Ken McGuire

Tag: apple iphone

  • iPhone Ships March 14th Wearing A 1GB Cap

    iPhone Available On O2

    As mentioned earlier, the Apple iPhone has been announced by O2 and will be available to the public from March 14th 2008. The rumoured prices of €399 (8gb model) and €499 (16gb model) are also true.

    Three tariffs have also been announced by O2

    • €45 p/m inc 175 anytime minutes, 100 texts, 1gb data
    • €65 p/m inc 350 anytime minutes, 150 texts, 1gb data
    • €100 p/m inc 700 anytime minutes, 250 texts, 1gb data

    Notice a trend here? The tariffs seem reasonable if you’re a heavy voice user but I know for a fact I wouldn’t be using the iPhone to make 350 minutes of calls, never mind 700 minutes. As it stands, I pay O2 €35 bucks a month for my 150 anytime minutes and 100 texts. That would make the 1gb data an extra tenner on my contract – of which I would have to sign a new, minimum 18-month term contract on an iPhone only tariff (non-transferable).

    So, for €65, should I not be entitled to 3gb of data, presuming the extra 1gb costs ten euro extra a month? And what about a €100 option? Still capped out at 1gb?

    Considering that O2 offer mobile broadband at €30 a month for a 10gb cap, could this not be factored into the iPhone price plan? That way at €65 I’d get 10gb worth of data, plus my 150 anytime minutes and 100 free texts. I’m not a heavy voice-user, I could live with that.

    Considering the number of podcasts, photos, videos etc. I consume in any given month I’d find the 1gb cap rather restrictive – each extra megabyte costing you 2c. Small change, but it would mean I could pay anywhere up to a euro per podcast when out and about, more for videos, maps etc. General surfing, not so much a problem, but I’m a multimedia head by nature…

    Apart from the 1gb cap, it is nice to see the phone finally hit the Irish market. The O2 site comes decorated with the usual Apple warnings against modifying your new iPhone or attempting to unlock it to any network.

    If you do want to secure an iPhone for the 14th of March you’re going to need to visit your nearest O2 retail storing, bringing proof of ID and two crisp 50 euro notes as a deposit. If you’ve already upgraded your phone, or recently upgraded your phone, you won’t be charged an upgrade penalty to buy the iPhone (which also means that there are no discounts available to long-term contract users on the O2 network). Plus, if you’re a new customer you can start out on the iPhone or upgrade again at no penalty, once you commit to the 18 month contract.

    The 18 month contract would put the cost of the phone at €810 (contract) plus the minimum €399 spend meaning you’ll have splashed out over €1200 come Autumn 2010, before you count any additional voice, SMS, voicemail, roaming or data charges.

    It’d be a hell of a lot cheaper to pick up an iPhone elsewhere and jailbreak that sucker.

    I’ll be the one in the corner waiting by the N95 8GB bus stop.

  • iPhone Announced For O2 Ireland Later This Morning

    Apple iPhoneSo O2 have confirmed that they are the exclusive Irish carriers of the Apple iPhone. This was pretty much a given considering O2 are the exclusive carriers in the UK.

    Scouting around the blogosphere this morning, Engadget are reporting that the iPhone will

    • retail at €399 inc. VAT for the 8gb model
    • retail at €499 inc. VAT for the 16gb model
    • will go public on Patrick’s weekend (launching March 14th)

    The suggested price range is quite reasonable, all things considered. It also places the phone in the immediate price bracket of the Nokia N95, the first gen of which O2 are still shipping – though recent conversations I’ve had with O2 reps and other Irish bloggers suggest the N95 8GB model’s arrival is imminent.

    I’m still set on swinging for the N95 8GB model but we’ll see what comes out of this morning’s announcements.

    Update 1: Announcement to be made at 11:15am in O2’s Dublin HQ (via Damien Mulley)

    Update 2: Pocket Lint are reporting that “Three new iPhone tariffs will be available from O2, starting at €45, all of which will include anytime minutes, texts and a 1GB data bundle.”

  • Apple iPhone For UK On November 9th – Some Points To Note

    I almost forgot about this one this morning until skimming the Guardian over breakfast, but Apple have announced the iPhone for the UK, with a release date of November 9th. Here’s some points to note from the press coverage this morning…

    • The iPhone will retail at £269 (€386) and will be carried, as previously suggested, by O2
    • There will be no discount on the handset
    • First-time buyers subject to minimum 18 month contract with O2
    • Steve Jobs wouldn’t talk revenue share
    • Subscribers in UK will have bundled access to 7,500 WiFi spots – what does that leave Irish market?
    • No 3G
    • 80% of O2’s “high value customers” would love an iPhone, not necessarily buy an iPhone
    • Contracts start from £35 (€50) per month including unlimited data
    • EDGE and WiFi all the way
    • UK only today, other European countries within the next quarter…

    As much as I have a love for all things Apple, there’s still not enough in an iPhone to sway me, plus no concrete details on a rollout within the Irish market. Did someone tell me the Nokia N95 8GB model is hitting the shelves here around the same time?

  • An Irish iPhone Review

    I failed to pick up an MMS yesterday from John who later informed me via GoogleTalk that he’s been testing the Apple iPhone down in Waterford. Damn you! Looks like he’s also been reading my tweets on it – or at least someone has.

    The impact?

    You’ve all seen the touchscreen demos. It’s even better when you’re doing it yourself. The keyboard is so simple a child could use it and after a few moments you’ll be thinking ‘buttons? what buttons? who needs buttons’

    I didn’t have long enough with the phone to go into a detailed review. I can honestly say though, having used the iPhone for a few minutes, I want one. I can already see how would be lost without it.

    I’m looking forward to seeing it hit the Irish market either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year and with O2 now the likely operator it will make the upgrade and purchase decision all the easier.

  • Pay As You Go iPhone – Kiss The Contract Goodbye

    If you can pick yourself up an iPhone somewhere in the US, it looks like you might get away on the two year contract deal with AT&T – the iPhone is available on pre-pay.

    Apple iPhoneA read around the web this morning and one of my favourite Mac blogs (TUAW) reveals news that hackers have made the iPhone available on a pre-paid option allowing you to run your iPhone on an AT&T pre-paid card for as little as US$10.

    What it means to iPhone users in the US is that you can use any Cingular / AT&T sim card in your iPhone, whether contract-based or pre-paid. If you’re on the low budget Cingular plans you can avail of cheaper text messaging ($0.05 send and receive compared to $0.15 on iPhone plan).

    Could it be the first step to unlocking the iPhone completely? Quite possibly! Give it a read here – iPhone + Disposable Cellphone + Prepaid Cards + New Activation Tool = Holy Cow