I was very excited when I heard that Apple announced the iPhone’s official Canadian release date was set for July 11, 2008, but I wondered how practical the phone would be in Canada where the data plans are significantly more restrictive than those offered south of the border. In the days following Steve Jobs’ announcement, speculation ran rampant on the forums and blogs about what the potential iPhone-specific plans might be. While everyone had hoped for an unlimited data plan similar to the ones offered by AT&T in the U.S., the plans that Rogers and Fido announced on Friday, June 27, 2008, did not fail to disappoint.
There are a couple of issues that I have with the plans offered by the two companies, besides the fact that they are EXACTLY the same (so much for choice in the marketplace).
Voice and Data are bundled: As I understand it, Rogers will offer 4 iPhone plans ranging in price from $60 to $115, and each of the plans offer a combination of included local voice minutes and data, ranging from 150 minutes/400 GB to 800 minutes/2 GB, respectively. To me, these plans seem too inflexible. For example, what if I wanted an iPhone but travel extensively and would benefit from a Canada One-Rate or Digital One-Rate plan? From what I can see, my choices are to:
a) skip the iPhone and buy a different handset
b) buy the iPhone but pay long-distance/roaming when travelling (increasing my bill substatially)
Neither of those two scenarios would be ideal, and that may turn a number of business customers away from purchasing the phone, despite Apple’s obvious effort to bring more business customers on-board.
Metered data usage may scare off some users. Some of the most exciting features of the iPhone revolve around it’s sophisticated web-browser and internet 3G internet connection; however, the thought of using more than the included bandwidth and receiving a huge bill at the end of the month may put some people off. This may seem like the whole point to Rogers, who are probably afraid of the flood of excited iPhone users overloading their network; however, iPhone owners are likely to feel less satisfied with their iPhone experience than their U.S. counterparts.
I am in the market for a new cell-phone and was eagerly awaiting to make the iPhone, my new phone, but I think I’ll wait for a few months to see if Rogers will provide more/better plans before making the leap.
We saw Wall-e this weekend, and I thought that it was an OK movie. There were plenty of cute comedy bits for parents and children alike, and the production values were to Disney/Pixar’s typically high standards, but the overall product just did not have the “it” factor for me that we present is some of Pixar’s previous offerings.
I’ve been driving my 2007 Hyundai Azera for about 9 months now, ever since I traded in the Mini Cooper.
I have to say that the experience has been an extremely positive one. The car has now had any of the gremlins that have haunted my previous automobiles.
More on the car later.
As those of you that know have already learned, I like cars. So much so, the in the 9 years of driving, I’ve owned a total of 9 cars. In the next few posts, I’ll give you a brief history of each of them. Some of the cars would be 15+ years old by now, so it may not be helpful if you’re car shopping, but you never know.
Finally saw Click with Adam Sandler. Not sure what the movie critics thought of it, but I thought it was a good movie. I’ll definitely get it once it gets released to DVD.
I figured I’d wait until I had the MINI for at least a week before I start gushing about it. A lot of people have been asking me how I like it, especially those who are used to seeing my in my previous car, a 1999 BMW 528i.
I’ll have to admit, the MINI is a very different car. It certainly communicates the imperfections of the road a lot more than the 528 did, but it also corners extremely well, and is deceivingly roomy inside. One aspect of the MINI that I’m not completely sold on yet is its CVT or (continuously variable transmission). For those unfamiliar with the technology see Rich Helm’s wonderful article on the subject in the Toronto Sun or on his site at richhelms.com . The other aspect tha surprised me was the fule consumption. Over my first week, I calculated a fuel consumption rating of 7.75 Liters per 100 Km. I was hopy for something more along the lines of 6.7 Liters.
All in all, the MINI experience has been great so far, and I look forward to many years of happy motoring.
