Large, looming and one spot where AT&T actually has a signal that works 
Opinions And Ramblings By Adam Kmiec On All Things Media
Tag Archive: AT&T
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Why I’m Switching Back To The iPhone
When my contract on AT&T was up, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to switch to Verizon. I knew that doing so would mean I’d be giving up my iPhone. I was ok with it. Mostly, because, well…the iPhone was a horrible phone. The AT&T network was horrendous; especially in Chicago. I couldn’t take the dropped calls anymore. In addition to the AT&T infrastructural problems that existed, I had a big philosophical problem with Apple, Steve Jobs and the walled garden approach to the iOS platform. I believe in open. I think open is good. I think open wins the day.
The first phone I switched to from the iPhone was the Google Nexus One. It was nearly flawless and honestly opened my eyes about what a smart phone could really be. I was hooked on Android. I loved the innovation that was happening. I loved the options – well I loved options period…something you didn’t get with Apple. My first phone on Verizon was the HTC Incredible. It wasn’t an iPhone killer. It showed promise. But, poor battery life and some strange ergonomics stopped it from being a real keeper.
Up next was the Samsung Galaxy S. This was so close…so close…so close. As I wrote a few months back:
Here’s the deal, the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate had all the makings of being a great and legendary Android phone. But, Samsung let Verizon dictate far too many decisions. Additionally, Samsung made a number of puzzling decisions regarding email. Those decisions have an adverse impact on the end user experience and make it tough to recommend for corporate phone users. If you’re looking for a great Android phone with amazing battery life and are planning on using the phone for non corporate activities, this is a great choice. But, for you power users out there, I recommend looking at the HTC Incredible or the Droid X.
Lastly, let me say, if Samsung works out the Bing issue with Verizon and makes the needed updates to the mail app, this is a clear cut winner and would be the best Android phone on the market for Verizon and in my opinion, even the best across all carriers.
I’m on Galaxy S phone #2. My first one went through the washing machine and didn’t survive. I have a love hate relationship with the phone. I love the screen. I love the size. I love ergonomics. I hate the battery life. I hate the bloated pre-installed and un-installable software.
But, here’s what I hate the most and what has me looking at the iPhone, now that it’s on Verizon: the lack of commitment to software upgrades. Samsung Galaxy S owner are running Android 2.2. Many of the competition are already running Android 2.4 and Google is already demoing Android 3.0. Samsung and many of the other Android manufacturers (HTC, Motorola, etc.) have been rather mum on when updates will happen…if at all. Had the Google Nexus S (also made by Samsung), which in my opinion is the BEST Android phone ever built, been launched for Verizon, I’d be switching to that right now. It’s a perfect phone. Flawless. But, it’s only available for AT&T…and we already covered my feelings on that network It’s a shame really, because the Samsung Nexus S shows that Samsung can make a great phone when they aren’t being hamstrung by the carriers.
The lack of software upgrades and commitment to refining the customized flavors of Android created by cell phone manufacturers, leaves users like me feeling left out and working with buggy out of date software. All of that basically means we’re working with inferior phones.
When you talk to Apple iPhone users they often say, “it just works.” That “it just works” comes with a price and a tax. That price is limited customization. That tax is the iTunes store. But…it just works. Well damnit, I want something that just works too.
I won’t be doing the iPhone 4 though. Nope. No need to pony up the dough for out of date technology that is inferior to the Galaxy S. I’ll be waiting for the iPhone 5. I have a feeling it’s going to be a killer phone and on a network (Verizon) that actually works.
T-Mobile Takes On AT&T And iPhone
Personally, if I were the other carriers, I’d band together, pool resources and money and then take on AT&T and the iPhone as a unified team.
5 Reasons The iPad Will Fail
While everyone else is falling in love with a product that’s not even released yet, I’m opting to take a more realistic view on the iPad. I think it’s going to fail. I don’t see it being 1/10 as successful as the iPhone. Here’s 5 reasons why it will fail to connect with consumers.
