Speed Bumps For The iPhone

Consumer Group Has Complaints; Many Stores Sell Out; Developers Race To Write Programs

(CBS/AP)  Harvey Rosenfield, founder of The Foundation for Consumer and Taxpayer Rights, contends the iPhone's battery and repair costs should have been clearly disclosed earlier.

The company outlined its cellular service rates and many other features of the iPhone in advance of its launch, which drew snaking lines around stores across the country.

"Some of them might be waking up now, wondering who they got in bed with," says Rosenfield.

Rosenfield says he didn't detect the battery information, which is located under several layers of links on Apple's support page on its Web site, until earlier this week. Technology blogs also started reporting their discoveries of it this week while one of the questions Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walt Mossberg fielded Thursday from his readers was about what happens when the iPhone battery dies.

"The cell phone industry is notorious for not being consumer-friendly while Apple has a fairly good reputation, so for Apple to stand on a technicality of a hidden disclosure - that's going to cost the user as much as 20 percent of the purchase price - I think will prove to be a colossal mistake," says Rosenfield.

The iPhone costs $499 or $599, depending on the model, and requires a minimum two-year $60-a-month service plan with AT&T.

In a podcast interview with CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid, Rosenfield says the consumer group is also upset by the fact that anyone who decides to return an iPhone must pay a ten percent restocking fee and forfeit their $39 activation fee.

The Foundation for Consumer and Taxpayer Rights has gone to court over these kinds of issues in the past. It is embroiled in a pending lawsuit against Cingular, now part of AT&T, over its service termination fees, and is also one of the plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit against Apple over an early model iPod Nano that was allegedly defective because it scratched easily.

In the case of the iPhone, Rosenfield argues that replacing the battery should be free to begin with while the product is under its one-year warranty.

He also questions why Apple chose to go against the norm of what cell phone users are accustomed to - swapping out their own batteries and generally at a cost that is less than half of what Apple is charging now for the iPhone.

"I'm just surprised at Apple's decision to defy the common practice of allowing people to purchase replacement batteries," says Rosenfield. "And the fact that the information is buried is just not appropriate."

Apple has not disclosed how many iPhones were available at launch, though analysts have speculated the amount was 500,000 or more.

AT&T said the gadget had sold out in most of its stores on the night of the launch while many Apple stores ran out of stock by early this week. Those ordering the iPhone online through Apple's Web site on Thursday were being promised delivery would be in two to four weeks.

[ivandrago]

I try to like Apple products, but every time they do just enough things to disgust me. There's no need for me rehash what everybody is pissed about. They got some sweet ideas that I hope the other phone makers implement soon. Just know that all other phones that mimic this one will be:

*much cheaper
*less restricted
*USER REPLACEABLE BATTERY (wow.)
*more storage

Microsoft already has "Surface OS". I bet they could implement a scaled down version for a cell phone by next year.

Apple had probably turned many people off to all Apple products for quite a few years. I know I'm not buying anything from them.

In closing from what I've gleaned from Crave (Cnet) the other carriers more than likely turned the iPhone because Apple wanted too much from them. I believe that Apple had to settle for AT&T.

[shanev137]

freaken hilarious.


$200 to pay someone to wait in line for iPhone
$600 for the iPhone
$40 activation fee
$1445 24 month contract with AT&T
$85 battery replacement
$30 loner phone while battery is replaced
------

$2400 total


...what a bunch of suckers. LOL

[carolrhill]

Instead of paying so much money on this iphone why don't these kids send this money to places where they really need the help.
Have you noticed that people have really stopped speaking to one another. The only thing you see are people with their heads bowed and looking into these hand hold things.
When my husband and I go out to dinner and there is couple they are both on the phone speaking to someone else. I thought when people go out together they are together.
That is why when people finally do get together and really speak they argu because people have lost the ability to speak to one another.
The biggest losers with all of these new machines are the babies and younger children because they start using these things from very young and they really never learn how to speak and interact with other children.
Now people wonder why the children are gaining weight and they need glasses to read sooner.
I HOPE THEY DON'T REALLY WONDER!!!

[brianbwb-2009]

There is a way (actually two or three ways) to use your iToy as an expensive nanoPod without dealing with (NSA)ATT, in case anyone is interested, but at present you must use Winblows iTunes, and some hex editing, but for the illuminati it is pretty simple.

For non techies, you can start a basic ATT account, upgrade to iPhone, activate, then revert to basic service, tell ATT you will keep the phone for later activation under a different account (14 days for free), remove the SIM, never replace it, then you have your expensive nanopod for Wifi and PDA.

Use this info at your own risk, I will not be responsible for any midnight raids by the Fascist party enforcers...

[brianbwb-2009]

Apparently you can remove the SIM, there is a small iHole near the SIM tray, insert an unbent iPaper clip and push down, the iTray will pop out.

However your SIM may not work with another phone, even another iToy, and only ATT SIMs will work with the IToy.

Good iLuck with your new iPaperweight, an informal engadet survey suggests a 40% complaint rate regarding iActivation for this P.O.iS.

Once again, iCorporate greed spoils a possibly good iConcept

[brianbwb-2009]

This gets funnier every day, can't even swap out the SIM card? Bwahahahaha...

