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For such a ground-breaking device, much of what Apple, Inc. has done is actually surprisingly reactionary.
Buyers of the iPhone for example… have only one choice when it comes to wireless companies: AT&T(Cingular), with which Apple has struck what is reportedly an exclusive multiyear deal. The only difficulty with that is AT&T's network uses the EDGE standard, which is considerably slower than the 3-G standards used by other providers.
Another example… One of the appealing things about a phone that works on the GSM or EDGE standard like AT&T's is that they contain a small chip (sim) that can be swapped into another phone, transferring a user's settings and contacts to the new piece of equipment.
Not the iPhone, apparently. According to several sources, the device will not only be "locked" to the AT&T network (a common practice providers use to dissuade people from switching), but many of its features will only work with the SIM card that comes installed in the iPhone when it is purchased. Some reports say the phone's SIM card may not even be removable.
The battery in the iPhone will also be non-removable, in the same way that the battery in an iPod can't be removed and replaced by anyone other than a certified Apple tech/store (without voiding the warranty). A small thing, perhaps… but yet another feature that limits what a user can do with the phone.
The i-Phone also doesn't have several of the major features that other competing ‘smart’ phones have. For example, it has a digital still camera but does not rec video; it has no mem. card, it doesn't support GPS, it doesn't have instant messaging, and it doesn't allow photos to be sent through text message using mms.
The lack of some of those features is surprising considering the iPhone costs at least $500 (USA) for the device itself, plus a minimum of $60 a month for a two-year contract with AT&T or almost $2,000 over the lifetime of the contract.
Some or all of the missing features may be available in future versions of the iPhone, of course, and it's possible that future models may have removable sim cards as well. But that's far from a sure thing, given the company's history.
In any case, Apple, Inc. is clearly hoping that consumers will be so attracted by the unit's sleek styling and by what appears to be an extremely appealing user interface and suite of features.
I guess we will see at 6pm[EST] tonight.
As the saying goes...follow the money!
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