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Early adopters penalized $85 for sticking with AT&T
So we're hanging around in the TUAW back room, drinking coffee and comparing iPhone 4S war stories when I point out that I could have saved a bit of cash by cancelling AT&T and hopping over to Verizon. AT&T penalizes many of its first-day-iPhone 4 customers by $250 for buying the first-day iPhone 4S. Verizon and Sprint do not. If you stood on line to buy your AT&T iPhone 4, your current cancellation penalty (your ETF) is likely to hover around $165 unless you're a preferred customer. (You can calculate that value over at Wolfram Alpha.) That's a good deal less than the $250 AT&T will add to the base price of their units. Loyal first day iPhone 4 AT&T customers are being penalized by about $85 for sticking with AT&T and not canceling and moving to Verizon. So Steve and Megs encouraged me to contact AT&T and see if they would do anything for me as a loyal (albeit somewhat unwilling) customer. I called up 611 on my iPhone, and went through the whole range of robots until being put on hold for about 45 minutes. Finally, a human picked up. After being transferred to someone who handled this kind of matter, I was told in no kind terms that no, AT&T would not make any adjustments. Their reply was along these lines: Even if it were cheaper to dump us and go to Verizon, you didn't so we will not make any adjustments. Harsh but realistic. So if you didn't stay up all night and place your order as I did, let me give you a few recommendations. First, call their sales department and make your case before placing any orders. Second, be willing to walk away from any call and try again. As Chris Anderson pointed out to me, a lot of this may depend on who you talk to. "Just keep trying," he suggests. "You'll get help eventually." That extra $85 would have been welcome but right now, I don't have the time. I have kids I have to take care of and work to do. If you do pursue this for yourself, and have any luck, do let me know. Drop a note to the tip line or leave a note in the comments. TUAW contacted AT&T for a statement on this post. Spokesperson Seth Bloom replied, Existing iPhone customers who are upgrade eligible will qualify for our best pricing now ... and of course many will qualify in the near future if they don't today. We want to help customers upgrade to a new device as quickly as possible - exact timing can depend on several factors unique to each account (length of contract, payment history, etc.). More details here.
Top ways to punk Siri
We get giddy after a big announcement day. Alcohol may or may not be involved. And then we start getting creative. We start thinking about new techologies, like Siri, and how they might be punked. In that spirit, we put our inebriated minds together to come up with a list of the worst things someone could shout over your shoulder as you were trying to use Siri. This is where we always wish we had in-house artists. We don't, so just imagine the cartoons that go along with them. Perhaps the Oatmeal will help us? They are (in no particular order): "MESSAGE MY WIFE YOU'RE DUMPED" "PLAY JUSTIN BIEBER" "SEND CONTACT MY GIRLFRIEND TO MY WIFE" "TELL MOM I'LL BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES" "TEXT ALL CONTACTS AND SAY THE STD TESTS WERE POSITIVE" "TELL MY BOSS THAT I QUIT" "MOVE MY 3PM MEETING TO 3AM" "DELETE ALL CONTACTS!" "OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS" Have more suggestions? Add them to the comments.
International iPhone 4S shipping dates already showing delays
That didn't take long. Just hours after preordering for the new iPhone 4S began, Electronista is reporting that international orders for the new phone are already showing ship dates of one to two weeks. For some TUAW readers and bloggers, the order process went slowly this morning, indicating that servers were probably being slammed. Checking the Australian, Canadian, and several European stores shows orders taking one to two weeks for shipping. Other online stores, like the Japanese site, aren't taking online orders, so it's difficult to know what demand is like in those countries. The US Apple Online Store is still showing an October 14th delivery date for all three American carriers. Electronista noted that Apple generally provides more stock to the US. While the worldwide delays don't appear to show a sellout situation, it does point out some strain on Apple's production and supply capabilities. We'll know for sure on October 14th if the iPhone 4S is another hit for Apple, or if the lack of delays in the US are an indication of lesser demand for the new phone.
