Will the Apple Phone Save you Cash?

by Chris Seibold Jan 08, 2007

What do you get if you add up all the rumors? A crazy potpourri that even Emeril wouldn’t try to kick up a notch. What if you carefully select the ingredients? The outcome is a little different. First, the components of our rumor burger:

1) Apple adding GPS to MacBooks and iPods
2) Cell phone at Macworld
3) The general impression that this Macworld will feature something ‘big.’
4) Apple wants the carriers to not subsidize a cell phone

To the main ingredients above let us add some delicious condiments:

1) Google CEO on Apple’s board of directors
2) Google’s free Wi-Fi plans
3) Mysterious iChat update

If we take all those tidbits, mix them together, toss them in a crockpot until Tuesday what is likely to pop out? Just another cell phone won’t turn the trick especially if Apple doesn’t want the thing sold for $.99 with a two year contract. Realizing that Apple needs to add perceived value to the device, realizing that Wi fi hotspots are ever increasing and mixing in the GPS part of the story the easy thing to conclude is that the Apple cell phone will save you money. You’re saying “What? Apple is going to save me money? How severe is the chemical imbalance in Chris Seibold’s brain?” Well, very.

But here’s the thing, the pitch and justification for buying the Apple phone is that it will save you airtime charges. By using GPS the phone will remember Wi Fi hotspots you approve and use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) when available and traditional networks when you’re on the move. You’re at Starbucks? VoIP. Driving to Starbucks? Traditional carrier. Imagine the minutes you’ll think you’ll save!

Of course, this is probably a completely unworkable plan for some obvious reason. In fact, the mere notion is probably laughable, but go easy on me, chemical imbalance and all.

Comments

  • What exactly do I need GPS for to remember approved Hotspots? My MBP does a superb job in looking for Hotspots and automatically connect to the ones I approved before and I’ll have provided the password before.

    hessi had this to say on Jan 08, 2007 Posts: 8
  • I still say it will be an all-wifi phone.

    I can’t see Apple coping with carriers and competitors like Nokia, and Motorola, but CAN see Apple chasing the 100,000,000 user plus PTP phone market with a wifi phone. I’ve got a dozen other reasons, but it adds up to 1,200 words that can’t fit here. But check out the rationale on my blog, CogentPassion:

    http://cogentpassion.blogspot.com/2007/01/its-gonna-be-wi-fiphone-apple-wi-fi.html

    PlayballTim had this to say on Jan 08, 2007 Posts: 2
  • “What exactly do I need GPS for to remember approved Hotspots? My MBP does a superb job in looking for Hotspots and automatically connect to the ones I approved before and I’ll have provided the password before.”

    GPS could help users in areas with poor or unsupported carriers move to the closest location that has free wi-fi / or a carrier that you subscribe to. It’s like using an ATM from your bank and avoiding the additional fee. 

    It may also make the transition from network to network smoother if your phone knows what wi-fi networks you will be moving into before their SSID comes into range.

    Scott had this to say on Jan 08, 2007 Posts: 144
  • What would REALLY be nice is a phone that works with the Macbook to somehow seamlessly and easily provide you with broadband wherever you get cell phone coverage.

    The downside is that such a feature would surely cost on the order of a brazillian dollars a year.  Heck, Apple charges .mac users $100/year for features you can get for free from Google.

    Beeblebrox had this to say on Jan 08, 2007 Posts: 2220
  • I am surely it will not…Hahaha
    thiet ke web

    Thiet ke web had this to say on Dec 07, 2011 Posts: 2
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