Best Buy Tungsten E2 & AT&T Centro Sale

* Cheap Centros could be cannibalizing Palm's sales of non-phone PDAs.

Is he serious? How can they cannibalize something that wasn't selling in the first place because there is nothing new to buy?

To his credit, he did say "could be" instead of "are", so I guess he gave himself an out. But in that case, I'll say, "Centro sales could be significantly cutting into iPhone sale, and that could be a reason why there has been a slow down in iPhone sales."

Hey, can't I just go guessing as much as the next guy?


"twrock is infamous around these parts" (from my profile over at Brighthand due to my negative 62 rep points rating)

I note that, according to Gizmodo and others today, AT&T has a sufficient supply of "re-furbished" (that is to say, "re-turned") iPhones that they're selling them below Apple's price on refurb units. Seems like the supply of iPhone is exceeding the demand....

Given the level of interest in the platform (Adobe announced Flash support today for example), I'd say the iPhone is *gaining* momentum.

And it's not simply "lower priced units"-AT&T is not allowed, by the way, to sell a new iPhone below the Apple price. It's lower-priced refurbished units. A refurb unit is one which was purchased new, and then returned to AT&T (or Apple) by the customer, presumably as a result of some level of dissatisfaction. It can't be sold as a new unit a second time.

The clear conclusion is that a fairly significant number of iPhone customers are finding the device either doesn't meet their needs, doesn't live up to their expectations, or both. If AT&T only had a few of 'em, then there'd be no need for them to undercut Apple on the pricing, would there...?

Was there some relevance to this discussion, Gordon, or were you simply seized by an uncontrollable need to post something without actually having anything to say...?

Feel free to post about Yankowski's suit or something if you feel the urge.

>>>>The clear conclusion is that a fairly significant number of iPhone customers are finding the device either doesn't meet their needs, doesn't live up to their expectations, or both. If AT&T only had a few of 'em, then there'd be no need for them to undercut Apple on the pricing, would there...?

http://tinyurl.com/2joaae
(3/19/2008 - No longer available at AT&T site)

>>>If AT&T only had a few of 'em

So, I guess you're saying AT&T just sold a whole sh*tload of them, despite the fact they're really NOT selling?

See a mental health professional, willya?

"There are no Apple iPhones selling. Never!"

And despite your hopeful posts the iPhone sure as heck isn't going to go away. You bragged about 5,000 downloads of the ALP SDK in four weeks. The iPhone SDK was downloaded 100,000 times overnight. You keep citing marginal rumors that hint there might be declining sales. I sit on the subway and everyone and their dog is playing with one. You speculate that AT&T's ability to sell out of refurbished units proves there's tons sitting around unsold. The New York Times runs a story about how iPhones are a hot commodity on the gray market all over the world, and there are hundreds of posts in response that amount to, "yes, I'm in Bangladesh and have an iPhone."

You might be right and I might be wrong, but I'm not basing my business plan on my guess.

I haven't bought an iPhone because:

1.) I spent a lot of money in January and can't justify an expensive telephone something that isn't going to solve a lot of problems,
2.) the PDA features on the iPhone are *less* than what was on my T5,
3.) without 3G I can't use it in Japan,
4.) there's still no Japanese language input for it

If an ALP phone was available, attractive, was a good PDA, and solved the above features, I'd be happy as a clam and would fork over the pennies. But it's not, might not be before the end of the year, and it's quite possible that the iPhone will do all of the above before the end of the summer. If I were you, I'd be looking at that silly thing Apple has made and trying to figure out what they did right, rather than sitting around being mystified (or in denial) as to why it's so popular.

I certainly can't help your lack of understanding, but I can inform you. For your information, A2DP is the Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, it's what make wireless stereo headphones work. It's still amazing to me that I can't use a pair of wireless headphones with Apple's Bluetooth-enabled, music-playing phone. This is something I can do, and do routinely, with pretty much every other phone I have.

I've looked closely at the iPhone, I assure you, as have most people at ACCESS. I used one exclusively for the better part of a month, and I could be carting one around right now, and on ACCESS' dime. I choose not to, mostly because of the various lacks of functionality I've described. If you're looking for people to lay out its positive points, of which there are a number, all having to do with its user experience, they're easy to find.

I appreciate its accomplishments, but I'm also cognizant of its shortcomings; finding people talking about those isn't as easy. You folks seem to be expecting every other phone manufacturer on the planet to simply roll over and die in awe. I'm telling you that this won't happen.

I'm asking what would seem to be reasonable questions, such as wondering how Apple is going to make iPhones when they haven't bought any flash memory parts this year. Haven't gotten a response yet, other than "THEY'RE SELLING LIKE CRAZY, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT!!??!!??!!??"

