iPhone Plans and the World to Come

Of course, you would expect me to blog about the iPhone. I’m notorious for being a presumed Mac addict, a label I reject because I am almost as much at home in Windows XP and used a Windows server as a web cache for a number of years. I also think I’m smart enough to realise that the platform is no longer the box but the web — enough of that argument later.

Yes, I will be getting the iPhone when my current plan runs out, and I want one for Paula sooner: that is, as soon as she can get out of the clutches of Telstra. Most of the reasons are canvassed in the review in the SMH, but there are a few additional reasons.

1. I’d have to say that integrating a mobile with one’s digital life has not always been easy, even when there was direct support from manufacturer and Apple for the iSync conduit. It’s always a bit dodgy, and you always seem to be getting alarms at the most inopportune moments. Anything Apple always works with other Apple things.
2. The time has come for the mobile platform. I’m interested that Optus and Telstra are bundling free wifi access with their mid-range plans, and that beats 3g any day in terms of cost and performance. For Paula and me, future travellers, the thought of never having to find an internet cafe again is a boon. Nearly every hotel we have looked at in Europe has free wifi. Bliss, e-mail and blogging heaven. It will save a fortune on SMS!
3. This is such a delightful package. What are the downsides? Lack of a better camera (wait for an update), lack of video (wait for a third party app or an update), lack of true GPS (but wait and read this ), lack of the ability to use as a 3g modem (I can’t see myself being tempted given the costs of 3g, but wait for an update), inability to use Bluetooth much (I think security might have been part of that reason, and again, wait for an update).
4. The biggest upside: push e-mail at an affordable rate for the rest of us. I won’t bother with the blackberry.

David Flynn’s evaluation of the plans is actually more important than the platform itself. Unless you are incredibly disciplined, it will be easy in Australia to blow your dough on excess usage costs. Picking the right plan will be essential. My pick is informed by this:

To get the most from your iPhone, with regular day-to-day data use, you should aim for at least 250MB and ideally 500MB. For a 16GB iPhone on a two-year contract, Optus starts at $49 a month for $300 of calls and 250MB of data, plus $12 a month for the iPhone, for a total spend of $1464, which includes free access to its network of hotspots.

Vodafone asks $1965 for almost the same deal, without hotspot access, while Telstra lets you choose between $1467 with $25 of calls and $1908 with $90 of calls.

So I’m sticking with Optus and I think I’l talk Paula into shifting over.

So there, Telstra.