[macjj2]

Our (ATT) Mission
Delivering a valuable customer experience is crucial to the success of any business. At AT&T, it's at the center of everything we do, every day.
Our goal is to treat all of our customers as if they are our only customer. We do this by providing thoughtful, caring and prompt attention. Our focus is on:
Connecting people with their world, everywhere they live and work.
Driving innovation in wireless, entertainment and other communications services.
Consistently demonstrating a passionate commitment to customer care.
Listening to our customers and responding to their needs.

[barrylium]

I agree with DragonMaster. No iPhone for me until it is "AT&T free" and available from other carriers.

[fribhey]

"although the company allows other phones to run Sling Media’s SlingPlayer video software, Apple (presumably with AT&T’s guidance) refused to let the iPhone version of SlingPlayer work on cellular networks. The reason, I have to assume, is that nobody is really using SlingPlayer on those other platforms. But AT&T is deathly afraid that the millions of iPhone users on its network might actually use the product, and bring the network to its knees."
actually, at&t doesn't allow the other phones to run the slingplayer. the reason why you can run it on other phones is because there is no way for at&t to stop you from downloading it and installing it on your blackberry/treo/palm/etc...... at&t apparently has an influence on what is allowed in the itunes store. most likely apple is bound to not allow anything that's against at&t's TOS, which by the way was conveniently changed to not allow tv video streams right before the sling player was released for the iphone.

[paulsmith]

Around the time of the original iPhone launch, I seem to remember that AT&T's CEO rather smugly said that they would be "happy to unlock" users' iPhones at the completion of their two-year contract.
Well my, and many others, initial two-year contract completes next month but, surprise surprise, AT&T say they will not unlock the iPhone.

[context]

In AT&T's defense, it has been quite busy helping the government spy on its customers.

[QCassidy352]

I agree with this article EXCEPT the sympathy with those who are angry over the upgrade pricing. If you bought the iphone 3G last year and didn't either a) bother read what you were signing, or b) understand the business model of every US cellular company, then that's on you.

As for the rest of it - yeah, AT&T has dropped the ball, and after WWDC, it seems the writing is clearly on the wall for the day when the iphone comes to other carriers. If they keep it GSM only then it's only T-mobile, and given their inferior network, AT&T will be fine. If apple makes a CDMA version, and/or opens it up to verizon when 4G rolls around, AT&T is going to take a beating.

[deemery]

Watching ATT ads, it's hard to know they are the sole carrier for "the most important single cellular handset in existence". (Justified hyperbole, if that's not an oxymoron :-) It makes me wonder how much they really care about the iPhone customer base. ATT could have used the iPhone as a flagship for a "different kind of phone/ a different kind of carrier" (with significant apologies to Saturn!) ATT could have defined a whole line of phones that offered a vision different from Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint.
Instead, ATT reminds me a lot of GM. Saturn -was- a game-changer car marketing (and development) concept, and we got good service from our '95 Saturn (which a friend is still driving, although he plans to replace it with a new Diesel Jetta this year or next...) Instead, GM let Saturn languish. Look what happened to Saturn- Parent company went bust by not changing, and hopefully Saturn will be reborn under Penske. If ATT can't change its corporate spots, here's hoping something better calves off from it based on the iPhone (ok, so that was a mixed animal/glacier metaphor...)

[Howmanoid]

Let's see.... A massive, monolithic corporation unable to keep pace with the changes in its market.... No surprise there. AT&T is not a customer centric organization. anyone who's ever tried to use their customer service will attest to that. I think the real problem is that they are arrogant fat cats who have no vision and could care less about their customers. They're probably just happy to be riding this wave while they can, safe in the knowledge that there'll be another one once this is over. They're in the same camp as Microsoft, GM and others. Their size isolates them from their market and makes them unresponsive as they hang on to a "Business as usual" philosophy that dates faster than flared pants.

[JFox]

I do not understand why AT&T would not just extend the amount remaining on current agreements by another two years. I would be willing. I have a friend who has AT&T as a carrier and wanted to get an iPhone 3G a while back, but because his current subsidized agreement (not iPhone) runs until October, he could not do it without paying a huge surcharge. He would have been willing to extend his current agreement, and AT&T would start collecting the extra $30 per month for the iPhone several months ago instead of in October

[jellow]

You would have to work for AT&T to know how bad they truly are (which I did for 10 years before I quit). AT&T only cares about filling in numbers on spreadsheets; they hate their employees and they hate their customers. The joke inside the company is that there is no business that AT&T can't run into the ground. Just give them time...

[distortedloop]

@flybynight - the problem with your cellphones are more like computer premise is that very few people buy a new laptop or computer once per year, or every time a new improved model comes out.

My MacBookPro is over 3 years old, and I still can't find a compelling reason to run out an buy one of the new models to replace it with. Same with my Mac Pro desktop machine.

Granted, computers cost more than cell phones, even smart cell phones, but you can't compare the two buying models.

It only recently has become possible to buy a subsidized computer (little netbooks with cell modems in them); let's see what happens when those subsidized computer owners try to upgrade to the next gen netbook before their current subsidy has been paid back via the contract.

[tony_d]

Well put Jason. However we feel about AT&T I'm not convinced that Apple jumping over to Verizon is a good solution. The iPhone needs to be on both carriers (hell, include T-Mobile, too) that way we, the consumer, get the benefit of competition. When one carrier does something new the others will follow just to keep customers. As for the subsidize situation, I think your solution would be fair but I can still hear people whining about that too. Personally I think Apple should just sell the iPhone unlocked and we can go to whatever carrier we'd like (I realize that Apple would have to build a different version for Verizon.) A lot of people bought the original iPhone unsubsidized and they still sold a ton of them.

[daiya]

bq. Watching ATT ads, it's hard to know they are the sole carrier for "the most important single cellular handset in existence".... It makes me wonder how much they really care about the iPhone customer base.


I've read that Apple demanded complete control over ads and marketing, and AT&T is not allowed to promote the iPhone (I guess other than in-store signs). AT&T's willingness to allow this would be another reason Apple went with AT&T.

[montgomery_burns]

To paraphrase Apple: AT&T does not comment on future products.