Unlocked iPhone 4S coming in November, won't work with CDMA
If you were planning to preorder an unlocked iPhone 4S today, you're going to have to wait a little while. The unlocked and contract-free version is available starting in November, with no specific date listed on the Apple website. There's another bit of a surprise, although it makes sense: the unlocked iPhone 4S won't work on CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Why does this make sense? Most of the world currently runs on GSM networks. Even though the iPhone 4S is touted as a "world phone" that can run on both GSM and CDMA networks, most of the people who will use an unlocked, contract-free phone are like world travelers who need the ability to swap a micro-SIM card to get on a new local GSM carrier. For some reason, Apple is also warning that potential buyers of the unlocked GSM iPhone 4S may require a credit check, and that they must be at least 18 years of age to make their purchase. The pricing on the contract-free iPhone 4S is fairly steep as well. The 16 GB version starts at US$649, the 32 GB model is $749, and the 64 GB model will retail for $849. The contract-free GSM iPhone 4, which Apple started selling in June of 2011, also sold at similar prices.
Looking back at the iPhone 4S pre-order launch
The iPhone 4S online pre-order went live last night, and the experience was hectic for me. Sales started about 40 minutes past the original estimate and customers vented their frustration on Twitter. Once live, Apple's store site was quickly overwhelmed by customers as was the Apple Store app. Most problems appear to have been had by US AT&T customers -- Verizon customers, for example, and customers outside the United States seem to have made their purchases rather quickly and moved on. Starting at about 5AM, Apple temporarily switched to a reservation system instead of a purchase system. Apple promised, "We will email you at this address when it's time to complete your order. At that time, you will return to the Apple Store to confirm pricing and plan selection." Unfortunately, many of those reservation orders encountered snags this morning and customers were directed to complete their purchases at retail Apple stores. After that, things seem to have smoothed out as many previously-frustrated customers were funneled out of the Apple system. By the time TUAW's Steve Sande woke up a bit after 5AM, everything was, in his words, "roses and unicorn smiles." For me, personally, my shopping ordeal went on for a couple of hours. Although my heart was set on a 64-GB unlocked GSM world phone, those won't be on sale until November. I settled (though it's hardly settling) for a 32-GB AT&T model, which should provide a good balance of what I need for work vs enough storage space for lots of music, apps and photographs. Did you participate in the shopping frenzy last night? Share your experience in the comments, and let us know what you bought. %Gallery-136046%
iPhone 4S pre-orders have begun on Apple's site (Updated)
After an inexplicably long delay, pre-orders for the iPhone 4S have begun on Apple's online store. Orders began as scheduled on both Verizon and Sprint, but AT&T and Apple both experienced significant issues getting the ball rolling. The device won't hit Apple's retail stores until October 14, but if you'd rather not brave the inevitable launch day lines you can get your order in now. As with all iPhone pre-orders, if you really want to nab the device you'd better get moving; in fact, by the time you've finished reading this there's every chance the shipping date will have already slipped. The iPhone 4S is available in the United States through AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Plan pricing between the three carriers is relatively comparable, though Sprint is the only of the three who is offering unlimited data. The iPhone 4S is available for a subsidized price ranging from $199 for 16 GB up to $399 for 64 GB if you sign up for a two-year contract. Unlocked models will be offered, but they're not going to be made available until November. Thanks a million for that one, Apple; about a million other customers just probably said the same four-letter word that I did, though I doubt many of them said it as loudly. The iPhone 4S features the same A5 processor as the iPad 2, leading to graphical performance up to 7 times better than the A4 processor in the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S also has an 8 megapixel camera with improved sensor and lens components. The main new feature of the iPhone 4S is Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant function that understands natural language queries. Update: As you can probably guess, the pre-order is going more smoothly for some customers than others, just like it seems to every year. AT&T pre-orders in particular have been a bumpy road for customers -- SURPRISE! -- while orders through the other US carriers have been hit or miss, but with more hits than misses compared to AT&T. Demand for pre-orders seems to be just as high as ever, so all the pundits predicting the iPhone 4S would be a flop seem to have missed the mark. Again. As for the lack of unlocked iPhones on the US store, it's notable that Canada and Australia are both offering only unlocked models during the pre-order. I picked one up from Australia via one of my contacts there -- sure it costs more to go that route compared to picking up a US model, but it's better than waiting until November for US availability or December for the official NZ launch.
