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New Zealanders |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
I've been calling for it and finally it happened. At last a  phone supplied by Vodafone is available with the same plan subsidy as an iPhone. If you buy an Xperia X10 on a 24 month Smart 130 plan, you'll get the same $780 discount as an iPhone 3GS customer gets on an iPhone 130 plan.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a breakthrough. Note also that the handset price for the X10 has dropped to $999 from $1099, so it's good news all round. Let's hope we see some price parity on the $40/$60/$80 Smart Plans sometime soon.
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Hopefully! That's great news. Personally I'm doing just fine on my 100mb for $10 prepay plan though. 
Also, a concrete date for the iPhone 4 I see. You're not upgrading though, are you carkitter?
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2008, 2009, 2010 Best Australasian Member. |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
No I'm not, and considering how infuriating my iPhone is ATM I probably never will.
iOS 4 has slowed it to a crawl (it was never fast anyway) and a slight problem of occasional dropped calls an poor wifi reception has gotten much worse. I tried a back up and full reset recently - it took 3hrs and wiped some of my apps again. I am so over the iPhone. I did like the design of the iPhone 4 but it has turned out to be a weakness not a strength, so no point upgrading. I'm not an Apple devotee, I'll happily move on to an X10 instead.
I see the iPad is arriving on Friday and it appears that it won't be supplied by Vodafone as I long suspected. It also appears that every man and his dog will be supplying Micro-SIM plans for it with Vodafone, XT, 2 Degrees, Black & White and Orcon all announcing Micro-SIM availability but no pricing. Everyone is probably waiting for Vodafone to make the first move. It's possible that Vodafone could announce 'Shared Data over 3G' pricing along with the iPad plans. I hear this is in the works but have no idea when. Shared Data over 3G is where one person pays one price on one bill and two or more SIM card containing devices can use it, kinda like Vodafone's Family Add-on, or XT's Share plan does with calling minutes. I'm not aware of any other network who does Shared Data over 3G, and especially not on an iPad, so if it eventuates it could be a world first.
Vodafone are supposed to announce iPhone 4 pricing this week and speculation is rife about what it will sell for (unsubsidised). I've long held the view that unsubsidised pricing is irrelevant on a phone like the iPhone which is so dependent on carrier services such as mobile data but some simple reasoning can show what pricing is likely to be. Some people think Vodafone will take the opportunity to raise prices because the 3GS prices were higher than comparable 3G models, but I don't think so for these reasons:
- Apple pricing is very exchange-rate dependent.
- At present the NZ dollar is high against the US dollar (71c US instead of the usual 50c US).
- The new 8GB iPhone 3GS is priced $80 cheaper than the previous 8GB iPhone 3G.
- Pricing for the iPhone 4 was probably set at the same time as the 8GB 3GS model.
So, an educated guess would lead me to expect pricing of $80 - $100 lower than the current 16GB and 32GB models.
Thus $1079 - $1099 for the 16GB iPhone 4 and $1279 - $1299 for the 32GB iPhone 4 which is competitive with the Xperia X10 at launch and will cover much of the $150 early resign fee that iPhone plans require.
Interestingly, that makes iPhone 4 more expensive than comparable iPad 3G models (prices as quoted in the NBR here are unusually low compared to the UK?!?) so I look forward to seeing how Vodafone deals with that. Maybe they'll just emphasise the subsidised prices and pretend such an anomaly doesn't exist, just as they ignore the existence of parallel importers.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-07-20 19:09 ] |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Vodafone now selling the Google Nexus One!
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Dunno 'bout you guys... but I'm getting pretty darn good download speed on Vodafone 3G at the moment:
Yesterday I broke the 3Mbps barrier for the first time with a 3375kbps test in NewLynn. Vodafone have been continuing to upgrade their network and are making improvements some of which I've heard about.
Surfing on the Vodem is becoming faster and more reliable. Very nice 
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Today I went out and had a play with two new devices Xperia X10 and Apple iPad. One I found quite disappointing while the other is a genuine love-at-first-sight device.
I had a try on the Xperia X10 first. Initial impressions were of an average quality plastic and rubber phone with a mediocre screen. I was quite stunned. I thought it would feel better than this. The UI didn't look that intuitive and screens seemed to swipe from all directions. The Timescape and Mediascape functions and graphics were as impressive as they appeared in leaked videos last year. but I think the overall UI might take some getting used to coming from an iPhone. Xperia is definitely faster than my iPhone 3G ever was, that aspect is very good. By the time I'm ready to buy, the new range of gorgeous Dell phones will be out and then Rachael will have some real competition. Android 2.1/2.2 for X10 with it's 16m colour support can't come soon enough IMO.
