Cingular kicking rear and taking names for iPhone
By Chris Ziegler 
posted January 10th 2007 12:08PM
posted January 10th 2007 12:08PM
[Thanks, sysengr]
Cingular Business Markets Group
Announcing the Cingular – Apple Exclusive Partnership – The iPhone
Cingular and Apple have formed a multi-year exclusive partnership, leveraging the strengths of both companies, to create revolutionary new wireless products. The first of these products is the iPhone, an innovative wireless phone combining the reliability of the Cingular network and the simplicity and functionality of an iPod. It will be available in June 2007, exclusively on the Cingular network.
BMG professionals please note that at launch, the iPhone will not be available to BMG CRU customers or available under IRU discount programs.
Phone Details
Availability:
Cingular is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone and will work only on the Cingular network; new and existing customers can purchase iPhone in June 2007
Models:
There will be two models at launch, a 4 gigabyte model will retail for $499 and an 8 gigabyte model will retail for $599; the iPhone is fully compatible with Apple's iTunes running on either a PC or Mac.
Where to buy the iPhone:
iPhone will be available in Cingular retail stores, at www.cingular.com, and will be offered through Cingular's direct mail/direct response channels in June 2007; The iPhone will also be available in Apple stores and at www.apple.com.
Details on the qualified service plans will be made available nearer to the launch date (June 2007).
Features:
• The iPhone is a fully functional iPod, all iTunes Store content can be used on the iPhone, including 4 million songs, 350 TV Shows and 250 Movies
• Song and video capacity depends on the memory size of the device purchased
• Featuring Apple's renowned innovation and ease of use software and hardware design
• Visual Voicemail: a first on any mobile phone available today in the United States
• Customers receive Cingular service and all the benefits of network reliability, Rollover minutes, and mobile to mobile calling to 58 million customers
• Access to MyAccount via the device and the iTunes site, allowing customers complete ability to manage their Cingular service
• iPhone has unique internet browsing capabilities: EDGE, GPRS, GSM Quad-band, and is WiFi capable
Qualified Cingular Rate Plans:
Details will be available closer to launch.
Potential Customers:
Encourage your customers to register at www.cingular.com/iphone . By providing their name and email address, customers will be notified when the iPhone becomes available.
Critical Must Know
• Cingular and Apple have an exclusive multi-year partnership to create revolutionary wireless products
• The first of these – the Apple iPhone - will be available only on the Cingular network; combining the reliability of the Cingular network with the simplicity and functionality of an iPod
• Customers who purchase an iPhone will have a direct relationship with Cingular as their wireless provider (this is not an MVNO or Reseller agreement); customers will have Cingular service and receive Cingular bills
• Both existing and new customers will be able to purchase the iPhone
• The iPhone will only be available in Cingular and Apple stores and websites, and through Cingular's DMDR channel
• The device will not be available until June 2007
BMG Q&A
Q. Will I be able to get this device under my existing BMG contract (CRU)? Why not?
A. BMG customers will not be eligible for the first version of the device. Cingular will be selling through Cingular retail, Direct Marketing/Direct Response and Cingular.com The iPhone will also be available in Apple stores and on www.apple.com.
Q. Will my corporate discount (IRU) apply to this device? Why not?
A. The agreement between Cingular and Apple does not allow discounts on the device.
Q. Will this device support corporate email?
A. The device will have an internet browser at launch. Email capabilities of the phone will be defined closer to launch.
Q. If my BMG account wants this device, how can they participate?
A. BMG customers can buy the device, but not a discounted price. In addition, BMG customers will not be eligible for any service discounts.
Q. Does this decision not to offer this device conflict with existing BMG contract terms?
A. This does not conflict with existing contracts
I've got to agree 100%. As amazing as this thing looks, there is absolutely no way I'm going to pay full price AND sign up for a 2 year contract to boot. OTOH if Apple started offering it for $1k at the Apple store, suddenly that 2y contract would look a little more attractive...
Not 3G. What a waste. Have to wait for v2 I guess.
I still have my att wireless account which is now cingular. i wonder if i can use it. or will it be locked to cingular.
Then dont buy the iPhone, there are THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of other models of phone out there.
The word profit comes to mind ... that thing business is in business for.
I know right, they just had to rework there entire voice mail system to work with the iPhone but they had no idea it was going to be an exclusive.
> Jason @ Jan 10th 2007 1:10PM
>
> dansonthemove:
>
> You are the idiot. Any time someone writes crap on Engadget
> one of you idiots pops in to say "oh, that was just sarcasm".