Apple Store is down, iPhone 4S preorders begin 12:01 A.M. Pacific
The show must go on... and Apple's famous sticky note has appeared on cue. The online Apple Store is down in preparation for preorders for the iPhone 4S, which will commence at 12:01 A.M. Pacific time. Those of you who are eagerly awaiting preorders for the latest iPhone had better still be awake by then, because if history is any guide Apple will burn through the first wave of preorders before the sun comes up. Update: The Store is back up after a delay of nearly 40 minutes. Pre-orders have begun. If you were like me and hoping to snag an unlocked model, you're out of luck until November.
iPhone 4S preorders open up at 3AM ET -- are you ready? (Update: They're live!)
It's been a tumultuous week for Apple followers, but the earliest opportunity to snag the company's new slab opens up in just a few hours. Without an extended review, we've done what we can by asking Siri to understand our most random queries, breaking down the costs / benefits, and even leaving it up to the masses. Decision time is upon us, so if you've just got to be first to order an iPhone 4S then either make it a late night or set an early alarm for 3AM ET -- we'll do you one more solid by linking up the US and Canadian carrier pages below (other international providers have only listed notification sign ups so far, but don't worry, we've got them here too.) Update: And they're off! As of a few minutes after 3, all the US carrier's sites are taking preorders as well as Vodafone in the UK, although word is AT&T and Sprint's servers are overloaded so be patient. The Apple store went down for updates around midnight (ET) and is still down, but we'll update again once it's open for business. Update 2: At 3:43AM, Apple.com is finally back up although you'll still need some luck getting through at this point. Read - Apple Read - Verizon Read - AT&T Read - Sprint Read - Telus Read - Rogers (via the Rogers Reservation System) Read - Vodafone Read - Orange Read - T-Mobile (UK)
How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?
As Apple unleashes the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint, the biggest question on everyone's mind is how much will the phone really cost? As the third US carrier to sell the iPhone, Sprint has confirmed it will offer the device with the same unlimited plans as the other handsets in its lineup -- much to the relief of loyal customers hoping to make a belated switch to iOS. But we're betting those of you willing to swap providers are just a little curious as to how the plans stack up. Fortunately, we've crunched the numbers for you, so all you need to do is meet us after the break for that bottom line.
Sprint now taking pre-orders for iPhone 4, reserve your 4S on October 7
Looking to grab that iPhone 4 on Sprint and take advantage of the unlimited data? Well, you can place your pre-order now on the current model and for the just announced 4S starting Friday, October 7. The company warns that this is "while supplies last" -- so if you're thinking about jumping ship from the data limiting service of Big Red or Ma Bell, you may want to act quickly. Just hit that source link and head to Sprint's iPhone page to reserve yours. [Thanks, Kevin]
Sprint confirms unlimited data for iPhones, but not so fast
Just in case you missed the news at the end of the conference yesterday, the rumors are all true: Sprint is indeed carrying the iPhone 4S, and a spokesperson for the company confirms Sprint will offer an unlimited data plan for iPhone users. That means if you were one of the many users (myself included) who switched away from Sprint for AT&T way back when the iPhone debuted, you can now consider the option of switching back, at least later on this month when the iPhone 4S debuts. But you may want to think about that option carefully. While Sprint is offering an unlimited data plan on the CDMA 3G network, that network is relatively untested for iPhone levels of traffic, so there may be just as many issues there as AT&T and Verizon have had with the iPhone in the past. Yes, it's possible that fewer customers will be using Sprint's network, but the iPhone drags a lot of data down, and the iPhone 4S will call for and send data back and forth even faster than the current model. Customers who run over to Sprint may not find the grass is as green as they thought. [It's also worth noting that both AT&T and Verizon offered unlimited data plans for the iPhone at launch, but both companies quickly rescinded them and rolled out tiered data plans. --Ed] Still, options are always nice, and a three-way iPhone battle between US carriers will be interesting. AT&T is obviously still the grandfather of running the iPhone, but Sprint may set its targets on Verizon first, making for some real competition between those two services. We'll see how it all plays out.
