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Everyone loves France, just not the French...

Dec 17, 08 - 02:34 pm Comment from: boisdeteck

@ Richie

I guess most people around the world would say the same about the USA!

Dec 17, 08 - 02:34 pm Comment from: HMCIV

Verizon should take note! (Or are we still betting on the Blackberry Strom?)

Dec 17, 08 - 02:37 pm Comment from: cptnkirk

Don't confuse France and the French with Paris and Parisians. In general, as someone who visits there every year, but rarely goes to Paris, I find the French exceedingly friendly and welcoming. Of course, I speak French; it doesn't hurt.

Dec 17, 08 - 02:38 pm Comment from: cptnkirk

This is good news, as far as I can see. More vendors, more sales.

@cptnkirk

this is true. its like saying newyorkers represent the general population of the US.

@ boisdeteck

I guess you're being very sarcastic there...

My quote is from some show I watched about how many times different countries have tried to take over France. Everyone loves France, just not the French. Relates back to the wars idea.

An Austrian waiter once told me when we made a comment about the "ugly americans" at the next table "You know, Americans, like people from a lot of countries... some are nice, some are not so nice. But the french... everyone hates the French.

Dec 17, 08 - 03:51 pm Comment from: ken1w

> The regulator said Wednesday's order was a protective measure while it continues an investigation into the merits of Bouygues' complaint,

Didn't the same thing happen in Germany? During the "investigation," Apple sold unlocked iPhones and charged something like $1000 for it (essentially the cost of the iPhone plus whatever it would have made in recurring revenue from the wireless carrier). Eventually, it was ruled that Apple can have an exclusive arrangement with one wireless carrier in Germany. I think Apple will do the same thing here. Orange sells the iPhone for the current subsidized price. Everyone else can sell the iPhone, but for the much higher unlocked price.

Small minded, zenophobic people. Have you morons ever been outside your country? Clearly not, or you wouldn't disparage others so thoughtlessly. As to the article, the more countries that legislate unrestricted mobile phone coverage , the better it is for the rest of us who are tied to a single-provider monopoly. It's for that very reason I am sticking with the iPod touch.

France loves the world. We tried to conquer most of it.

And we know that America loves France. Partly because we gave you the money and resources to fight the English without which you would still be under the English King! And also because many Americans give lots of money to French culture - such as the American Friends of Versaille or the American Friends of Le Louvre.

But the law on mobile telephones is to force competition. For France, the promotion of markets and competition in the private part of the economy is more important than individual businesses.

Dec 17, 08 - 04:06 pm Comment from: Follower

@WWW -

Chastising those who "disparage others so thoughtlessly" but calling them "small-minded" and "morons" in the same sentence?

Yes, that's been my experience with commenters on the World Wide Web as well.

Finally the Evil Empire of Cupertino gets it's wings clipped. But by the French? That's got to be a blow to Steve's pride. No-one gets beaten by the French.

"For France, the promotion of markets and competition"

France is one of the least competitive economies in the world, largely due to the regulations it does impose on businesses.

Dec 17, 08 - 04:27 pm Comment from: alansky

@Frog Legs:

If you think Apple is "the Evil Empire," you are seriously in deluded about the nature of the world you live in.

Dec 17, 08 - 04:34 pm Comment from: freefromdesign

I thought all large corporations where "evil empires." Isn't that the mantra of the "common man"

Just wondering if the potential other vendors would support all of the iPhone's capabilities, or if it would just be a crippled version of the iPhone.

Dec 17, 08 - 04:49 pm Comment from: ron

iFrog iPhone. Let them eat cake. Or brown Zune phones.

Dec 17, 08 - 05:18 pm Comment from: macaholic

Gee I found the people of Paris and France very nice this past summer. But then I am a Canadian with a decent level of fluency in French, so YMMV!

@WorldWideWeb:

I believe you have a distorted view of reality.

You do realize that if Apple hadn't had a bidding war for exclusivity in carrying the iPhone, there wouldn't be the new features provided by the phone carriers.

