Prognostication

I have a prediction. I predict that, by this time next year, Apple will have released the Iphone 4G. It will be the first 4G Iphone, and it will be on the Verizon network. It will be a boon for Apple by expanding the potential clients from the limited AT&T base, and also a big increase in speed from the 3G network. So what is the price of Verizon doing right now?

The ennui of the iphone

For a long time I really wanted an iphone. It had everything I wanted. It was a cell phone. It was an mp3 player. It was a GPS navigation unit. It was a WiFi web browser. It was a camera. It was all things to all people.

But it was too expensive. I am but a poor man, and buying one would require a 2 year contract with AT&T's expensive data plan.

I had high hopes for Verizon to unveil an iphone killer. They have some tough numbers, but their arsenal comes with a similar pricetag.

My goal had been to get an all in one, price be damned. But price cannot be damned, as I am now pinching pennies with my early retirement.

So now, instead of whining about the phone I can't have, I'll opine on the future of phones. These smartphones will be the death of Microsoft. They were stupid for not jumping into smartphones in a stronger way earlier. Sure, they have Windows Mobile. But no one likes Windows Mobile, and it is losing market share among smartphones. Meanwhile the try to sell the Zune, a product that is stodgy in appearance and does not include a phone or any other selling feature. It is a good ipod killer, but ipods are basically dead anyways.

If someone would sell the iphone with a dataplan that is really cheap, I would buy it. I don't need that much data per month. Much as I opt for the lowest number of minutes in my cell phone plan, I would get a sparse data plan, if such a thing were offered. Until the wireless providers come up with a reasonable plan, I'll have to wait and pine for an all in one. Damn them.