Rogers will Give Canadian’s iPhone Shaft
Rogers iPhoneWhile we know very little about the iPhone in Canada, Rogers is wasting no time sticking it to Canadian consumers. The iPhone 3G is already shaping up to be a second rate deal in comparison to the product Americans will get from AT&T.
When the iPhone 3G is released in Canada and the US on July 11th, according to Steve Job’s keynote at Apple’s WorldWide Developer’s Conference, the 8-GB model will cost $199 with a mandatory 2-year plan. But that 2-year plan is from AT&T only, Rogers and its faithful pet Fido will force Canadians into a 3-year plan on this side of the border.
There is no word whether or not Rogers will offer any hardware upgrades under that three year contract. Original iPhone was only introduced last year and already many are considering an upgrade. Three years is a long time in mobile technology. Subsequent iPhone upgrades will likely involve further extended contracts.
But three-year contracts could be the tip of the proverbial iPhone-shaft for Canadians. We’ve seen Canadian telcos like Rogers and Telus get their hands on other full-featured Smartphones and strip it down.
Get your hands on an HTC Touch in Canada from Rogers or Telus and you’ll discover it’s been stripped of Wi-Fi. They do this to prevent Canadians from accessing mobile data that they cannot bill you for. Will Rogers peddle a neutered version of iPhone for Canadians?
It’s widely anticipated that Rogers will announce an unlimited data plan for iPhone. But unlimited mobile data with no strings attached is unknown in Canada. It’ll be interesting to see just how creative Rogers can be at billing Canadians with a so-called unlimited data plan.
But there is hope. A chunk of wireless spectrum is being auctioned off by the Canadian government in hopes to bring new competition to the mobile market. A stipulation of the auction is that 40 percent of available spectrum is reserved for companies holding only 10 percent of the wireless market in Canada. That means it’s almost certain Telus, Bell, Rogers and Fido will get some much needed competition.
Between iPhone and the auction it’s possible that long-suffering Canadians will see a brave new mobile data market. That’s exactly what analysts like Lawrence Surtees, vice-president at Toronto-based analyst firm IDC Canada predicts.
But don’t expect a flood of US-like mobile deals pouring into Canada. Rogers won’t relinquish its shaft of the Canadian consumer without a long and draw-out fight.
You can access your email or the web without having to add the data feature to your plan. It's a definite plus if you use mapquest or if you just want to chat on MSN or Facebook while having your coffee.
The HTC Touch is considered to be Canada's version of the i-phone, it has alot of the same features etc.
Cheers
Former Crackberry User
The iphone is a first rate device, but anyone who locks themselves in for 3 years with ROGERS is an IDIOT. Expect to pay up to $120.00 plus a month with the hidden SMS charges and internet plan.
I have an IPHONE in Canada and I love it. It's unlocked and running on Fido pay as you go. $30.00 a month for unlimited evenings... that's how to do it!
I find it insulting that we in Canada have to pay the North Border S.I.C.(situational incurred cost) fee for iPhone!
I sincerly wish I could wave the Canadian flag proudly and declare that Rogers is a homegrown Canadian company to be proud of, which I do of RIM BTW. Living near TO I'd love to be a Rogers booster! The Jays, the Rogers Center, I might even become a basebal fan if Rogers were the least bit palatable.
As it stands... I wouldn't attend a pancake breakfast at the Rogers Center if the pancakes were served upon a maple syrup slathered Sarah Polley (for whom I would normally travel vast distances) that's how much I dislike what Rogers does to Canada.
Rogers is a weasel! Instead of giving us the equivelant or (God forbid) a better deal than AT&T gives Americans, Rogers feels its right to shaft Canadians!
I'd love to be a fly on the wall of the backroom deals between Apple and Rogers.
Apple:We really want an unlimited data plan sold with our iPhone.
Rogers: But... but... They're only Canadians. They don't need all that.
Apple: Really, someday we want to make money off iTunes mobile whenever we can get our own act together. So, unlimited data needs to be the norm so people buy our DRM ridden junk at the bus stop or the massage parlour or wherever you Canadians hang out.
Rogers: Okay, but Bell isn't going to like it. We're going to have to revamp our whole collusion deal to keep Canada in the mobile tech dark ages.
Rogers: Maybe we can agree to shaft Canadians some other way like... maybe we can extend their minimum contract length or make Canadians swallow rotten eggs to get an iPhone...
Rogers:Hey Apple, is there anything in our deal that says we can't give out spankings with the iPhone?
I bought my iphone in the US and then unlocked with Ziphone. www.ziphone.org/
It's super easy to unlock, you just click a button. You are better off buying the older iphone used or new from ebay than buying the new one which is plastic and signing a 3 year contract with Rogers. Once it's unlocked you can use with Fido.
Whatever you do, don't sign a contract. Just take the pay as you go plan, it's awesome. And only use the iphone internet feature when you're at home, work or anywhere near a wi-fi hot spot... it's free!
i have one on rogers unclocked works with tax in 38.00per month from 6pm to 7 am 250 per voice mail call id this is the way to go
100.00 per mont for data an voice you need to have buis to write off
I feel some hardcore assfucking is about to occure with the iphone.
sorry was that inappropriate?
Rogers is already getting it from Apple, let's join in a kick them when they are down. After all they have been abusing us since day one.