Apple hasn't announced their iPhone figures for this quarter. I'm expecting them to be down from the last quarter, for the reasons I've cited. What do you want me to say? I guess we'll know who's right and who's wrong after their earnings call.

Sorry, I can't be an Apple fanboy: I worked there, I'm quite aware of what Apple's good at and what they're bad at. I find it hard to be overawed by the sausage when I know what the inside of the sausage factory's like.

For example, you mention 100,000 downloads of the iPhone SDK overnight. Certainly that shows a lot of interest. Recent news suggests much of that interest will be frustrated: Apple's issued certificates to only a fraction of a fraction of those folks, and told the rest to wait until June.

The rest of that 100,000 are discovering that they're scarcely able to use that SDK without the certificate. They can't even get their own software on their own iPhones without that certificate. And a number that have gotten a certificate are reporting (according to a report at TUAW) that installing the beta 2.0 iPhone update makes it stop being a phone.

I didn't make any of that happen. I'm just reporting the news, the same news that you can read yourself. (By the way, if you're waiting for an iPhone that'll work on Japan's cellular system, I expect you're going to be waiting a while...)

Yeah, I have a similar worry about the iPhone in Japan. In fact, nobody I know has a phone that works on both networks. Whenever you get off a plane in JFK, you watch everyone in line switching phones. Likewise, in Narita after every plane in there's a long line at the cellular rental kiosk. Now, if somebody could explain *that* to me I'd be very very grateful.

Lefty, nobody wants you to be an Apple fanboy. I think I speak for most people on this site-devoted to Palm-who wishes you and ALP well. Make a better phone than the iPhone. PLEASE! I would love to buy a phone fully compliant with the pile of Palm applications that, a year later, I still have stuffed on my Macbookpro. I would have deleted them months ago, but part of me is mysteriously still waiting for a Palm to upgrade to.

The thing is, in order for most people to upgrade to ALP, it's got to be for a better reason than non-proprietary bluetooth headphone. If I had an iPhone and I wanted bluetooth headphones, I'd just buy Apple's. Yes, I might pay a few bucks extra, but it's worth it not to have to spend the time worrying about another brand.

Huh? Plenty of phones work on both networks. My Nokia E65 and my N95, as well as my S-E P1i, work fine (as phones) pretty much worldwide. You need a phone with quadband GSM and WCDMA 2100, that's all. You can't do FOMA stuff (since none of them implement MOAP outside Japan, understandably), but it operates perfectly well as a phone. I do it all the time.

If you can't get that station on your radio, get a better radio.

...wasn't last quarter the holiday?

No, you're in error: that was the previous quarter, i.e. 1Q08, the "We sold 4 million iPhones! (of which AT&T can only account for half)" one. That call took place on January 22nd. Holiday's over and done with. It's 2Q08 (the earnings call should be in April) that I'm talking about.

Our man in Beijing just bought himself a swanky new Apple iPhone (AAPL) for 4,000 RMB ($520ish). It came unlocked, of course, and ready for his SIM card.

(At least our man thinks he bought an iPhone. The Chinese knock-off "HiPhone" sells for about half that, and he says you can barely tell the difference. See video below.)

The last number our man in Beijing heard for China iPhone sales was 600,000, up from the 400,000 that China Mobile (CHL) reported at the end of 2007. The number of HiPhone sales? Incalculable.

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/iphone_in_china_still_selling_like_hotcakes_and_so_are_hiphones_

nope.

"I hate the Apple thing. It's a "cultural problem." More specifically, the turtlenecked, Steve Jobs, thumb-up-the-ass, liberal-with-too-much-money "cultural problem."

i'm no fan of apple or jobs, but i have to give credit where credit is due. they have created great products, great services, great marketing, and great wealth for their shareholders.

Well, bleep. That's what I told him too. Maybe now that you've seconded it, he'll listen?

And *he* should criticize Jobs's fashion sense? That photo reveals Lefty has NONE.

Wow. What a goober!

i already fondled an iphone months ago. it's beautiful, elegant, powerful hardware/software.

as i've stated before, the point is moot for me since i'm forced to use what my company gives me.

Sheffield: Last time I saw you, you'd just gotten an iPhone. How's that working out for you?

Rove: I love it. My life has changed. I have a shred of coolness. I've got my 3,500 people in my addressbook on the phone, I can sync my calendar. I keep track of my modest little stock investments. I can check the weather of my house in Washington, my house in Florida, my boy at school, my hunt-lease in south Texas. I can surf the web, I'm just-I get part of my email there. I mean it is just shocking how much better, how much more productive I am. I no longer carry around a giant address book, if I don't have my calendar close at hand, I can quickly check it out of my- I don't have to carry, I used to carry several notecards, now it's just as easy to scribble on my little notepad, I can take photographs and forward them on immediately, it's just remarkable.

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/16757/

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!