So, the iPhone 2.0 has been released.
And it's available here in Oz from 3 different providers.
The funny thing is, tons of people stood in lines in the wee hours in the freezing cold to sign themselves up to hefty contracts with teensy MB limits. HA
Out of the 3 providers only one made its plans available before the iPhone's release.
I wonder how many people rushed in and signed up to a measly 5MB data limit!
What a rip!
Anyone get burned with this?

apple products are the same as what other companies release, but with a higher price on them because they're apple.

so no, i hate apple and wish for their system to go down in flames….

cartoonprofessor
Anyone get burned with this?

Nope. Can't be bothered. I don't use my private mobile enough to pay that much for a fashion fad.

seventy2
apple products are the same as what other companies release, but with a higher price on them because they're apple.

They have better marketing. Nokia sells as much as Apple's entire selling history of iphones in a day or too, and yet for months before the release of the new version the tech news was FULL to bursting with iphone articles. And when it was about another phone it'd be described as an “iphone competitor”, “iphone clone”, someone's attempt at an “iphone killer”. lol!

Yeah… Apple knows very well how to manipulate the press. ;)

Yeah, I only use my phone for calls and texts, so couldn't be bothered with the fad either.
The phones sell for $300 in the states, yet here you can buy one upfront for ‘only’ $800+ ????
This time its the Telcos making lots of money out of Apple's hype.
(I do love Apple's stuff though, they sure know how to design)

In the UK they cost a lot too, the first day it came out people was that tired of waiting people started to leave without even getting the iphone

cartoonprofessor
The phones sell for $300 in the states, yet here you can buy one upfront for ‘only’ $800+ ????

don't know for sure about the price difference but I can speculate:
1.Australian taxes and charges like GST, whatever import duties are on them… I've no idea but I'm sure it adds up.
2. Well normally you'd say it was the currency difference, but at the moment it's almost 1:1.
3. Relative scarcity and hyped demand. That means you can charge here whatever you like and people will pay it.
4. In the U.S. the latest version of the iphone is on a subsidised plan like most phones are here, so the price you pay upfront is a lie: you really pay much, much more than that over the course of the contract you sign up for.
5. The true cost of new tech like phones is quite high, but competition drives it down bellow that. With the hype people are convinced the iphone has no competition.

Have you ever noticed how all those models are just darker shades of white?

Apple enjoys the benefits of several myths.

I've heard a few people I know claim that iPods are the best MP3 players and yet they had no facts or information to back it up. I can only conclude that it's like Ozone said and it's just clever marketing seeping into people's brains, because as far as I can tell there are MP3 players that match the iPod's capabilities but cost less.

There are also a lot of artists and graphic designers out there that are still buying into the myth that Apple computers are better for artists. They think Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator magically run better on a Mac. It probably stems from way back when Apple secured use higher-quality monitors for the Macintosh and used a color-matching system called Colorsync for their printers. Both of these advantages are gone now, but I still hear people say, “I plan to do lots of art and photo-editing, so I'm thinking I'll get an iMac”… yet they don't really know why.

according to one comercial, it's because they cant hook up their camera's to a p.c. with the usb cord.

i was going to post that commercial, but it seems that all the ones with the stupid users have been taken off the interweb.

———–

also i've had a 3g phone for about 4 months.
——
FOUND IT!!

I must admit… I personally use Macs because they are so easy to use… Plug n Play devices… yeah, I'm the first to admit I'm fairly computer illyterat. (I always forget how to do links for this forum)

They also seem to be relatively stable, and I hate using the MS OS, OSX is so much easier (but then it's probably because that is what I'm used to).

Mind you I use a G5 Quad mainly, with the Intel chips aren't Macs now basically a PC with a Mac OS anyway?

they are becoming basically the same, but without the options to upgrade, so in two years when the newest and best mac comes out, you're gone spend an arm and a leg, wherearea's i'm going to buy a gig of ram, and a new video card, and only pay with a finger or a toe. (maybe both if i think about something else i want.)

Hawk
There are also a lot of artists and graphic designers out there that are still buying into the myth that Apple computers are better for artists. They think Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator magically run better on a Mac. It probably stems from way back when Apple secured use higher-quality monitors for the Macintosh and used a color-matching system called Colorsync for their printers. Both of these advantages are gone now, but I still hear people say, “I plan to do lots of art and photo-editing, so I'm thinking I'll get an iMac”… yet they don't really know why.