- Price: Simply put, it’s too expensive. Considering you can get nearly ALL of the functionality the iPad has to offer in an iPod Touch, which starts at $199.99, I don’t see many folks opting to upgrade. Also consider the number of people who already have laptops. You get infinitely more options on a laptop than you do with an iPad. This essentially makes the iPad a “treat” or “splurge” item. Considering the sorry state of the economy, can you see the average family of four spending a minimum of $499.99 for a “nice to have” product? Me neither. Lastly, consider all the people with Kindle’s or other eBook readers. Buying an iPad makes no sense for these folks either.
- The Network: The smartest thing Apple could have done was choosing any other cellular provider over AT&T. Despite all of the uproar over AT&T’s shoddy network, it makes zero sense that they’d choose AT&T. Can you imagine downloading a 500mb TV show from the iTunes Store over the AT&T Edge network? Ouch, it would be painful. But, ok…what’s done is done. They chose AT&T. Fine. The next smartest thing they could have done was use a normal SIM card to access the network. This would have let people who have iPhones simply swap their SIM card from their iPhone, place it into their iPad, and then connect away. I think this wasn’t done for only one reason. By choosing an alternative SIM card design you are forced to pay AT&T even more money to access their horrible network. Bad move.
- No Camera: How they missed the boat on this is mind blowing. The iPad with a built in camera would have been a killer device for people who are frequent travelers (business or personal). The ability to video chat from such a lightweight and compact device would have made this a must have product for travelers.
- No Flash: Say what you want about HTML 5, but not having Flash essentially eliminates the ability to watch over 50% of the meaningful video content on the web. Hulu is no dice. Network television sites like ABC.com are no dice. Entertainment sites like Funny or Die, MetaCafe, and Break.com are no dice. People want things to work as anticipated. So when they visit Hulu.com and essentially get a giant fail whale, there will be huge disappointment. That disappointment will manifest itself into negative peer to peer recommendations. So much for buzz driving sales.
- Walled Garden: I still can’t install apps like Office. I still can’t install programs like Photoshop. The ability to create and edit files is limited to the iWork software bundle. Sure, that would be great…except no one really uses it. Like it or not Microsoft Office is still king. When pundits described the iPad as a large iPhone, they weren’t kidding.
The iPad could have been killer. Instead, it’s about as exciting and will be as successful as the Newton.
UPDATE 4/3/10
This morning I headed over the Mall of America to visit the Easter Bunny. But, seeing as I had some extra time on my hands, I decided to swing over and check out the “scene” at the Apple Store. Well, there wasn’t much of a scene. The Apple Store clearly was anticipating one. There were two sets of gated lines; one for pre-orders and one for new purchases. The gates stretched about 200 feet. I think they were over-prepared. When I walked by, there were 4 people in the pre-order line and 6 people in the new purchase line. It took me all of 15 minutes to go from being the 7th person in line to purchasing the iPad for my daughter as an early birthday present. That kind of “scene” isn’t exactly reminiscent of the iPhone release scene. It was more like the scene at a 7-11 at 3 in the morning. Newton, here we come!
The Real Cost Of Faking It
Do you know what the problem with advertising is? Do you know why most people don’t trust what’s said in ads? It’s quite simple really, most companies stretch the truth so far that really what they’re doing is telling a lie. Companies like AT&T spend millions of dollars trying to convince the public that their “network” is as good, if not better than Verizon’s. One of the benefits they tout is the consumer’s ability to multi-task on their phone. For example you can talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time.
I’ll let the ad do the real talking:
Technically, what AT&T is saying is true. I say technically, because so long as you are on the AT&T 3G network you can multitask. Of course the problem is that AT&T’s 3G coverage is horrendous. This isn’t a debatable question. The map doesn’t lie:
My belief is that it’s cheaper to simply be the company you want to be instead of paying millions of dollars to try and convince the public that you’re something you really aren’t. Think about it this way. Instead of dumping 10s of millions of dollars into advertising why not put that money into making the network better…into increasing coverage…into ACTUALLY SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
In the movie, Lord Of The Rings, there’s a very poignant scene when Gandalf tells Eragon “become who you were born to be.” Amen! To paraphrase, companies, become the company you should be instead of trying to convince the public you’re something that you aren’t. Trust me on this one…it’ll be cheaper in the long run.
