More red meat for the FCC to chew on with AT&T and Apple
Reflecting on my last post -- and how unbelievable the AT&T statement was that they have nothing to do with what gets approved in Apple's App Store -- convinced me I needed to refresh my dimming memory banks.Remember all the flames about whether Skype would come out for the iPhone last year? Then, at the 2008 conference last year, none other than Steve Jobs told the assembled multitudes that he would love to see a VoIP application for the iPhone as long as it used Wi-Fi and not the cellular data network. That, of course, was designed to protect AT&T, and while AT&T might not have insisted, Jobs knew he couldn't allow a full version of Skype or any other similar voice client.
That caused the internet advocacy group Free Press to complain to the FCC, but nothing really happened. Now there is a new president, with a different view of net neutrality than that held by the Bush Administration. There's a new FCC Commissioner as well, Julius Genachowski.
I would expect this whole area of restricting freedom of access to be a big issue in the coming weeks and months. We may not hear what answers Google, AT&T and Apple give to the FCC queries right away, but they'll likely leak out eventually.
We may yet see some changes in some of these restrictive policies and more competition among cell phone providers and carriers. That benefits just about everyone. Perhaps the fight over crippled or banned apps like Skype, Google Voice and the SlingPlayer for iPhone has ignited a debate that could finally change things.
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Reflecting on my last post -- and how unbelievable the AT&T statement was that they have nothing to do with what gets approved in...
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This decision is really all about business, if GV was approved then AT&T will really suffer. Anyway, I heard that GV will soon be available in iPhone via browser. I just hope it will work and Apple/AT&T will not block it. :)
Andy
http://aclevertwist.com/iphone-apps/app/popper
Personally I think Gvoice will take a long time to catch on in any large numbers. It adds a lot of complexity to using a phone. The iPhone has done a great job with usability - I think most people having found that will not want to lose it now.
Still Apple/ATT, whoever, should just let the app on the device. Let the competition happen, match and exceed it.
All the arguments defendinding AT&T on the basis of bandwidth usage are pointless.
I stream 5 gigs of music a month through my iphone every month. I don't go over my allotted data usage which i pay for. If they can't keep up providing this data to more users they should reflect that in their marketing and pricing. Rather than giving you the sky and than building an artificial roof over it.
I think people sometimes want everything: Google voice, Skype, etc.. The same people then complain about slow networks. These networks can only handle so much at a time. Hopefully AT&T, Verizon and so on are working to build bigger and better systems that can handle the " new" way in which mobile phones are being used.
I also appreciate the fact that Apple regulates the iphone ecosystem so we have a smooth experience, although finding some consistency in their process will benefit everyone.
Most of you people need to grow up - band-width costs money - it is neither unlimited or free.
Skype and Slingbox are band-width hogs - as would be google voice - tethering will eat up tons of capacity and MMS will have a smaller - but significant impact...
You can have what you want - but you are crazy if you think either...
1) what you currently pay covers the cost of any of these or
2) that you will pay the same amount once these features are added...
Except AT&T only loses SMS to GV it's not VOIP, it still uses AT&T minutes. SMS is pure profit to AT&T. GV will show everyone what the telecom industry is capable of, featurewise. Custom voicemail greetings for individual callers? Auto redirecting of calls to different numbers depending on the caller? Why haven't we been given this before. No one was willing to step out, develop it for the masses and offer it for free. It scares telecoms because they will become a pipeline for content, the deciding power is taken out of their hands and they will have to compete again.
August 03 2009 at 8:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYes, bandwidth costs money. I pay a certain amount each month for 10gb of Turbo 3G bandwidth. What I do with these 10gb is my business not the operators. I can use it for surfing, apps, streaming, voip or tethering.
If that is a problem they shouldn't sell me 10gb of bandwidth.
What I hate the most is that AT&T limits the apps that get approved in the U.S. so I can't use them in Sweden where there is no such limits.
Apple should really stop listening to AT&T and approve every app that doesn't has viruses or stuff in it now! I don't like that Apple or an operator can dictate what I do with the things I already pay for.
Right.... so it wasn't AT&T that made apple pull NetShare app?
FCC is interfering at the perfect time.
A google voice app and skype VOIP are nothing alike.
I doubt AT&T's bandwidth could tolerate high volumes of VOIP calls and I am sure that is the primary reason for the lack of cellular support on the VOIP apps, not because it would take away from using AT&Ts mins.
Rather than saying something like "remember when Jobs said this?" you probably should have done a little searching to find some more direct quotes of his comments about Skype. Also, why link to the skype download page?
August 03 2009 at 5:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOf course, the endgame is either that AT&T charges is supplemental fee for using VOIP apps on its data or gives up altogether and charges a much higher price for data in the first place. Not sure either of those is superior to the current situation.
August 03 2009 at 4:35 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyTheir prices are already out the root. I'm frigg'n paying for 5gigs of data, and all they want me to do is use it for 5 gigs of text emails, nothing else. I already am forced on a minute AND data plan, what would it hurt them if I used Skype or Google Voice on top of the already sky high prices and limitations? Pure greed.
"and how unbelievable the AT&T statement was that they have nothing to do with what gets approved in Apple's App Store"
They never said that. That's your interpretation. They said they don't manage or approve apps in the App Store. They are right in saying that. Apple ultimately allows or denies apps. Their statement was totally factual.
Obviously they have pull and are in hot water, but that's another story. One you don't have all the facts too. Its journalism like this that is making me visit this place less and less... how about writing something worthwhile and not resting on sensationalism...
PS: And there called emdashes—Use them (alt + shift + -).
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