Most people are sheepy doofuses. I prefer the OSX environment to Windows any day, but I will freely admit there's no performance advantage between Macs and PCs.

From the graphic designer's standpoint, you almost universally learn all the software on the OSX platform in school, so when you get out it's what you associate with the “appropriate machine.” Plus, schools like to outfit their labs with the latest Macs as a recruitment tool; my college's GD department was located in the admissions building, so we were constantly upgraded so that parents could look in and see us futzing around on equipment many times more powerful than we actually needed.

@Spang: Not saying this to be confrontational, first up, but why do you think it is that Apple gets pinned with the “consumerist-cult” tag more often than most any company out there? I never really think it's entirely fair, since EVERY company is out there to make desirable objects for consumption; Apple is just more successful than they are. Anyway.

seventy2
they are becoming basically the same, but without the options to upgrade, so in two years when the newest and best mac comes out, you're gone spend an arm and a leg, wherearea's i'm going to buy a gig of ram, and a new video card, and only pay with a finger or a toe. (maybe both if i think about something else i want.)

What?
I can upgrade any of my Macs whenever I want. I'm presently considering upgrading my G5 from 250g to 1tb.
I'll probably up the RAM as well.
And it's cheap.
Yet another anti-mac myth.
Why do people hate Macs so much? Yeah sure, they market new products heavily, but so does every other company out there.

cartoonprofessor
Why do people hate Macs so much?

Honest answer? Because.

Mainly because they're not the industry standard ( No matter how many artists use them they're still not and aren't likely to ever become the standard for the rest of the world. ). But also because nobody really gives enough of a crap to find out the real information and just assumes that a Mac won't be able to work well with all the PCs out there. Whether or not it actually happens to be true or not, it doesn't matter, that's the way they see it.

cartoonprofessor
Why do people hate Macs so much? Yeah sure, they market new products heavily, but so does every other company out there.

My answer would be because: so many people LOVE them so much. :)

The difference is that there's not really a love cult around many other companies. I don't care very much about Samsung who made my new monitor, or Nvidia who made my motherboard and video card, or LG that made my phone.

—————-
Apple stuff is pretty good and people shouldn't unfairly knock it just because. And sometimes form OVER function is nicer to play with. That's why I got a nice flat Mac Keyboard for my main PC. It's not very ergonomic to use and has less functionality than the more expensive one I had before, but I love the way it looks so that's why I use it. ^_^

-BTW PC Vs Mac is a myth. They're all PCs. Mac just packages the OS with the hardware.

I really don't hate either one. In fact, I love both Macs and PCs. I love computer stuff in general.
I personally use a PC because I play some games and stuff that don't work on a Mac, and because we already have a Mac in our house if I need to use one for something, like video editing or whatever. Oh, and before people start chewing me out, saying that PCs can in fact do video editing, I had to buy the cheapest laptop there was because I don't have a whole lot of money.

If I might just comment on this whole iPhone thing, and not get sucked into a Mac Vs. PC debate, I would like to point out that my little homestate of Vermont is one of only two states out of the U.S. where you cannot use an iPhone. It seems that AT&T doesn't care to provide direct service to my state.

So this situation seems to be changing, but does that mean I'd buy an iPhone? Nope. Hell, I don't even own a cellphone.

But every time everyone starts talking about the iPhone I just sit back and smile, wondering how these people who demand the newest tech would feel not being able to legally use it. The only way right now to use the iPhone in my state is by bootlegging off some of AT&T's partner networks, and though some Apple stores claim there's nothing actually wrong with that (to earn a sale) as soon as the consumer does it, the iPhone is disabled and now the man or woman who bought it has an expensive doorstop.

radarig
From the graphic designer's standpoint, you almost universally learn all the software on the OSX platform in school, so when you get out it's what you associate with the “appropriate machine.” Plus, schools like to outfit their labs with the latest Macs as a recruitment tool;

I think there's probably a lot of truth to that. My college was filled with Macs in the Art, Graphic Design, Photography, and Video Editing labs. The library and study areas all had PCs. I wouldn't put it beyond a student to think, “There must be some reason its that way… Macs must be better for graphical stuff.” Either the faculty is still buying into the myth or it's a very wise marketing strategy devised by Apple.