Choosing your next iPhone: a TUAW Guide
Friday, October 7th, is coming. And with it, all the pre-order purchasing decisions you have to make. If history teaches us properly, iPhone 4S supplies may quickly grow short. Which iPhone should you consider as your next purchase? Let TUAW lend you a hand. Here is a simple (albeit not elegant) chart to help you make those choices. Disagree with these suggestions? Drop us a note in the comments and explain your thoughts. Update: Oops. The right-hand branch of the iTunes media choice should be "No". Thank you everyone who pointed this out. [Click the above image to enlarge] %Poll-69621%
Sprint will offer unlimited data plan for the iPhone 4S
A Sprint spokesperson gave us a ring to let us know that the newly announced iPhone 4S will be eligible for the carrier's unlimited data plan. According to Sprint, pricing will start at $69.99 for unlimited data and 450 talk minutes, with the Simply Everything unlimited calling and data running you $99.99. At the very least, the company's confirmation that the plan is sticking around will help the third US carrier to nab the iPhone stand out among its predecessors. We'll add some PR as soon as it hits. Update: We've got PR after the break.
TUAW TV Live: TUAW and TiPB's Leanna Lofte talk iPhone 4S
Ahhh, it's so nice to have all of those rumors out of the way. In the fresh, clear light of reality, we can now all sit back, relax, and enjoy the new features that are arriving soon with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. On today's TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT), TiPB App Editor Leanna Lofte is joining me to talk about the announcements. We'd love to hear from our readers / viewers in the chat room, so join us through the chat tool below, the chat box on Ustream.tv/tuaw, or through IRC at server chat1.ustream.tv, room #tuaw-tv. Below, you'll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It's a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat. We'll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you're seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you'll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.
Will Dragon speech apps remain in the app store for iPhone 4 owners?
It was a bit of a shock to learn yesterday that the terrific Siri app, now owned by Apple, will get pulled from the app store. It's being done, I'm sure, to encourage people to get the Siri technology built into the new iPhone 4S. Although an interview with the co-founder of Siri indicated that they had to cut some corners to get the app to work on "older" hardware. Still, it seems, shall we say, small of Apple to kill an app that seemed to work just fine, and did some of the tasks that the new incarnation of Siri will do on the iPhone 4S. One bright spot for those sticking with their current phones are the Dragon apps from Nuance. Dragon Dictation will take your voice and turn it into text for a note, an email, or a text message. Dragon Go!, which we have reviewed very positively, does much of what Siri does, connecting to Yelp, Google Maps, Open Table, various search engines and other web services so you can ask about a weather forecast, directions to any destination, and even the latest sports scores. Like Siri, the Dragon apps are powered by Nuance speech recognition software, and the processing is done in the cloud. Both the Dragon apps are free and work fine on the iPhone 4, 3GS, 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch, and the iPad. A Nuance spokesperson assured me today that both apps are doing very well, and the company has no plans to pull them from the App Store. Together the apps can give you a rough approximation of what Siri on the iPhone 4S can do, but it doesn't have the same integration with iOS as Siri so it won't be as slick. I'm hoping Apple will reconsider what I think is a customer hostile decision to yank Siri. How about you? Do you think Apple should have pulled the plug on the Siri app?
iPhone 4S: What can you say to Siri?