Infrastructure Will Cripple Mobile
I spent the last 4 days in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s clear to see that Vegas understands the power of mobile marketing. An overwhelming number of billboards and outdoor ads opted not to use a phone number of web address as the call to action. Instead they opted for “text ABCDE to 12345.” Shows, entertainment, and restaurants alike were all using this call to action. And by watching the number of people who were stopping along the strip to try out the call to action – it was clearly an effective and smart approach by the advertisers.
Boy, I would have loved to have been one of those lucky few people. But, alas, my AT&T service and both of my colleagues’ service kept crapping out. It didn’t matter if we were in a hotel or on the strip our “3G” access was crippled. Texting, phone conversations, and access to the mobile web were all brought to a standstill. Oddly enough, there were times when the 3 of us were standing in the exact same spot, and 1 of us was operating at full capacity. Huh? How does that make sense. My favorite detail is that our iPhones all displayed full bars and 3G. Hysterical.
I’ve heard horror stories about AT&T’s network failures. There’s probably no better and more talked about example than the SXSW debacle. For those of you not in the loop, during the SXSW conference earlier this year, the number of people using the AT&T network literally took the network down. So much for more bars in more places.
Every year it seems that we here, this is the year mobile finally becomes a viable platform and option for marketers. While mobile penetration may be at an all time high, the archaic infrastructure supporting those cell phone owners will ultimately diminish the possibilities for marketers.
Now before you jump to a conclusion and think this was just an AT&T/iPhone problem, there many other people with T-Mobile and Sprint that were having the same problems. The only wireless provider that seemed to be operating at full power was Verizon. I kept thinking to myself…”Adam, just jail break the damn phone already.” I’m close.
Not unlike when the lack of broadband access posed a major hurdle to marketers wanting to capitalize on the power of the internet, our current mobile infrastructure is posing an even higher hurdle. We gotta get this thing fixed. If we don’t, how am I going to sell you discounted left sushi at 3Am when you’re completely hammered?
My Issue With AT&T’s Pricing Structure For The New iPhone 3Gs
Here’s a simple question. Do you believe that consumer loyalty should be rewarded? Let me rephrase. Isn’t it better to reward your customers for being loyal than to pay them to be loyal through so-called “loyalty programs?”
If you’ve answered YES to those questions, good for you, you understand customer relationship marketing.
If you haven’t been following all the conversations about the pricing structure for the new iPhone 3Gs, let me know bring you up to speed:
- Apple announced the third generation iPhone – it’s called the 3Gs. the “s” stands for speed.
- If you aren’t currently an AT&T customer, you can purchase the iPhone 3Gs for $199 (16gb version) or $299 (32gb version).
- If you are a current AT&T customer, that does NOT own an iPhone, you also qualify for the $199/$299 pricing.
- If you are an existing AT&T customer and a current iPhone owner, you get to pay $399 (16gb version) or $499 (32gb version).
.jpg "iPhone 3Gs")
So basically, AT&T is opting to reward:
- Non-AT&T customers
- Non-iPhone AT&T customers – you know, the ones not paying over $100 a month for the iPhone monthly service plan
If you’re an existing AT&T iPhone customer you are out of luck. Huh? The rationale being pedaled by places like Gizmodo, is that AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the iPhone for customers. And, given that existing iPhone users were subsidized once (when they originally purchased their iPhone) they shouldn’t be fully subsidized again. To give you an idea of how much they are subsidizing, a brand new iPhone, with no contract would cost $770/$870. Thus, everyone is receiving some type of “benefit” from AT&T in the form of a subsidization.
You know what? In theory, I don’t disagree with this at all. HOWEVER, and this is the key, if that’s the approach you want to take, then I should be able to buy an iPhone 3Gs directly from Apple and then use that phone with any cell phone service provider. I should be able to use the phone with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or any other provider.
That seems fair, no? If I don’t want to pay for the subsidization I should be FREE to use any carrier, because AT&T wouldn’t be providing me any benefit. Shouldn’t that be an option?
So, that’s my beef.
About
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.Learn More »