Although for video editing it may be true. There are few high-quality and widely used video editing programs that are only available on the Mac. Conversely, if you want to do 3D rendering, you're definitely better off choosing the PC. That and interface are about the only real differences I see in the platforms.

But the Mac is becoming more and more like the PC as time goes on.

Someone

mac is simple for special simple people that talk with their hands. I mean really, you might be a computer wiz and uses the mac, but they advertise to computer retarded people.

also i hate people who buy apple products cause that's all they talk about. i dont wanna hear about your iphone, imac, icrap all the time. its like being with a person who talks about his jeans all the time. “look at my levis, i soiled my levis, oh man look how many pockets my levis has”. its a product get over it.

While we're on the Mac/PC subject anyway, is there really any compatibility issues between the two systems any more with Macs running a lot of the PC processors and whatnot? I have to get a computer for school and my three options are a $700 Dell, a $550 HP and a $1800 Mac. Granted, the Mac comes with a free HD printer and an Ipod, but I don't really need those things and I'd really rather go with the cheaper computer if there's not a compatibility problem any more.

lba
While we're on the Mac/PC subject anyway, is there really any compatibility issues between the two systems any more with Macs running a lot of the PC processors and whatnot? I have to get a computer for school and my three options are a $700 Dell, a $550 HP and a $1800 Mac. Granted, the Mac comes with a free HD printer and an Ipod, but I don't really need those things and I'd really rather go with the cheaper computer if there's not a compatibility problem any more.

if the computer is 2 to 3 times more expensive than other comparable computers, are the ipod and printer really “free”?

ozoneocean
Apple stuff is pretty good and people shouldn't unfairly knock it just because. And sometimes form OVER function is nicer to play with. That's why I got a nice flat Mac Keyboard for my main PC. It's not very ergonomic to use and has less functionality than the more expensive one I had before, but I love the way it looks so that's why I use it. ^_^

So your argument is that you're stupid?

Compelling. No, really.

No, the argument is that you are a dick. Dick, Custard…

Dick custard… Hmm, sounds like something else :)

SpANG

I particularly like the part “You'll buy it. And you'll like it.”

Makes it look like a sales pitch made by this man.


Also, what the hell is the reference with that stupid oooh… oooh… oooh… oooh… comment that pops up twice in the “I'm to stupid to use a mouse with more then one button” ad.

seventy2
apple products are the same as what other companies release, but with a higher price on them because they're apple.

so no, i hate apple and wish for their system to go down in flames….

Totally agree. Their stuff is overpriced and really below average quality. It really is just the label that sells. I mean, when it comes to iPods, for the same price you could get another mp3 player with twice the capacity that DOESN'T break after 6 months.

Lemur_Bacon

seventy2
apple products are the same as what other companies release, but with a higher price on them because they're apple.

so no, i hate apple and wish for their system to go down in flames….

Totally agree. Their stuff is overpriced and really below average quality. It really is just the label that sells. I mean, when it comes to iPods, for the same price you could get another mp3 player with twice the capacity that DOESN'T break after 6 months.

They can LAST that long? My stepdad's lasted like 2.

ozoneocean
No, the argument is that you are a dick. Dick, Custard…

Dick custard… Hmm, sounds like something else :)

Are there raisins in dick custard? ;)

this ad shows how little apple has respect for their costumer's intelligence.



the guy has a cd rom and windows…why is he using DOS? same shit would happen if you put the cd on a mac. besides the fact that most softwares dont work on macs.

a computer has a jumper and a dip? WTF is that?

lastcall
Are there raisins in dick custard? ;)

It depends what sort it is… If it's one sort, you better hope not :(

subcultured
the guy has a cd rom and windows…why is he using DOS? same shit would happen if you put the cd on a mac. besides the fact that most softwares dont work on macs.

a computer has a jumper and a dip? WTF is that?

Jumper… That would probably refer to the little cover you put on the connections at the back of the actual drive. I seriously doubt there would ever be an error message in DOS for that though.

It's an effective ad from the normal user point of view I think, even though that scenario is clearly badly made up, users do, or at least did have a harder experience setting stuff up with Windows. Macs really are better designed and set up from that point of view.

-of course part of that is that a lot less software and hardware would even work with them to start with, but at least when it was advertised as being able to do so, it would, and fairly painlessly.