Curious about the iPhone 4S's new voice assistant feature? So were we. TUAW tracked down a set of example phrases that the new Siri voice assistant is capable of understanding. It turns out that Siri can handle many categories of voice interaction. Without further ado, here they are, ordered by interaction category, along with Apple-supplied examples of using each category. Address Book Querying Contacts What's Michael's address? What is Susan Park's phone number? When is my wife's birthday? Show Jennifer's home email address Finding Contacts Show Jason Russell Find people named Park Who is Michael Manning? Relationships My mom is Susan Park Michael Manning is my brother Call my brother at work Calendars Adding Events Set up a meeting at 9 Set up a meeting with Michael at 9 Meet with Lisa at noon Set up a meeting about hiring tomorrow at 9am New appointment with Susan Park Friday at 3 Schedule a planning meeting at 8:30 today in the boardroom Changing events Move my 3pm meeting to 4:30 Reschedule my appointment with Dr. Manning to next Monday at 9am Add Lisa to my meeting with Jason Cancel the budget review meeting Asking about events What does the rest of my day look like? What's on my calendar for Friday? When is my next appointment? When am I meeting with Michael? Where is my next meeting? Alarms Setting Alarms Wake me up tomorrow at 7am Set an alarm for 6:30am Wake me up in 8 hours Change my 6:30 alarm to 6:45 Turn off my 6:30 alarm Delete my 7:30 alarm Checking the Clock What time is it? What time is it in Berlin? What is today's date? What's the date this Saturday? Using a Timer Set the timer for ten minutes Show the timer Pause the timer Resume Reset the timer Stop it Email Sending Messages Email Lisa about the trip Email Jennifer about the change in plans New email to Susan Park Mail Dad about the rent check Email Dr. Manning and say I got the forms, thanks Mail Lisa and Jason about the party and say I had a great time Checking Messages Check email Any new email from Michael today? Show new mail about the lease Show the email from Lisa yesterday Responding to Messages Reply Dear Susan sorry about the late payment Call him at work Friends Checking Up on Friends Where's Jason? Where is my sister? Is my wife at home? Where are all my friends? Who is here? Who is near me? Maps Directions How do I get home? Show 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino California Directions to my dad's work Local Businesses Find coffee near me Where is Starbucks? Find some burger joints in Baltimore Find a gas station within walking distance Good Mexican restaurants around here Messages Sending Texts Tell Susan I'll be right there Send a message to Jason Russell Send a message to Lisa saying how about tomorrow Tell Jennifer the show was great Send a message to Susan on her mobile saying I'll be late Send a message to 408 555 1212 Text Jason and Lisa where are you? Reading Texts Read my new messages Read it again Replying to Texts Reply that's great news Tell him I'll be there in 10 minutes Call her Music Playback Play The Light of the Sun Play Trouble Play Taking Back Sunday shuffled Play Alicia Keys Play some blues Play my party mix Shuffle my roadtrip playlist Play Pause Skip Notes Creating and finding notes Note that I spent $12 on lunch Note: check out that new Alicia Keys album Find my restaurant note Create a reading list note Add Tom Sawyer to my reading list note Phone Phone calls Call Jason Call Jennifer Wright mobile Call Susan on her work phone Call 408 555 1212 Call home FaceTime Lisa Reminders Requesting reminders Remind me to call mom Remind me to call my mom when I get home Remember to take an umbrella Remind me take my medicine at 6am tomorrow Remind me to pick up flowers when I leave here Remind me when I leave to call Jason Remind me to finish the report by 6 Stocks Checking Stocks What's Apple's stock price? What is Apple's PE ratio? What did Yahoo close at today? How is the Nikkei doing? How are the markets doing? What is the Dow at? Weather Checking the Forecast What's the weather for today? What's the weather for tomorrow? Will it rain in Cupertino this week? Check next week's forecast for Burlington What's the forecast for this evening? How's the weather in Tampa right now? How hot will it be in Palm Springs this weekend? What's the high for Anchorage on Thursday? What's the temperature outside? How windy is it out there? When is sunrise in Paris? Websearch Looking up information Search the web for Bora Bora Search for vegetarian pasta recipes Search the web for best cable plans Google the war of 1812 Search Wikipedia for Abraham Lincoln Search for news about the World Cup Bing Alicia Keys Using Wolfram Alpha How many calories in a bagel? What is an 18% tip on $86.74 for four people? Who's buried in Grant's tomb? How long do dogs live? What is the Gossamer Condor? What's the square root of 128? How many dollars is €45? What was the Best Picture of 1983? How many days until Christmas? How far away is the Sun? When is the next solar eclipse? Show me the Orion constellation What's the population of Jamaica? How high is Mt. Everest? How deep is the Atlantic ocean? What's the price of gasoline in Chicago?
