AT&T and Verizon Target of DOJ Review
ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND CELL PHONES
I am all for a level playing field but this might be to much, but hey i wouldn't mind having phones on every network no exclusivity.
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well look forward to price increases. Manufacturing a phone for cdma and gsm networks costs more then just manufacturing the phone for one network. plus branding the phones for each carrier, the carrier software, ect ect..
NokiaGoth 😈
NokiaGoth 😈
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Carrier software, multi-network, big f'in deal. US carriers need to sell un-locked CDMA and GSM phones. Selfishness to one's network sucks especially once you are no longer on contract.
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I've been month-2-month for 4yrs cause I have higher standards than ATT.
Sharp V903 & Nokia N95 that's what higher standards means.
Maybe/hopefully the U.S. wireles industry will be drastically different in the not too distant future (2012?)
I'm really sick of these fanboys who side with wireless carriers on Phone Scoop no matter what. Sometimes I wonder how many real world consumers there actually are on Phone Scoop.
Sharp V903 & Nokia N95 that's what higher standards means.
Maybe/hopefully the U.S. wireles industry will be drastically different in the not too distant future (2012?)
I'm really sick of these fanboys who side with wireless carriers on Phone Scoop no matter what. Sometimes I wonder how many real world consumers there actually are on Phone Scoop.
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In reply to Jayshmay,
I've never used a sharp mobile phone but the N95 definately is a league ahead of almost all phones currently released in the USA. Its a shame most americans have been misled by junk mobiles that these companies have been releasing. Why a company would release an iphone over a nokia n95 / n82/ n86 is beyond me.
Most of the users here have long sold their soles to some evil mobile empire.
I've never used a sharp mobile phone but the N95 definately is a league ahead of almost all phones currently released in the USA. Its a shame most americans have been misled by junk mobiles that these companies have been releasing. Why a company would release an iphone over a nokia n95 / n82/ n86 is beyond me.
Most of the users here have long sold their soles to some evil mobile empire.
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Nice to know there is still a few real consumers on Phone Scoop!
The only thing my phone lacks that I wish I had is a keyboard, recently I've been eyeing the Nokia E75, strange thing is it's more expensive on Amazon than the N95 is.
The only thing my phone lacks that I wish I had is a keyboard, recently I've been eyeing the Nokia E75, strange thing is it's more expensive on Amazon than the N95 is.
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The e75 is new so thats why the price is still high. I haven't seen one in person but it looks real nice. I'm sure the prices will drop quickly in this bad economy. I'm waiting for n86 to drop in price so i can get it. I've had the n82 which was my favorite but lacked US 3G so i traded down to n78-3 for 3g.
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Thing is though I have gotten acustomed to the N95-3's 2.6 inch screen, it really bothers me that the E75 only has a 2.4 inch screen.
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There is a slight decrease in screen size with e75, I guess it all depends on what you prefer. The 5800 has a nice 3" display but sounds like it would be much thicker to carry around than e75. I know of atleast 2 occasions in last 4 weeks were nokia has slashed their phone prices for a sale by upto 25% on the Nokia USA's site.
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Prices don't automatically drop because of the economy, especially for "luxury" items like high end phones.
Companies have to make a profit too, and slashing prices isn't always the best way to do this, especially for phones like the e75, or other unlocked phones that don't sell enough volume to make up for the price cuts needed to make it a popular phone.
Companies have to make a profit too, and slashing prices isn't always the best way to do this, especially for phones like the e75, or other unlocked phones that don't sell enough volume to make up for the price cuts needed to make it a popular phone.
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Customers need to get over the expectation that phones need to be free (or insanely cheap like 200 for a smart phone). Once they get over that, you'll (hopefully) see more unlocked phones.
I'm a huge supporter of unsubsidized, unlocked phones because I think it will improve the quality of phones available much more than it will increase the price.
