Help Matt With College

Matt's take on interesting news.

Chiefs Defend Slow Network for the iPhone

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/technology/29phone.html

On the eve of the Apple iPhone's sale, the top executives of Apple and AT&T defended their decision to rely upon AT&T's slow Edge wireless data network, rather than a faster network that is less widely available. Apple's chief, Steven P. Jobs, saw the choice of network as a trade-off. Early reviews of the iPhone, while positive, have faulted the slower network because it will limit the palm-size wireless computers greatest strength - making the Internet easily accessible on the go.

My View: This is one thing that upsets me about companies today... they have no vision beyond the world of today. First of all, why on Earth is AT&T developing their own cellular and high-speed networks when standards like 3G have large support bases all over the world (minus the US). Secondly, why on Earth would Apple not support AT&T's faster network (as proprietary as it is)? Steve Jobs reasoned that people could use Wi-Fi connections for faster internet access, but as he argued against using the 3G standard, who is going to find a free Wi-Fi network in Ottumwa, Iowa? Silliness, I say, total silliness. One day cellphones will be like computers where you have a little bit of choice over these kinds of standards.

Labels: apple, att, communications, electronics, mobile web