In reality, the actual hardware of existing phones was dumbed down by the telephone providers.

It was only at the requirements by Steve Jobs we have the innovation being supported by the telecoms. and even then Steve didn't get everything he wanted - think VOIP.

If you don't believe this, just remember what Verizon told Steve Jobs when he first presented it to them.

In fact, you could say that the exclusivity that you trash has opened more innovation to everyone. And BTW, before the iPhone, there was exclusivity on the phones from Samsung, Motorola, et al; but no one cared. Only because the iPhone is so revolutionary is it an issue with you and all those that want it.

"Gee I found the people of Paris and France very nice this past summer. But then I am a Canadian with a decent level of fluency in French, so YMMV!"

They were laughing behind your back. They think you Quebecazoids are goofballs, just like everyone else.

"Small minded, zenophobic people. Have you morons ever been outside your country?"

You bet yer ass we have! There's Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, ...

Dec 17, 08 - 08:03 pm Comment from: macaholic

@Frenchwannabe

Not a Quebecazoid either, and obviously not one. I do not speak their brand of farmer French. And how the heck do you know what they were doing? Were you there? I think I have been on the planet long enough to tell the difference, butt munch.

When apple is on the high road the my way or the highway approach in business works. The problem is when a shade of monopoly raises it's ugly head and you are screwing with free enterprise and limiting yourself. As a company that is just plain stupid and stocks reflect that. The next generation of leadership should be interesting to watch. We all see what Illinois politics produces and this time it will be on national scale. The future will most definately be interesting!

So what's wrong with competition? Doesn't it bring down the price of the phone plans or do you guys support a system where there is price fixing by one phone carrier.

"If you think Apple is "the Evil Empire," you are seriously in deluded about the nature of the world you live in."

Apple has learned well from Microsoft, but Microsoft has been told by courts to cease and desist from many of the practices Apple currently employs.

"Not a Quebecazoid either, and obviously not one. I do not speak their brand of farmer French."

Then what kind of wannabe frog are you? It's not like there's a reason to know French these days, even if you live in France.

"And how the heck do you know what they were doing? Were you there?"

You don''t have to be there to know the French laugh behind the back of wannabe frogs.

"I think I have been on the planet long enough to tell the difference"

Obviously not, or you wouldn't be trying to be French, you'd know that they'll never accept you as a real frog.

I have heard that amphibians are on the decline. Guess it's time to order some freedom fries.

Dec 18, 08 - 12:34 pm Comment from: macaholic

@ French wannabe/anonymous unregistered coward

What does being able to speak more than one language have to do with wanting to be anything? Making the attempt to use the language of the country you are visiting is polite, much the same as visitors to English speaking countries, make the attempt to speak our language. Since you seem to be against any language ability other than English, which is not even spoken by the majority of people in the world, perhaps it is because you did poorly in school with language instruction, including English. You certainly excel at chauvinism (look it up if you have to, for the real meaning).
I guess because you laugh at the efforts of people to whom English is their second language, you assume the reverse is true. Well it may be, or it may not be. Obviously it is for you. But you cannot assume that because a particular person does so, that all of that nationality are the same. The fact that you are a bigoted, ignorant pompous ass does not make all citizens of your country the same thing. Assigning a global characteristic to an entire nation, based on no actual evidence, or even the evidence of one example only, is hardly the mark of an intelligent person. Perhaps it is best if you stay home and not actually experience the rest of the world. Personally, having travelled extensively in my life and working with people from many places in the world, I have found that no matter where you go in the world, there will always be a certain percent of people who are just plain a-holes. If you are lucky, you get to not have any contact with them. Sadly, I have had contact with you.

@Renee LaPoint/anonymous unregistered coward

They are called french fries because of how they are cut, not where they are from. Just like Green Giant french cut green beans. Also, since you are likely to be the same butt munch as the poster above you, you need to brush up on masculine/feminine versions of names. Unless of course you really are a girl, in which case, my apologies. But you are still a twit.