>
> I don't care what the CEO said at the keynote, there is no way
> they are going to bank on something they know nothing about
> just because Stevie is in on it. If he did, that would be a
> great reason to have him removed from the company. Working with
> Apple iTunes products has not exactly been a raging success up
> to now for Cingular.
>
> Think before you speak.
>
> How did Cingular get all the marketing materials up on the site
> as of yesterday if they knew nothing about it. Sure, I think
> there was a limited group who was aware of it but that doesn't
> mean they were totally surprised by it either. No company
> marches to Apples beat as Apple fanboys may like to believe.
> And, yes, the Cingular site was up yesterday just after the
> announcement. Just because Engadget just stumbled on it doesn't
> mean it also just went live.
The Apple keynote didn't claim that Cingular knew nothing about the phone until yesterday, only that Cingular let Apple develop it without knowing the details late into the process. From http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/commentary/lewis_fortune_iphone.fortune/index.htm:
**************************************
"Two years ago, Jobs and Cingular's chief executive, Stan Sigman, got together to forge a multiyear pact to work together on the iPhone. The Apple phone didn't even exist as a sketch at that point, but apparently Sigman trusted that Jobs and Apple would deliver on their promise to revolutionize the mobile handset. And Apple trusted Cingular not to meddle in the hardware or feature design. "They let Apple be Apple," one Apple executive said.
Cingular worked with Apple software developer on breakthrough features like visual voicemail - the ability to see a list of voicemail messages in a list and choose to listen to them in any order, instead of sequentially, as most carriers require today - while Apple focused on what it does best, the close integration of elegant hardware design with powerful but simple-to-use software. Even so, Apple didn't show Cingular the final iPhone prototype until just weeks before this week's debut. In some cases, Apple crafted bogus handset prototypes to show not just to Cingular executives, but also to Apple's own workers."
**************************************
If you have reason to doubt that account, please let us know.
> Jason @ Jan 10th 2007 1:10PM
>
> dansonthemove:
>
> You are the idiot. Any time someone writes crap on Engadget
> one of you idiots pops in to say "oh, that was just sarcasm".
>
> I don't care what the CEO said at the keynote, there is no way
> they are going to bank on something they know nothing about
> just because Stevie is in on it. If he did, that would be a
> great reason to have him removed from the company. Working with
> Apple iTunes products has not exactly been a raging success up
> to now for Cingular.
>
> Think before you speak.
>
> How did Cingular get all the marketing materials up on the site
> as of yesterday if they knew nothing about it. Sure, I think
> there was a limited group who was aware of it but that doesn't
> mean they were totally surprised by it either. No company
> marches to Apples beat as Apple fanboys may like to believe.
> And, yes, the Cingular site was up yesterday just after the
> announcement. Just because Engadget just stumbled on it doesn't
> mean it also just went live.
The Apple keynote didn't claim that Cingular knew nothing about the phone until yesterday, only that Cingular let Apple develop it without knowing the details late into the process. From http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/commentary/lewis_fortune_iphone.fortune/index.htm:
**************************************
"Two years ago, Jobs and Cingular's chief executive, Stan Sigman, got together to forge a multiyear pact to work together on the iPhone. The Apple phone didn't even exist as a sketch at that point, but apparently Sigman trusted that Jobs and Apple would deliver on their promise to revolutionize the mobile handset. And Apple trusted Cingular not to meddle in the hardware or feature design. "They let Apple be Apple," one Apple executive said.
Cingular worked with Apple software developer on breakthrough features like visual voicemail - the ability to see a list of voicemail messages in a list and choose to listen to them in any order, instead of sequentially, as most carriers require today - while Apple focused on what it does best, the close integration of elegant hardware design with powerful but simple-to-use software. Even so, Apple didn't show Cingular the final iPhone prototype until just weeks before this week's debut. In some cases, Apple crafted bogus handset prototypes to show not just to Cingular executives, but also to Apple's own workers."
**************************************
If you have reason to doubt that account, please let us know.
Why cross out "most important consumer device ever"? If there's any one device that we've been waiting for and that fully epitomizes the "gadget" in "Engadget," it's the iPhone.
I'm no longer disappointed that it's 2007 and we don't have flying cars yet.
wow no fanboys here.
I think its funny that they dropped the computer from there name ... of course that could be because they still can't sell a computer
If they're not giving any discount with the 2 year contract, does that mean we can buy it unlocked for the same price?
i have to figure out a way to justify spending a grand on a phone...