The problem is, is that too few customers think that way. exclusivity allows carriers to cut the upfront costs to consumers. You offer a phone that is easily unlockable (or sold unlocked) you either need to sell it retail, or increase the early term fee, both of which are options most consumers will hate.
I'm a huge supporter of unsubsidized, unlocked phones because I think it will improve the quality of phones available much more than it will increase the price.
The problem is, is that too few customers think that way. exclusivity allows carriers to cut the upfront costs to consumers. You offer a phone that is easily unlockable (or sold unlocked) you either need to sell it retail, or increase the early term fee, both of which are options most consumers will hate.
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Jayshmay...I couldn't have said it any better about the degenerate fanboys on phonescoop.
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I know a nice little pasture full of a little more horse sh*t for you if you believe anything you just said.
Price an LG Dare against a Viewty.
How about a RIM 9530 against a RIM 9500?
Or maybe a Tour vs. a Bold-
The price of engineering an already-proven design to run CDMA instead of GSM is insignificant.
The costs can be recovered with less then 1 million units sold worldwide.
Ending exclusivity might drive prices up a few minuscule percentages across the board but it will not be significant.
Software would be easy. Not a concern at all.
How on earth would rewriting software to move a device from GSM to CDMA be more expensive then redesigning a WHOLE NEW PHONE (including SOFTWARE)?
One "body style" with multiple sets of hardware/...
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Price an LG Dare against a Viewty.
How about a RIM 9530 against a RIM 9500?
Or maybe a Tour vs. a Bold-
The price of engineering an already-proven design to run CDMA instead of GSM is insignificant.
The costs can be recovered with less then 1 million units sold worldwide.
Ending exclusivity might drive prices up a few minuscule percentages across the board but it will not be significant.
Software would be easy. Not a concern at all.
How on earth would rewriting software to move a device from GSM to CDMA be more expensive then redesigning a WHOLE NEW PHONE (including SOFTWARE)?
One "body style" with multiple sets of hardware/...
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Yes, but how much did Verizon pay LG for exclusive rights to the Dare?
For verizon exclusive phones, companies would also need to develop a non-verizon UI for all their handsets.
Also, companies would not subsidize the phones as much since they would be easier to unlock, so they would be easier to take from network to network.
So not only would the cost of the phones go up from the manufacturers (your right, in the end it wouldn't be that high), but companies would not subsidize phones as much (or they would increase ETF's)
And that doesn't even take into account different design preferences. Things like the EnV, or other flip open qwerty phones that ATT didn't want a variant of. What would happen to them? Would companies onl...
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For verizon exclusive phones, companies would also need to develop a non-verizon UI for all their handsets.
Also, companies would not subsidize the phones as much since they would be easier to unlock, so they would be easier to take from network to network.
So not only would the cost of the phones go up from the manufacturers (your right, in the end it wouldn't be that high), but companies would not subsidize phones as much (or they would increase ETF's)
And that doesn't even take into account different design preferences. Things like the EnV, or other flip open qwerty phones that ATT didn't want a variant of. What would happen to them? Would companies onl...
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I'm not concerned with carrier profit margins.
I'm not concerned with LG pawning their advertising costs off on VZW in exchange for guaranteed minimum purchases (regardless of handset quality).
And I'm not concerned with the price of handsets going up 30% or more.
"Handset exclusivity is an anti-competitive market practice."
You can argue all day long that if ATT gets the big Apple exclusive and VZW gets the big RIM exclusive and Sprint gets the big Palm exclusive and Tmobile gets the big Android exclusive that somehow this is fostering innovation in healthy way.
The problem is that after you've finished wasting your breath, you'll still be wrong.
Exclusivity deals prevent tier two carriers from offering advanced devices (which...
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I'm not concerned with LG pawning their advertising costs off on VZW in exchange for guaranteed minimum purchases (regardless of handset quality).
And I'm not concerned with the price of handsets going up 30% or more.
"Handset exclusivity is an anti-competitive market practice."
