway.

random:

Telstra are just greedy, monopolistic pigs

John Lockwood:

So, in what way does that make them different from any other mobile phone network?

They all suck. Its just some 'Suck Different' (to paraphrase a famous Appleism).

coolguy:

just like Apple. what kind of a phone manufacturer restricts its device to 1 network, with specific (and expensive) plans to choose from?

Anonymous123:

"Most of the iPhone features, such as mobile TV, email, video calling and music, are available today on Telstra's Next G network."

iPhone doesn't have mobile TV or video calling... Most of the iPhone's appeal is in the handset design and interface- these things aren't possible on other, traditional handsets. This is Telstra with just another shameless plug for its Next G network!

BarneyBoy:

I can just see it - with Telstra's love of all things Microsoft, you can bet that the iPhone will never _quite_ work properly on Telstra's network.

And you could bet the house that they'd NEVER offer any support for anything with an Apple logo on it, continuing a long tradition of making it as difficult as possible for anyone with a Mac.

Screw 'em...

Ivan:

Greg Loser, What am I going to say? Telstra reminds me of Microsoft, greedy for money. Who really cares about your Next G Network, I have never supported Telstra in the first place. Dont get the iPhone, I prefer another network provider to over rule. I support the network providers who suffer from Telstra such as Vodafone. I would really like Vodafone and Optus to get the iPhone and provide it to customers.

Frank:

Telstra are finally starting to feel the heat and wrath from Australians who are sick of their greed and useless network. Apple should choose Optus as the carrier for the iPhone.

Tal:

I don't get you people, do you guys work for Optus or something? All companies are greedy and money hungry, thats what a company is! Telstra are obviously doing something right othe wise they wouldn't have the large market share they do, if Optus and Vodaphone are so fantastic they why arn't customers flocking to them? I have never had a problem with Telstra and i have been with other providers who where horrible to deal with I hope that Telstra do get it and that it is on the NextG network, at least that way you'll get good coverage and youtube will work faster then if it was on just 3G and way faster then on EDGE.

Scott:

agreed, Telstra is isnt any worse than any other company. Optus isnt great, it just tries to look great by slagging other companies and hiding behind strange ways of contractually obligating their customers. The next G network is much better than any other network in the country, especially for regional customers! I mean great sometimes the network screws up a little, but i dont see any other Telco in this country attempting to invest in technology that is providing the coverage and services that Telstra is providing. Since it is also the only telco that has bothered to have the EDGE upgrade on their GSM network I would say Telstra would be the likely candidate to get the iphone. As for a Next G version? i doubt it. They wont be creating an 850mHz version for any other HSDPA carriers in the USA any time soon because of the AT&T obligation, so them producing a 'NEXT G' compatible handset just for australia would seem highly unlikely!
WOW what a rant hehe.

thanks for reading.

webmonkey44:

your lucky then.

Shaker:

It really surprises me that people don't get what Apple strives for in their products: ease of use, solid performance and aesthetically pleasing. To achieve this they do what many companies do not do...hire people with taste that spend time thinking about design as much as they do revenue.

Mr Winn's comment come across as arrogant. Perhaps Telstra should stick to their own knitting and close down the bigpond music store. (Go on, have a look at --> http://bigpondmusic.com/ and compare it against the iTunes experience).

Clearly the iPhone has been built to provide a better user experience for its device type. If you actually spent some time looking at the demonstration videos on the Apple web site, you'd come to appreciate the thought and innovation that has gone into the design. (And if Winn had actually seen the Macworld footage of the iPhone, he may have had a different opinion).

It targets the most used functions of a phone of its type and makes them easy to use without the need for a stylus or complex menu navigation.

I don't care which carrier gets the iPhone. I'll switch to whoever. I'm sick of battling a poor user interface on phones(I've owned O2, Sony P900, Motorola V3X, Palm Treo 680). They all do a hopeless user interface (though the Treo was the best of a bad bunch).

For me, its the phone that will make the sale or transfer, not the stupid network that carries it.

Carpark:

The iPhone is great but there are many things that still have to be added to it. Features such as MMS, in which i use frequently. These technological advances are supposed to make life easier, not make us wait forever just for a page to load. I strongly believe that it would be in both Apple and the *selected carriers* best interest to make the device 3G compatible. Although apple has tested a 3G iphone and reports that the 3G chipsets are'nt as "energy efficient" i believe it would be a requirement for Australia. Maybe for the US where there are millions of WiFi hotspots, its fine. But again this is where Australia falls behind the eight ball - WiFi. So to make this device the best that it can be for Australian customers, Apple would have to change the iPhone to 3G. At the moment, Telstra is the only carrier in Australia with a well developed 3G network. This network not only covers the majority of the coastal cities and towns (Vodafone) but most rural towns/cities also (99% of Australian public i believe). Optus on the other hand covers most of the areas that Telstra does but somehow hasnt managed to finetune their network for greater distances from the repeater. In no way am i a Telstra "fan" as i have had many disagreements with them. I just believe that to use the iPhone as it was intentionally designed for, we would require it to be on a Telstra 3G network. Could anyone imagine trying to watch a few youtube movies with a sub dial-up speed??

Anonymous Anon:

Apple will be forced to make a UMTS/HSDPA version anyway to work in Japan. They should make it the same as the Nokia 6120 Classic with 2100/850MHz and quad band EDGE. That way every network is covered with HSDPA.

Paul:

winn's comment on other manufacturers coming out with devices offering the same functionality misses the point. It is not about more functions it is about providing ease of use with the functions you need often.

It's extraordinary manufacturers have not previously designed a phone with a focuse on the ordinary person's needs.

russell:

Sad Telstra just does not get it

Oh well my Iphone arrives Friday

bigblue:

Eighteen months ago when I purchased my Motorola Razor phone, I was advised that Telstra would have it's video chat available within 6 months.... congratulations Next G network...it's still not available in my area! Nor the area my brother lives in... who has now switched to OPTUS!

After purchasing my own iphone, it is fantastic to see the user friendly interface. So before Mr Winn goes slugging the iphone, perhaps HE should have taken up knitting, as his own network can't produce the goods it promises.

He should have taken a moment to study the iphone features and the number of people who lined up to actually purchase it on it's release! Not to mention the number of Australians who are now purchasing the iphone before it's release.... compare that to how many people who waited and lined up for the release of his NEXT G NETWORK?