$600.00 phone
$175.00 to cancel my contract
$75.00 first month plan (ditching my work verizon discount)
$150.00 for the case headphones and all the crap we all buy...
to be fair it comes with headphones and bluetooth headset.
Just one SMALL catch with iPhone on Cingular - you have to be out of contract and able to switch to Cingular!
And what you you do if you are stuck under contract with another provider? Well, the only way to get out of that unwanted contract is with Cellswapper.com!
http://www.cellswapper.com
We just launched to general public and are now the unofficial way of getting an iPhone... if you are stuck under contract with a carrier other than Cingular that is.
I just wrote an article on some of the problems the iPhone might have to overcome... hope you find it interesting..
http://www.bartdabek.com/rants/apple-iphone-7-killer-downfalls
Nice rundown of the internal and physical issues. There are at least 5 others aspects of the iPhone that will be deal breakers:
1) No SDK. Job's statement that it's not crippled goes only as far as the bundled applications- but that's a narrow and subjective perspective. Any platform without 3rd party innovation is DOA and crippled in a larger sense.
2) Double whammy of new OS and hardware. If Apple controls the desktop they are likely to force feed an application suite with an additional learning curve. Don't underestimate this: ever seen someone go from Palm to WM/PPC? It's not pleasant.
3) Versitility. If they manage to get the carrier lock around the Library of Congress DMCA ruling it will likely mean technology that is irreversable. Translation: Apple chose a worldwide standard and then made it impossible to to use it worldwide. (I'd bet even money that the July ship date is tied to network signal rebranding). Wanna make a side bet that it won't do VoIP either?
4) Non-ubiquity. The presence of drive space signals a resrictive content managment architecture. Yet the goal of Ubiquitous Computing is that you don't need to take it with you: all data is available anywhere on any platform. The iPhone is a step backward into the old-economy's technology and content management paradigm.
5) The White Elephant factor. Simply put: The iPhone replaces the Newton in Apple's handheld lineup. This is not an iPod- where Apple created an industry and a market (pay-per-song). This is a neophyte's foray into a mature and highly volatile industry. than an iPod. Caveat Emptor!
So, the price. It ain't cheap and the kids aren't exactly falling over themselves to get Treos and Blackberrys. So, with that, Apple is looking at the business market? If that is the case, they better open this thing to other carriers and get support for MS Office, now.
If this is the "next" iPod, 4GB and 8GB doesn't cut it. Apple better release a "true" video iPod quickly, because it ain't fooling anyone with this iPhone is the next iPod crap.
"If this is the "next" iPod, 4GB and 8GB doesn't cut it."
Sure it does. for some reason theres a whole market of people who will buy 4 or 8 gig ipods when they could shell out 50 more bucks for one with many times the amount of memory and that plays videos.
I was a AT&T customer, but in order to upgrade my phone I needed to transfer my account to Cingular and sign up for a Cingular Price Plan.
As far as I can tell, Cingular has never allowed customers to upgrade devices and remain an AT&T account.
when will a company realize that some people don't want a huge device with 8 trillion features, but a simple small cell phone that can make calls and be on the body discretely. I'm personally not impressed by this iPhone or think that it is revolutionary at all.
Kenneth,
There are loads of simple phone put there RIGHT NOW! I'm not a Mac boy but I have to admit the iPhone is a nice piece of kit. Apple does know how to make some beautiful products.
I agree. We should fight the system that hooks us on these long-term contracts which encourages bad service and price gouging...
I'll be with you just as soon as I finish setting up the IV syringe function on my brand new iPhone and and spiking it right there into my arm.
This seems like a really good phone. Has anyone heard apple will sell it unlocked? or will it only be avialable to use with Cingular service?..
you guys are idiots, it's called sarcasm. Cingular OBVIOUSLY knew they were doing the iPhone. And actually, they DID enter a "blind" agreement with apple. the CEO said so himself at the keynote. learn to have a sense of humor.
Kenneth - your an idiot. That said, step back from the names and the companies and admire the tech breakthrough here. It is nice to have an American company provide such great technology! the touch screen and ability to go from wide landscape and back are wonderful and innovative ideas. Congrats on such a wonderful product, cant wait to get one.
Cal. i don't think you can get out the door without signing the contract. thats just a guess.
but its a shame. that device would almost be worth it even without the phone part. they should sell a cheaper version without phone functionality.