Poll: Will you be getting an iPhone 4S?
Needless to say, opinions of Cupertino's latest product have poured down on the internet like acid rain. Tim Cook's inaugural turn behind the wheel came with the awesome responsibility of unveiling the iPhone 4S, Apple's first addition to the iPhone family tree in 16 months. The good news: the 4S received a healthy upgrade in CPU and camera, threw in Siri voice recognition and added Sprint to its growing list of supporters in the US. The unsettling news (for many, anyways): it's basically an iPhone 4 with new internal parts -- there was no change in design or screen size, no LTE to flaunt, no iPhone 5 to accompany it. Naturally, expectations were incredibly high prior to the keynote, so we're anxious to find out how you feel about the outcome. Do you feel the design is still current? Are you relieved to see it available on Sprint? Were you hoping for a larger Retina Display? Rise up to the occasion and let us know -- is the iPhone 4S going to be your next handset purchase? Sound off after the break.
Daily Update for October 5, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
iPhone 4S was top online buzz generator yesterday
Online marketing and analytics firm Webtrends kept a close eye on the Apple event and announcements yesterday. Not surprisingly, the iPhone 4S was a huge buzz generator for the day, with almost half (585,306 out of 1,223,060) of the total online mentions made about Apple. Excitement or curiosity about Siri followed the iPhone 4S at a distant second place with just 77,220 mentions, followed by the iPod touch announcements. The improved camera in the iPhone 4S also garnered a good amount of buzz -- after seeing the beautiful gallery of photos from the iPhone 4S on the Apple website, I can see why. What got the least amount of interest from the announcements? Newsstand. That seems to mirror the widespread malaise of online newspapers and magazines that will be readable through Apple's portal beginning with the availability of iOS 5 on October 12.
Samsung wants to block iPhone 4S sales in France, Italy
There's nothing like major corporations acting like a bunch of kids on a playground. As you remember, Samsung and Apple have been locked in a patent infringement lawsuit for quite some time. Apple is trying (quite successfully, I may add) to block the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10 tablet in several countries, so now Samsung is playing tit-for-tat and wants to block sales of the brand new iPhone 4S in France and Italy. Samsung said in a statement that they'll file a pair of preliminary injunction requests in Paris and Milan, stating that the iPhone 4S infringes on two patents related to WCDMA standards for 3G-enabled devices. The South Korean manufacturer plans to make a major assault on the 4S, stating that it will pursue injunctions in other countries as well. Samsung wasted no time in sending out marketing materials panning the 4S while touting the Galaxy S II Android phone. The statement from Samsung states "Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology. We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation." Apple has already successfully blocked (for now) the Galaxy tablets in Germany, as well as some Samsung smartphone models in the Netherlands. Samsung says that Apple hasn't paid licensing fees for some of its patents relating to wireless technology, while Apple says that Samsung never demanded a license fee until last year, being mum before that time because Apple is a huge Samsung customer. In addition to the iPhone 4S, Samsung is claiming that the iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 all infringe on its wireless-technology patents. Stay tuned to TUAW as we keep track of the latest shots fired in what is becoming a full-fledged war between the two companies.