You can argue all day long that if ATT gets the big Apple exclusive and VZW gets the big RIM exclusive and Sprint gets the big Palm exclusive and Tmobile gets the big Android exclusive that somehow this is fostering innovation in healthy way.
The problem is that after you've finished wasting your breath, you'll still be wrong.
Exclusivity deals prevent tier two carriers from offering advanced devices (which...
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the handset makers like exclusivity deals just as much, if not more than the carriers do. That is the flaw in your logic.
You are basically saying that it is illegal for someone to develop a product and decide who to sell it to.
Open market does not mean "everyone offers everything." no matter how much you think it does.
If it weren't for something like carrier exclusivity, I'm highly doubtful something like the iphone would even exist. That is what you fail to understand.
If you really think that the reason ATT and Verizon are the size they are is because of the handsets they offer (even if you take into account the iphone mob) you should rethink your position.
Just because MetroPCS offers an unlimited plan for $40 a mont...
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You are basically saying that it is illegal for someone to develop a product and decide who to sell it to.
Open market does not mean "everyone offers everything." no matter how much you think it does.
If it weren't for something like carrier exclusivity, I'm highly doubtful something like the iphone would even exist. That is what you fail to understand.
If you really think that the reason ATT and Verizon are the size they are is because of the handsets they offer (even if you take into account the iphone mob) you should rethink your position.
Just because MetroPCS offers an unlimited plan for $40 a mont...
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SOUNDS LIKE SOCIALISM TO ME. if everyone offers the same thing for the same price THERE IS NO COMPETITION. they all do something different to entice customers. i love how some people think its illegal to have a successful business. i dislike ATT and VZW but i have to admit they are doing plenty of things right to have the large majority of the US customers. and im almost as tired of hearing about CEOs as i am about hussein being the first black president. the ceos of these companies make multi billion dollar decisions every year and they deserve to be compensated for it however their companies see fit. if you dont like what att and vzw do...dont buy the iphone or storm.(i have sprint)
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There will always be exclusive phones. That will not change. Mergers of smaller failing companies and larger successful companies will continue as long as there is competition because as long as there is competition someone has to come in last place.
It doesn't matter if the government OKed this or under which president this was OKed. Our government is as much corrupt as the cell-phone companies we work for and/or use daily. More corrupt actually simply because of their experience (they been around longer then any cell-phone company, one would think they know what they are doing in terms of corruption).
We stood up and voiced our thoughts when the biggest presidential sin American history happened and demanded a acceptable solution for...
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It doesn't matter if the government OKed this or under which president this was OKed. Our government is as much corrupt as the cell-phone companies we work for and/or use daily. More corrupt actually simply because of their experience (they been around longer then any cell-phone company, one would think they know what they are doing in terms of corruption).
We stood up and voiced our thoughts when the biggest presidential sin American history happened and demanded a acceptable solution for...
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I was responding to a post about UNLOCKED, unsubsidized phones. not what a company subsidizes the phone at.
Subsidized phones will remain cheap if they are locked to a carrier. If carriers cannot guarantee that someone won't just buy the phone from them, pay the early term, and go somewhere else (if the early term+subsidized cost is less than retail). the cost of unlocked (novelty) phones will not drop simply because of the economy, because these are luxury items. There are plenty of locked phones available for a cheaper price.
There are a lot of $600 phones. Most of them are heavily subsidized.
Motorola also dropped in popularity because most of their phones are behind when it comes to technology and are very prone to errors,...
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Subsidized phones will remain cheap if they are locked to a carrier. If carriers cannot guarantee that someone won't just buy the phone from them, pay the early term, and go somewhere else (if the early term+subsidized cost is less than retail). the cost of unlocked (novelty) phones will not drop simply because of the economy, because these are luxury items. There are plenty of locked phones available for a cheaper price.
There are a lot of $600 phones. Most of them are heavily subsidized.
Motorola also dropped in popularity because most of their phones are behind when it comes to technology and are very prone to errors,...
(continues)
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This forum is closed.
