iPhone Users are a Stubborn Lot

I saw this snippet of news in a headline sometime last week, but it resurfaced in my feeds today via a Yahoo! tech article:

AT&T early-termination fee nearly doubling for iPhone, other smartphones (Ben Patterson, Today in Tech: The Gadget Hound).

In the article, Patterson notes that the wireless carrier is yanking its early termination fee for smartphones up to an outrageous $325 (it was previously $175). AT&T users who start to have second thoughts about their new phones are given only a slight break in that the fee is reduced by $10 for every month they hold their two-year contract (the fee will be prorated).

Now, you might ask yourself, “Why would anyone use AT&T except to own and use an iPhone, and why would anyone want to give up their iPhone?” A valid question, and one I asked myself upon learning of AT&T’s decision.

If you keep up with this kind of news, you will likely have also heard rumors of a Verizon/Apple contract in the works. Yes, such rumors have been around since Apple’s exclusive AT&T carrier contract was put in place, but they’re really starting to heat up. Combine those rumors with AT&T’s recent decision (and their crappy service), and you reach a very obvious conclusion: the Texas-based company sees Apple eyeing greener pastures and is scrambling to set measures in place that will help them recoup some of their losses when iPhone addicts users jump the fence and fling themselves into the open arms of a superior wireless service.

Now, I know that there are a lot of folks out there who have had little or no problems with their AT&T service, and I both congratulate you and recommend you continue to carry your rabbit’s foot, four-leaf clover and wireless signal booster around with you (the world is your dead zone). However, there are also a lot of people who have a lot of problems with the service and (I should think) are praying for a chance to port their iPhone over to a more reliable provider. I’ve never been an AT&T wireless subscriber (except for a few weeks when, unbeknownst to me, someone hacked my account, ordered phones, and set up a wireless plan from a local hotel), but I do use their internet (DSL) services, and can honestly say that they suck.

As a note of interest, I queried one of my local Verizon reps. about the Verizon/Apple contract rumored to be in the works for this fall, and he said, “It doesn’t matter.” With the release of the Motorola DROID being hailed as the coming of a Verizon-based iPhone rival, and now with the faster/sleeker/better HTC Droid Incredible flooding the market, Verizon has seemingly begun to find their niche in the iPhone-dominated world of smartphones without Apple’s help. Hello, Android 2.1.

(Oh, and as a side note, I hope to be receiving my HTC Droid Incredible either today or tomorrow. Review coming soon.)

Also, this made my (last) Sunday: Foxtrot - iPhone Prototypes