The iPad on the other hand is the bomb. Everything that's good about the iPhone + a bigger screen + faster UI response. Don't look at one if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket because you'll walk out with one. Fortunately (or is that unfortunately) I didn't have the money This will be the #1 most sought after item this Xmas I can tell you right now. It's just sucks you in with that fantastic screen and fast response to touch input. Use the multitouch in the picture gallery and you're hooked. The fact it has productivity apps like Pages, Numbers, etc is the icing on the cake, the sensible justification for buying such an emotional device. I still think it's better suited to my kids than to me but one of these shared between two or more kids + intrigued parents and grandparents will be a recipe for WW3. I read today that LG reckon that world production of iPad screens will be a limiting factor in the sales of iPads and that release in some countries may have to be postponed. I'd say Xmas 2010 will be a major headache for Apple - trying to get enough of these built and supplied to stores. They certainly won't have price reductions in the coming months that's for sure.
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Not going to blindly defend the X10 here but I disagree on both screen and build quality. Was the brightness turned up to full? The screen is pretty stunning when it is. I love the rubbery textured back, great for grip. And I find the plastics to be as good as any other SE phone I have had. Of course it isn't up to par with phones made of metal, but for a plastic phone it is very solid.
And I wondered how you would feel about Android, coming from an iPhone. There are many similarities, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will take getting used to. Not sure how you would cope!
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2008, 2009, 2010 Best Australasian Member. |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
On 2010-07-26 07:33:46, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Not going to blindly defend the X10 here but I disagree on both screen and build quality. Was the brightness turned up to full? The screen is pretty stunning when it is. I love the rubbery textured back, great for grip. And I find the plastics to be as good as any other SE phone I have had. Of course it isn't up to par with phones made of metal, but for a plastic phone it is very solid.
And I wondered how you would feel about Android, coming from an iPhone. There are many similarities, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will take getting used to. Not sure how you would cope!
I agree with everything you say. I do like rubber backed phones, my V640i had rubber on the lower half of the back and it had a nice feel to it. Just the rest of the materials didn't exude the sort of classy feel I've gotten used to with the iPhone. Not sure if the screen brightness was turned up or not. I am willing to give Rachael a second chance as I really like the Timescape/Mediascape features.
No, I'm not sure how I'll cope with Android either.
I tend to ignore the whole 'Android as an alternative lifestyle choice' thing (which is similar to the 'Linux as an alternative lifestyle choice' thing) and concentrate on how effective the Manufacturer's overlay is, the styling of the device and the integrity of its design. The only aspect of Android that is really important to me is how much traction Android Marketplace has with Developers and from what I hear it seems to be coming along nicely as competition for the App Store.
Edit: The model I looked at today was black; I would only be interested in a White X10 which I'm sure would make a better impression on me. 
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-07-26 14:44 ] |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Something odd is going on between VodafoneNZ and Apple's Australasia branch. Apple has been releasing press statements completely independent of Vodafone who have no comment and in one case seem to be taken by surprise. Publicly Vodafone are saying they cannot release info at this time. This is hard to believe because it's now less than 24 hrs until the iPhone goes on sale in Vodafone stores - Vodafone have never left it this late to release pricing information on an iPhone before. It didn't come as a surprise to me that Vodafone are not selling the iPad as Apple markets it as a computer and so seeing it at Apple resellers such as DSE and Magnum Mac is not unusual. What is unusual is Apples NZ iPhone 4 web-page where they practically beg customers to pick up an iPhone and choose any network provider. So much for loyalty to Vodafone. If this is their attitude then why not just allow XT, 2 Degrees and Orcon to retail iPhones?
Some really odd behaviour going on here and customers are caught in the middle.
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Evilchap
Joined: Aug 25, 2006
Posts: 57
From: New Zealand
PM |
That is particularly odd behaviour by them. Im gona go ahead and blame it on the grip of death, no real reason, I just think this whole reception thing is a bit funny. |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Seems like no iPhones in any retail stores only online from Apple. 
That would mean that Vodafone have had their iPhone deal pulled.  Hard to understand how this can have happened. Odd that Vodafone would say nothing about it, leaving Apple to mop up all the sympathy. Vodafone iPhone customers really feel shafted by this silence from Vodafone with a big nothing at the end of it. 
Tomorrow will be very interesting. One things for sure, I'm less interested in an iPhone 4 than ever now. 
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Didn't Vodafone sell a few iPhone 4s to on account customers today?
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2008, 2009, 2010 Best Australasian Member. |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Yes they did in the end. No word on why such a mess ensued, but Vodafone says they sold out in four hours which was "astonishing". I think having only four hours supply on opening day is astonishing really...
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Added a few Google images of NZ to the 'Visiting NZ...' post.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-08-03 17:29 ] |
Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Good stuff carkitter. Nice to see that topic has become a Sticky, really helpful!
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2010-08-04 05:13 ] This message was posted in the mail
2008, 2009, 2010 Best Australasian Member. |
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Posted: 2010-07-17 05:51