You can purchase any phone from cingular at full price (ie no discount) and not sign a contract. That goes for any phone. Hell you can go buy your own GSM unlocked phone and bring it to cingular and not sign a contract. And if youre really desparate, i believe you can buy a "Go Phone" from wally world for $30 if you want, and then sign that up on a post paid account w/o contract. So there will be some odd way for cingy to lock you in if you want an iPhone.
Finally, everyone (including Jobs) is saying this phone will launch in a few months. In my book "a few" is 3, 4 tops. the damned phone is 6 months (half a frickin year) from launch. thats a long ass time.
So you think people would be happy to pay $499 for a 4GB iPod?!
Any information about the europian mobile phone market so soon?
Is Cingular turning into AT&T?!?! I saw a commercial that stated this..."cingular is the NEW AT&T" I sure hope not. It was a bitch for us legacy AT&T users to switch/merge when Cingular took over. I've loved Cingular ever since and definitely DO NOT want to be involved with AT&T at all if i can help it. Don't go changin' Cingular. Who's to say AT&T isn't gonna want out of the wireless game again after a brief stint back in.
at&t wireless was never AT&T... it was always a completely separate corporate entity.
AT&T Corp. hasn't existed since 1984. What you are seeing now are a bunch of baby bell spinoffs merging together and using the at&t name SBC bought back in '95.
it just so happens the 2 spinoffs that founded cingular are now a part of the conglomerate and the whole thing's come full circle.. the snake has eaten its tail.
"Details on the qualified service plans will be made available nearer to the launch date (June 2007)."
Ok, I can stomach the high price point for this phone, since I was looking to buy a nice video i-pod anyways, I can justify spending the extra cash for all the cool features. HOWEVER, If cingular takes advantage of this thing and only offors it at a high priced service plan, i'm gonna be really pissed. If I can't buy this thing, swap my sims (read, I allready have cingular), and be good to go, I'll be really upset with apple.
RE: Cingular vs. ATT vs any other GSM operator
Some on this site may not know some essential details:
- GSM phones use SIMs to configure the phone for service
- SIMs and phones can be locked to limit operation to a particular carrier
- Cingular usually sells phones that are "locked"; they cannot be used with a different SIM unless they are first unlocked
- Cingular uses two types of SIMs - one for original ATT subscribers; one for Cingular/Bell South subscribers. An ATT SIM cannot be used in a phone locked to Cingular. A Cingular SIM cannot be used in a phone locked to ATT
- when Cingular took over ATT, they "lost" the ability to unlock ATT phones. So there are many ATT customers with ATT locked phones, that will want to retain their ATT accounts - this is because of the various corporate discount plans, as well as charter plans that are still quite attractive and less expensive than current Cingular plans. There is no easy way to unlock the phones to permit them to accept Cingular SIMs. Due to how Cingular handles these accounts, you may retain your existing ATT account, but if you wish to upgrade to a current Cingular phone, you must upgrade your account and change from ATT to Cingular; the cost usually is higher.
- yes, there are third parties who may be able to help you unlock a phone
So...no reall issues from me on the need for a contract; I just wish they handled the technical details a bit better. The Cingular sales people really cannot help with unlocking.
Finally, when Cingular changes to ATT again, who knows, perhaps there will be a third type of SIM for all previous ATT and Cingular customers.
Mike
I paid $500 for my smartphone. I cannot justify paying $500 for the iPhone unless it supports exchange email, let me read office documents, change the battery, and extend its functionality by installing apps.
The battery thing is soo friggin stupid. When my iPod runs out of juice, it just sucks. If my phone runs out of juice, it costs me money. A simple thing like a spare battery is key.
The only thing potentially revolutionary, or indeed interesting about the device are the gestures, and the UI layout. The browser is nice too. Not worth $500 though.
People (and by that I mean the Nintendo/Apple alliance that seems to be happening) were ready to crucify Sony when they came out with a $600 price for the PS3 but Apple has a $600 phone and everyone is willing to sell their remaining organs to Jobs?
Please, I'll get a $100 phone from Verizon and use the rest of the money I would have spend on Apple to get ice cream or something.
I'd just wait for the iPhone when it comes to Asia. I know it's not until 2008, but by that time this thing will be more affordable or perhaps even better specs. Perhaps a high megapixel camera or video capture (I don't remember reading anything about video capture capabilities, like Nokia N93)?
Also, I hope the screen on this this is scratch proof or at least some kind of resistance. Everyone is talking about greasy/smudges, but scratches are more of my concern. Remember the first gen nano?