My previous estimate gave it a month, some downward revision is in order.

iPhoneDevCamp? Right, spend months writing and debugging serious code for a toy that probably won't be sold by the time you finish testing? Why not just send me the money you are going to waste...

[rickydm1]

Does anyone know if the phone uses the same SIM card as other ATT phones?! This way, if/when the phone needs a battery, you can simply use your spare phone until it returns. It's not the best solution...but it would help?!

Let me know on the SIM card issue.
:)

Posted by jspearin at 02:32 PM : Jul 06, 2007


JSpearin, I work for AT&T & can tell you, the sim card is supposed to be the same however, you must take the IPhone in to Apple or AT&T to have it removed...much like the battery. (No user servicable parts inside) :o)

[toolmangler-2009]

I also swore off Apple products many years ago because their business model is based on attaching consumers to Apple hardware/software. The marketing spin is that having Apple "take care of it for you" makes your life easier. Actually, this strategy is constraining your consumer choice. You don't have control of the products you've paid for.

Posted by kfestus at 10:00 AM : Jul 06, 2007

That is the main reason I am on a PC. Back when Apple, Commodore, Atari and others were dukeing it out for the #1 spot RadioShack started doing its thing (ie) making sure no one could profit off their technology except themselves. In doing so they and to a large extent Apple painted themselves into a corner. As you notice (computer wise) RadioShack is no longer in the running and Apple is hanging on by the skin of its teeth. The mid 70s proved very good for Bill Gates and some others that decided to make their operating system and Hardware available for experimentation and improvement. That is why I will not buy an Apple unless it is the only thing I can get, and yes! I know that Apple is marginally more stable than a PC. I do not care, with the prices the way they are I can trash my PC and buy a new one cheaper than I can get an Apple repaired.

[jspearin]

Does anyone know if the phone uses the same SIM card as other ATT phones?! This way, if/when the phone needs a battery, you can simply use your spare phone until it returns. It's not the best solution...but it would help?!

Let me know on the SIM card issue.
:)

[brianbwb-2009]

Hey isuckers, don't forget, if your iphone dies on iFriday afternoon, it becomes a 5 to 6 day iwait, and let's hope they aren't as defective as the X-box, the ibacklog will probably istretch until they invent itelepathy phones.

[mapper07]

Check out some of these cool apps and games that are already surfacing for the iPhone:

http://iphone.corank.com

[kfestus]

I also swore off Apple products many years ago because their business model is based on attaching consumers to Apple hardware/software. The marketing spin is that having Apple "take care of it for you" makes your life easier. Actually, this strategy is constraining your consumer choice. You don't have control of the products you've paid for. Ha-ha I-phoners, maybe you will have time to meditate on your freedom from greedy monopolies during those "3 business days" while you're getting your phone battery changed.

[sevenveils]

Is this Apple's way of getting an very inferior web browser greater user acceptance?
If it was using an open standards browser instead of it's own there'd be no need to develop web pages especially for the iPhone because the technology is already on the shelf, developed years ago for wifi connected PDAs and handhelds.

[brianbwb-2009]

The iPhone; $500

Change a battery. Lose 3 days.(at least once per year); $120

Inferior Edge service; $600 to $1200 per year

Frustration, lost data and missed important calls;

Priceless...

[dukeudevil]

Apple is consumer-friendly?! Thanks for the laugh. Yea, maybe to journalists from major news networks, but one of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had was with Apple.

It was so bad that I swore to never buy another Apple product--and I haven't. And, I still will not--the iPhooey and CBSNews.com's completely wrong (and butt-kissing) reporting withstanding.

[cathaleen]

Next year it will be a new toy. Or maybe even six months from now. When will the American people realize they're being screwed by these companies.
They make this junk and people actually line up for it only to find out that by the time they get it home and up and running, there's another rediculous piece of junk on the market.

[brianbwb-2009]

Hey CBS, can I have Larry Magid's job? Instead of a shill for Apple, I could have (and did) given a more impartial review, which would have warned about the battery problem.

Next problem you will be writing about is the ridiculous AT&T plan, using inferior technology, then charging for an "upgrade" to one that is just a little more current, 3G.

"The cell phone industry is notorious for not being consumer-friendly while Apple has a fairly good reputation,"

Those of us who are the service techs doing warranty service for Apple can tell you that is a blatant untruth.

[brianbwb-2009]

"The iPhone's battery is apparently soldered on inside the device and cannot be swapped out by the owner like most other cell phones."

"Users would have to submit their iPhone to Apple for battery service. The service will cost users $79, plus $6.95 for shipping, and will take three business days."

Told ya so, check my posts from a few days back.

Corporate greed kills another possibly good idea...

[rillifane]

Seeing news stories of people waiting in line for ridiculous amounts of time to buy the iPhone causes me to ask whether I would want to buy a device that is apparently the choice of morons.

[randalds]

Don't have one. Don't plan on getting one (until they come in at less then $100). Rarely even take the cell phone I have now out of the house when I go anywhere and it has Internet access, email, camera, etc. I get all the computing I want and need on my home PC and laptop.

Much ado about nothing.

Don't have an IPOD or MP3 player either.