The i600 is in the verizon store on Boylston Street in Boston. I had a working unit in my hands for a while and had a chance to play with it. I was very impressed.
It made me change my mind about spending 650 on a upgrade.
However, they did not have any units for sale. They only had a display unit...grrr
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SGL
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Waiting for the i-600...
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I understand that as a voice of Thoughts you probaby want to distance yourself from Verizon criticism, but -- c'mon!
What on earth are you talking about? I'm not paid by Verizon or Samsung. Please don't imply that, either. :roll:
I wouldn't know if you're paid by Verizon or Samsung, but I do know it's best not to burn bridges - especially if you haven't crossed them yet. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that you're not interested in badmouthing potential revenue streams. Of course, if you're not concerned about offending Verizon or Sprint, my unintended implication is withdrawn and noted. :-)
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I bought the Qualcomm pdQ back when it was $799 years ago when released by Sprint. I'm not saying it's necessarily smart, and I don't necessarily agree with their strategy, but it's been their business practice for years. They're obviously targeting the corporate market first.
I think you're right about who their target market is. In fact, I saw somewhere in their press release that it was the perfect gadget for the "busy professional." However, I think this is where Verizon is falling short. If this were an established device I'd agree with their approach. In the US it's not though, and IMHO they ought not put the cart before the horse. There's a time for targeting an audience and a time for introducing a new concept and swaying the masses.
I should point out that I'm just a consumer, and that I have no marketing background. I'm just spouting off because of my personal perspective, and don't expect anyone to take me too seriously. ;-)
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Well, note that $120 of that discount is Amazon's. That makes the price difference on the order of about $150. It's probably not worth that, but Verizon made an administrative decision to price this as a slower-moving item.
Understood, but unless Amazon is selling the MPx200 at a loss, does it matter who's setting the price?
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Like I said, they've been selling the i700 at $599 for many months now. There's no rules about pricing, and I don't see any hammer. It's all within the "rules" of supply and demand. If an insufficient number of people buy it at that price point, they'll (hopefully) reduce the price. It's not like you're forced to buy this product. That would be highway robbery.
Of course, you're right. I just hope the price does get driven down instead of the alternative - abandoning the platform altogether before giving it a fair chance.
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In general, if you look at Verizon Wireless, everything is more expensive -- both the phones and the service -- and yet, they do well. That means that despite their pricing, their network is in demand. The younger GSM networks price more aggressively, largely because they need to as they're still in a ramp-up mode. Nov. 24th will tell us whose business policies are working and whose are not.
However, I think this is where Verizon is falling short. If this were an established device I'd agree with their approach.
That was my allusion to the pdQ. Wireless carriers have been doing this for years; some more than others. The fact that Verizon is successful means that they are probably happy with their approach. They may be shortsighted in your or my opinion, but they have market analysts and whatever else to help them decide...
Precise reads on quality are hard to come by, but one good proxy is the number of customers who leave. This year 22% of Verizon's customers will decamp. In the cellular industry, that's a win. Verizon's chief rivals lose 30%-plus a year; only Nextel does as well as Verizon.
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Two-thirds of the 12 million customers who will sign with Verizon Wireless this year are defectors from rivals.
Nine million users are so fed up with their carriers that they want to switch the very first day of the new rules, according to a survey by telecom consultancy TMNG. Another 30 million are prepared to follow as soon as another carrier gives them a better deal.
Oh yeah. Duh! Unfortunately for me and millions of others that date means nothing. A rep from the AT&T Wireless store told me that WNP will only be available on that date for the top 100 markets. I won't see it in my area at least until January or February, she said.
Oh yeah. Duh! Unfortunately for me and millions of others that date means nothing. A rep from the AT&T Wireless store told me that WNP will only be available on that date for the top 100 markets. I won't see it in my area at least until January or February, she said.
Really? 8O It sounds like they're violating the FCC mandate then, but I don't know. We'll see.
Unfortunately for me and millions of others that date means nothing. A rep from the AT&T Wireless store told me that WNP will only be available on that date for the top 100 markets. I won't see it in my area at least until January or February, she said.
A lot of other people are in another boat -- on 11/24, they technically can take their phone number and go to another provider, but they're still bound by the 1yr/2yr contract they signed with their original provider.
may i also point out that verizon's cdma 1x is quite superior to gprs and there is actually a product code that will allow you to use their Express Network at no cost, only a deduction of your minutes, the feature code is "1xpp1" no one really knows about it but if you get the right customer service rep they will add it to your account no problem. so quit complaining about prices, this is always the way its been. most att customers in my area get spotty coverage at best. those complainig are also loosing perspective that this is the first cdma smartphone and the second smartphone in the US, of course verizon is going to squeeze for $ and i am pretty shure there will be deals around christmas.
may i also point out that verizon's cdma 1x is quite superior to gprs and there is actually a product code that will allow you to use their Express Network at no cost, only a deduction of your minutes, the feature code is "1xpp1" no one really knows about it but if you get the right customer service rep they will add it to your account no problem. so quit complaining about prices, this is always the way its been. most att customers in my area get spotty coverage at best. those complainig are also loosing perspective that this is the first cdma smartphone and the second smartphone in the US, of course verizon is going to squeeze for $ and i am pretty shure there will be deals around christmas.
The ability to use your regular minutes to access the Express Network without one of VZW's crazily priced data plans IMO makes VZW one of the BEST values now. I don't talk that much on my phone, so a bucket of 400 anytime minutes (along with free nights/weekends) means I can talk, sync, and surf for 39.99/month.
Now there's talk on HoFo that what you're talking about is only available in some markets -- not all allow the untethered access to Express Network. Guess we'll see.
If more people knew about the product code you're talking about, then I think there'd be a lot less hate and discontent for VZW's prices and rates.
I just purchased the i600 from my local verizon store. I have only had an account with verizon for about two months, so I should have had to pay the full retail price. However, I made a sad face and they gave it to me for 499.00.
Takes the sting out of the upgrade a little bit...at least, 150$ worth of the sting is gone.
__________________
SGL
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Waiting for the i-600...
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i600 in Boston
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