Categorized | Announcements & News

Tags : Apple, AT&T

Yup, It Was AT&T… Again

Posted on 29 July 2009 by


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In the shadow of Apple pulling the GV Mobile and VoiceCentral, and word today that AT&T was behind Apple’s actions (surprise surprise!) 9to5Mac asks “Can VOiP apps be next?”

They also had a bit of advice…

If you were ever thinking of downloading a VoIP app, do it right now, before other apps start disappearing from of the App Store without explanation.

Apple users: This is what “carrier exclusivity” buys you.

Skype (iTunes Link)

Fring (iTunes Link)

TruPhone

IM+ with Skype

To add insult to injury let us not forget that AT&T has a double standard… SlingPlayer over 3G is okay on Blackberry and Windows Mobile but not the iPhone. Guess what else is okay on AT&T if you use a Blackberry…Google Voice.

In celebration of AT&T and Apple’s myopia I officially made the switch to Google Voice today. In place of my stock phone app now resides… well I haven’t decided yet… but it will either be GV Mobile or VoiceCentral.

This post was written by:

- who has written 2794 posts on Gear Diary.

Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. +Dan Cohen

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  • Carly Z

    So is it a technical reason or just to make life easier that it’s not available on iPod Touches either?

  • Dan Cohen

    Carly- that raises a really great point I had not considered.
    Obviously there is an issue with the two devices sharing the same app store but there are already some apps that will load on the iPhone but not on the touch so there ought be no reason to next it on both.

  • http://darkglass.org/ tamaracks

    Well, if it’s true that AT&T was behind the removals (as reported by Daring Fireball), then I can’t see that it would have anything to do with iPod Touches. Why would AT&T care? And, as Dan says, there are other apps that will only work on iPhones.

    I doubt it’s a technical reason, either. Seems it would have to be business related, although I can’t see how Google Voice hurts AT&T’s bottom line much, since you still have to use your phone plan’s minutes to talk on GV. I guess the free SMS could be a concern, but I still think this sucks.

  • Jason Reese

    The iPod Touch line wouldn’t be impacted the same way since those devices do not have the hardware to use PSTN for voice like the iPhone. GV still requires PSTN — and your minutes will still have to go through the carrier (AT&T). GV wouldn’t be impacting the cellular data network or a WiFi network, but it would likely dent in charging for outgoing SMS and, possibly, international calling rates.

    Regarding the 9to5Mac article, comparing GV to VoIP is apples and oranges at this point; since, again GV requires the voice portion of the network (PSTN) and not the data — which is where Voice Over IP would come into play. 9to5MacNoob summed it up perfectly his/her comments are listed on http://tinyurl.com/knn2yg.

    Given that the iPhone is on a single US carrer, AT&T, I suspect we’d be crying foul regardless of whether it was on VZ, Sprint, or T-Mo. It’s not. C’est la vie. I believe any of the other carriers would be making the very same decision when it comes down to money and service on their network. I suspect the timing (why GV was pulled now versus weeks/months ago) quite honestly just has to do with the multiple layers of corporate beaurocracy. Who knows…it may have taken this long for them to view the financial data and analyze it ad nauseum to get someone to make a decision.

    Sure, it could be a nefarious scheme to crush Google (which won’t happen). Afterall, GV gives you one number for life — and that makes it all too easy to use any device or any carrier. I’m sure that makes any and all carriers a bit nervous. As for why the iPhone and not BlackBerry or other handsets being targeted? iPhone is AT&T’s flagship primo donna device. Their wireless roadmap may as well be completely built around the iPhone. They know they won’t have “lightning in a bottle” forever. When LTE is actually deployed, then we’ll likely see things heat up and the iPhone exclusivity ending…unless AT&T wants to “up” their payout to Apple and the device subsidies. As for BlackBerry and Android handsets using GV, it could be impacted down the road on BB…but doubtful. The app store ecosystem for other devices isn’t as polished — or a walled garden — like Apple’s. Blessing and curse. When we use it we love it and fanboys spill blood all over the apple logo; when we get a beloved app like that utilizes GV taken away the tide turns. But, honestly, how many people are going to chuck their shiny iPhones because of it. I doubt AT&T or Apple is too concerned about that fractional churn.

    Besides, it makes another great argument for jailbreaking ;) The developers already put their GV apps out for Cydia…

  • http://www.geardiary.com Michael Anderson

    It really seems like one of those short-sighted things … hurt customer relations long-term to save a few bucks short term.