I think Cingular is really stepping forward with equipment. The blackjack is a fantastic unit - I recently got a chance to use one and the iphone is nice and slim as well. I'm currently on Sprint - home of the brick - PPC6700. Sprint is now considering the HTC 6800 and 5800 - bricks of another moniker. I don't know why Sprint isn't begging to get 11mm smartphones and 16mm PPC phones in their line up. There are now several to choose from. While the units I'm speaking of are GSM, they can be made CDMA but Verizon and or Sprint will have to express interest as most of the world is GSM.
I'm certainly hoping Verizon and Sprint will consider slimmer PDA phones SOON!!!!!
I'll have to pass on this for the sole reason its cingular. They have horrible data plans and unless they have a very competitive rate (read T-Mobile is only $30/mo) i'll be sticking with my MDA.
-SJ
I am a current Cingular customer as well and I have a feeling that Cingular is a gonna take advantage and offer a "special" service plan for the iPhone instead of being able to just keep our exisiting service. They will MAKE US pay for that visual voicemail unfortunately.
Talking to Cingular reps yesterday about switching my 3 lines of service from T-mobile, using my old unlocked GSM phones until June and then getting new phones. Guess what. If I switch today and don't get a phone I still will not be eligible for an iPhone until January NEXT year. So I just stick with T-mobile. But talk about dumb opportunity lost....... I guess they really don't need new business.
Ok but does it have removable memory?
@allen Gragg and the question about Cingular becoming AT&T...
When AT&T sold AT&T Wireless to Cingular a couple years ago, Cingular supported AT&T users on the AT&T system and Cingular users on the Cingular system. Obviously it made sense for Cingular to move to one system for synergistic (cut costs, hopefully improve quality) reasons. I was an AT&T wireless customer and I've lived through some of those changes including migrating to a new website for logging into my account, mirating to new voicemail system, and finally being told they were no longer issuing new AT&T phones to former AT&T customers - instead when I added my wife to my account, she got a cingular phone on cingular's system.
So two years have passed and now AT&T is buying BellSouth and gaining control of Cingular (since AT&T also aqcuired Cingular's other parent company SBC). As far as "Cingular becoming AT&T" my understanding is that this is purely a branding/marketing change. I don't think Cingular's systems (cell network, data network, etc) will change.
A FAQ is at http://www.att.com/customer_merger/Common/files/pdf/CingularWeb.pdf.
OK but does it have external memory
Uhhhh . . . not seeing it is actually pretty much what Cingular did.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/commentary/lewis_fortune_iphone.fortune/index.htm
It seems like people are pretty confident that Apple will be making a great product - or, at least, something that's good enough for their standards.
@ gilatrout
"The only thing potentially revolutionary, or indeed interesting about the device are the gestures, and the UI layout. The browser is nice too. Not worth $500 though."
Ha ha. So the the only revolutionary things are, well, the things that are completely revolutionary?
"The only thing potentially revolutionary, or indeed interesting about the car is the fact that it flies."
As if exchange email and swappable batteries were revolutionary...
Cingular has been owned by SBC for some time. SBC bought AT&T and kept the AT&T name. Rumor is that they will change the Cingular name and use AT&T! Relax, it's not the old AT&T company.
I cannot wait for June. I am up for an upgrade right now and I had been looking at the Blackjack. Not anymore. When June rolls around I will be getting the first iPhone I can! With another 2 year contract, never had a problem with Cingular.
Personally, I'm really dissappointed with the Jesus Phone (aka the iPhone). I've been wanting a converged device for awhile, but this isn't going to get my money. 2MP camera? Lackluster. Access to Google Maps, but no GPS? Meh. The interface and the iPodness of it is pretty cool, but I'm going to wait for the Nokia N95, with its 5MP camera, Built-In GPS, and most of the other features of the iPhone (although not lacking the Apple-slick interface).
Oh yeah, and Cingular? The service that's so bad that the word is they're changing their name *back* to AT&T Wireless here in a bit? My work uses them, and we've had a really tough time with them. I'd hate to think about using them as my personal provider..
Everyone pleae join me in welcoming the new Newton, the next apple dinosaur
i have cingular- i dont have the money- yay. really cool phone but if they had made one the same size as the shuffle for about 200 bucks with a free bluetooth headset id buy it in a heartbeat... and wheres my 10" macbook pro with 200 gig hard drive and a 1cm thick body with built in detachable widescreen 10gb ipod? huh? huh? mac should stick to computers- this is like starbucks trying to sell full course lunches...