Orange and the iPhone - competition is a good thing
By Asavin Wattanajantra in Editorial
Posted in Orange, O2, iPhone on
Finally O2 loses its exclusivity. I haven’t got an issue with O2 - I purchased an iPhone recently and my experience with them hasn’t been bad apart from a couple of mishaps.
But it’s a good thing. It has to be. The iPhone is a great device, but people should have the option of using different networks with it. Also, the operators need to compete with each other other pricing - hopefully it’ll make the thing more affordable to those who want it.
In terms of mobile phones, it looks like it is going to be an intensely competitive Christmas. Now Orange and O2 have the iPhone (and perhaps Vodafone according to rumours), there is also the promise of the Palm Pre, which O2 has managed to get exclusively (although I doubt it will be anything as successful for the company as the iPhone).
Add that to the mix the Android devices, which the likes of Samsung, HTC and even poor old Motorola have and will have in time for Christmas. And we haven’t even mentioned the big daddy of them all Nokia - and will Windows Mobile make any kind of impact?
Personally as an O2 user it will be quite annoying to see Orange customers get it for a cheaper price. I am one of those, having just bought an iPhone a couple of months ago. But I can appreciate that this is a good thing.
My first mobile phone was an Orange networked phone. I think I was about 12, and I had this massive brick of a phone that I bought from Argos for no particular reason apart from the fact everybody was getting one.
In the years since Orange has never really been much of an option, my head turned by Vodafone first and now O2. But having the iPhone is important - it’s going to put the company back into hearts and minds, and they’ve also got better 3G connectivity - so I’ve heard.
But will they have it cheaper? It’s going to be difficult considering the price of the iPhone and the fact it has to subsidise the hardware. I doubt it will go any lower than £30 a month, and O2 already does that albeit with less texts and calls.
But the fact people have options is good. Hopefully it will force O2 to up its game when it comes to customer service and connectivity. Even though it has many people locked to the company already, as I mentioned before I don’t think that the Palm Pre will make up for the customers it will lose to Orange - but that’s just an opinion (probably something Palm and O2 won’t want to hear).
And anyway. In the end Apple wins again. Grrr.
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