How do you take comments against the French and non native speakers of French and turn it into a comment against all non english language speakers?

Also widely traveled, My experience is those who live in France and speak French are pretentious and look down on those who don't speak French, despite French having about 1% worldwide native language share. And in my experience those who know French as a second language are even more pretentious. You managed to prove that quite convicingly.

You need to get a grip. Five times more languages are spoken in the USA than are in France and two times more languages are spoken in the USA than in Canada.

One in 5 Americans speaks something other than English at home.

"Sadly, I have had contact with you."

And you're right. You're definitely in that percentage of a-holes, and it is sad.

"They are called french fries because of how they are cut, not where they are from"

No, they are called French Fried Potatoes because of how they are fried not how they are cut.

My Dear macaholic,

I may be an "anonymous unregistered coward", but you started this with your insulting declaration of "YMMV".

Nothing pisses off Americans more than "Yo' Mama Melts Velveeta"!
We can't all afford your fancy, schmancy French cheeses.

What's next? YDSS (Yo' Daddy Screws Spam)? Shame on you!

Dec 19, 08 - 12:22 am Comment from: macaholic

Ok now that is funny!!!
"you mileage may vary"

Nice one!
Velveeta is pretty easy to melt,so I guess yo mama is not that hot

"Nothing pisses off Americans more than "Yo' Mama Melts Velveeta"!"

Worse than Velveta are those fake French cheeses, you know the ones that try so hard to be French, but never will be. Canada creates a lot of those.

> "For France, the promotion of markets and competition"
>
> France is one of the least competitive economies in the world, largely due to the regulations it does impose on businesses.

That's not quite true. France is the fifth largest economy in the world. It's public sector is quite regulated. But the private sector is one of the most productive and efficient in the world.

And most of the regulations on private industry are European regulations that are the same throughout the European Union.

For France, in the private sphere, the promotion of competition and markets is, indeed, more important than individual big businesses.

"But the private sector is one of the most productive and efficient in the world."

Give me a break. Structurally France's economy is one of the most effed up in the world. Just how easy is it for French firms to add and remove workers as they need? Your agricultural sector couldn't survive without subsidies. Your government spending is over half GDP. Vast parts of your economy are government owned, even in good times. Your government interferes substantially with private industry. Your unemployment rate is through the roof even in good times.

And whenever someone tries any form of economic reform, angry frogs take to the street either burning cars or blocking traffic.

Other than perfume, wine, cheeses, fashion and weapons to tinpot dictatorships worldwide, where do you ever see a French product?

I say let the European regulators have their fun in this case. All it will do is turn the mobile carriers into the irrelevant "dump pipes" they have been mortally afraid of becoming, and cement Apple as the brand that matters. In fact, I can't imagine much that would play better into Apple's hands...

I assume that the word "effed" is related to the word fuck. Otherwise, I am sure it is a negative slang term.

The restrictions on private labour in France are the same as everywhere else in the European Union. Most of the rules are harmonised. There are few extra regulations. Even the 35 hour week applies really only to the public sector and the utilities. The government interferes very little with private industry which is one of the most productive in the world. This is not new: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/29/opinion/29krugman.html?_r=1. Since 2000, France has always been within the seven biggest exporters.

There are also less demonstrations than you think. I think that you are referring to the marches over the CPE that ended employment protections. However, that was more because how it was passed. The government made the law by decree and bypassed Parliament when there was no reason to. It would be the same as your President making a law which was not passed by Congress. The demonstration was because of the undemocratic way that a important law was passed.

It is true that some of our industries have some element of public ownership such as defence and Thales. But we have not nationalised our banks, we do not have the equivalent of Fannie Mac or Freddie Mae and we have not given billions of euros to the car companies.

As for the agriculture - that again is the European common agricultural policy. And it is a response to the massive subsidies that farmers receive in the USA. The American subsidies to American farmers is much higher than anything that is given in France.

In reality, France really is not so far from America.