According to my figures, TCO of a 3G iphone should be slightly LESS than that of the original iPhone:
What am I missing?
Well, it looks like I’m going to skip the 3G iPhone, at least for now. In hind sight, I sure do wish I had waited for the 3G iPhone in the first place. But, that being said, I’m very happy with my 2.5G iPhone. There are a few reasons for my decision. First, it looks like both models are going to have the same software. Second, the new hardware wasn’t that big of a deal for me in the first place. Third, the new activation method, and increased data cost are a concern.
It looks like both the 3G iPhone and the original iPhone will both have firmware version 2.0. As long as this is the case, I will be very happy. Adding 3rd party apps to the iPhone will be huge. I already have had some ideas for software I’d like to write, and I’m looking forward to having certain apps (i.e. OmniFocus) on my phone.
The hardware additions that matter to me are GPS and 3G data. I already have a handheld GPS, if i absolutely need it, but, to be honest, the built in location services on the current iPhone have been enough for me. Let’s not even get started on the battery drain that GPS will add. As for 3G data, I have a 3G card provided from my employer. If I need 3G on my iPhone, I can share it out via internet sharing, over Wi-Fi.
One detail, which seems to be hidden on Apple’s website, is the fact that activation must be done in store. I still find this hard to believe. One of the best parts about the first iPhone was walking into the Apple store, paying for the phone, and then going home to activate it. To make matters worse, there are no special iPhone plans, which means that moving up to the iPhone 3G will add at least $10 a month to your service. To me, that won’t be worth it until I can share that data plan with other devices, and replace my current broadband connection.
Before Monday morning, I had a chunk of my credit card reserved for a 3G iPhone. Had it been available yesterday, with some other compelling features, I was very much ready to drive to our local Apple store, and hand over my money. Now, I have at least 30 days to contemplate the decision, and as of right now, I’ll be sitting tight, and waiting for iPhone software version 2.0.
There are reports that Metallica may follow the trend started by Radiohead, and continued by NIN when they release their ninth studio album. MissionMetallica just launched, and now we have our first look at how much Metallica does or does not get it. Radiohead went first, and they allowed you to download the full version of In Rainbows, and pay them whatever you though it should cost. You could pay nothing if you wanted. NIN’s Ghost was next. You could download Ghosts I for free, and then they offered the full set (Ghosts I- IV) for $5. They also offered a 2 CD set for $10.00, a deluxe edition (2 CDs, 1DVD, 1 Blu-Ray, and a hardcover slipcase) for $75, and a limited edition which added a four-LP set of Ghosts I-IV on 180 gram vinyl was available for $300. Both of these experiments were very successful. According to MissionMetallica, here are the options for the new Metallica album:
This seems out of whack to me. It’s a step in the right direction, but here’s what I think it should be:
This would make the album that much more accessible to everyone, while leveraging the true (or just rich) fans to make up for the lower prices at the other levels.) The problem that Metallica has, which it doesn’t seem to recognize, is that they are fighting an uphill battle. A lot of older, longtime fans are so turned off, they need to do something to pull us back into the fold. Giving us the download version for FREE would do that. And then, if we decide that we like it, we’ll buy it. Hell, just give us a place to go back to and donate afterwards, and I’ll be a number of people would just donate $5.00 as opposed to running out and buying a piece of plastic. I also question the value of the premium access to MissionMetallica. $13.00 for three - four months of access to “The making of…” the new album? It may be worth it, but I am not sold at this point. Metallica, and the rest of the music business need to learn that downloads are not a replacement for physical media, they are an extension. WE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO RIP OUR CDs.
There have been a few things keeping me from updating recently. The first was that my AdSense ads were deleted the last time I upgraded Wordpress. The second is the amount of comment spam that I receive in the moderation queue.I fixed the AdSense problem this morning. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about the second one until I move to another host. Justfree’s PHP implementation doesn’t allow the anti-spam module for Wordpress to work correctly, so I’m out of luck.
If you care enough about your local economy to put a bumper sticker on your car that says “Be a local hero, buy locally grown,” maybe you should think twice if you live in the Metro Detroit area, and you’re driving a foreign car.
See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
From an article over at Yahoo! news,:
Industry analyst Rob Enderle said Microsoft-Yahoo is unlikely to suffer the culture clashes and integration problems that plagued others because Yahoo is clearly the weaker party. Some small turf battles may erupt, but the Yahoo contingent won’t have much leverage.
And we all know about Rob’s track record!