hokiewalrus 2.0

Screw you Gizmodo

Gizmodo is telling people to shut up about existing iPhone 3G owners having to pay more to upgrade to the 3GS.

My response? Piss off. For a company that recently picked up a lot of forced converts from the competition, AT&T is sure treating those new sources of revenue with contempt rather than trying to win them over so some of them stick around when the iPhone eventually branches out to other carriers. People don’t want to hear about contracts and subsidies* and different pricing tiers, especially when AT&T can’t even provide basic functionality on time.

The result of all this mess is people feel like they are being screwed, regardless of whether they actually are or not according to the strict letter of the law. And that feeling is much more damaging to AT&T than the pittance they would lose allowing everyone to pay the upgrade price. Especially if a company like Verizon were to get an iPhone.

The iPhone has been about rewriting the rules about what it means to be a cell phone, so the argument that this is the way it’s always been doesn’t fly. And while customers may not technically have a leg to stand on, with all the vitrol being spewed at AT&T lately, a little goodwill could go a very long way.

Or maybe you’re right Gizmodo, maybe we should shut up, because it’s not like AT&T is screwing over US iPhone users, right?

* Side note: it’s not a subsidy if you are expected to pay it back over the course of 2 years, that’s a loan.