This was posted on the iPhone World blog:
A recent CBC News report from Canada sparked a lot of controversy about iPhone’s future in Canada.
The CBC News report stated that CBC was told by a Rogers Wireless customer representative that it has not announced any plans to carry the iPhone in Canada, yet. A lot of reputable sites, including Apple Insider (which we really like, but still think is not Canadian enough), carried this information as truthful.
However, we here at iPhoneWorld.ca did not buy this report, as previously a Rogers Wireless customer representative told us via e-mail that Rogers will be the sole exclusive Apple iPhone carrier in Canada.
Hence, just today, on April 6th 2007, we’ve made a call to Rogers Wireless regarding the CBC report. Rogers Wireless customer representative Amanda, (1-877-764-3772), told us the following.
According to Amanda (whose last name we were unable to get due to Rogers policies), “We [Rogers Wireless] are going to offer the iPhone in Canada… We’re just unsure of the exact release date.“
Therefore, we’d like to forward this information to all our Canadian readers. This is not the first and not the last time CBC was wrong, while the iPhone will certainly be brought to Canada by Rogers Wireless. Rumor squashed!
Additionally, we’ve contacted CBC News to try and make them aware of their error, but they never got back to us.
As someone who’s worked customer service for Canada’s largest mobile service provider, I can tell you that representatives know VERY little about what the company is geting and what it’s not getting. Only the higher ups are privy to such information.
I dont understand what all the fuss is about the iphone, technicaly speaking it’s already out dated ant it’s not even released!, take the Nokia N95 for example, Its got built in GPS, 5MP camera, DVD quality Video Recording, Symbian O.S, Huge screen, tons of memory ,… And everyones talking about the iphone! the iphone cant even take videos! Even for those apple fanboys who say the camera and video recording, gps isn’t anything, theier is a sony Ericsson W950, released more than a year ago, Touch Screen, 4GB of memory, Advanced Walkman Player, Beats ipods sound quality any day,… and everyones waiting for the iphone.
Also, Rogers is the ONLY GSM provider in canda, So if the iphone is to come to Canada, It has to go on rogers, so it’s already an exclusive, doesnt need any rumors floating around that!
Well, let’s think it this way: As customers, we always like to see more competitions in the market. More competition = lower price, higher quality and better technology.
I have heard for months that Rogers was going to be carrying the iPhone! Though as of yet have not heard a release date, nor have we received any training material on it.
The Nokia N95 is very expensive 🙁
iPhone is much more reasonably priced
The N95 Will eventually sit at around $800 CDN, It’s very new so it’s at around $1000 CDN now. The iphone however, $699 USD on a 2 year Contract?! That is just ridiculous, And by this US pricing, I cant imagine it being less than $600 on a 3 year contract with rogers and that being optimistic. and on rogers and fido, a 3 year contract is worth about $200 of the price of the phone, So the iphone wont be any cheaper than the N95, and considering the fact that feature wise, the iphone doesn’t even get close to the N95 in my opinion anything more than $300 on a contract for the iphone is a rip off.
Re: iphone can’t do this or that, should get a nokia
If feature set/cost was the issue, iPod would be dead and we’d all be listening to MP3 players from Creative or Dell (or the Zune). How surprising that in this day and age quality still counts – and I say that as someone on my second Nokia.
Well, If you really look around, you’ll see that their are many mp3 players much better, more feature packed and still as simple to use as the ipod with the same or even better quality with a lower price from many other manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, etc. But the fact is that your only considered Cool if you have an ipod and many people just think the only music player out their is an ipod. The ipod was a revolution-no question in that- but not any more, the competition it caused has led to many better solutions with lower prices and same/better quality.
Also, I’m not saying people should get a nokia and not a iphone, My point is that for the features the iphone has, it’s price is ridiculously high and with that price you can get much much better products as the iphone with quality camera, camcorder, built in GPS, same/better music quality, etc. The iphone would be a good solution if it’s price was cut to 1/3 of it’s current price and even less. If the iphone wasn’t from apple, no one would even look at it, but since it’s from apple and apple is cool, the iphone is great and is worth whatever price they put on it, even if it’s a total rip off, and everything else from everyone else is crap. And I’m saying this as a cell phone expert, I switch phones every 3 months and have had many phones from different manufacturers and write reviews.
But one thing you have to remember is that, Motorola has been the dominant manufacturer in north America and Nokia and Sony Ericsson haven’t had much investment in Canada, and only up to a couple of months before the SE k790 was brought in by rogers, all the phones by all the carriers were low-end feature less products and all the Good high-end phones were for the Europeans and Asia, and it is still this way more or so, so the iphone will leave a good impression to people who have been caring crap phones from fido, rogers, telus and bell over the years and have no idea whats going on on the other side of the world.
Nice blog, i have added it to my favourites, greetings
Joelle…
kinda makes you wonder….
Korey…
once again i outdid yourself…
Sophia…
kinda makes you wonder….