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"can you hear me now?" hey, someone was going to...

Nov 19, 07 - 04:13 pm Comment from: ChrissyOne

Gotta love the publicity. Maybe Cisco will sue 'em again!

Nov 19, 07 - 04:17 pm Comment from: Macintosh

I can't believe I was able to register with this username name after this long.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:17 pm Comment from: Crabapple

It is unbelievable the length some companies will go to for a buck!

Having said that, If T-mobile in Germany is extricating more money out of iphone users than the O2 in the UK, then they will fall foul of the EU trading laws.

These laws have been set to create a uniform pricing policy within all EU member Country's.
They are good laws
They are enforced laws
They protect consumers in the EU

T-Mobile....examine your house and rectify it were neccesary!

gay.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:28 pm Comment from: silverhawk

Vodaphone should be careful: turn about is fair play!

Nov 19, 07 - 04:43 pm Comment from: shiftOpt k

If Vodaphone does own 45% of Verizon, seems like they woulda did every thing possible to NOT screw up like verizon did here. Whatta buncha losers! Typical business practices… if it makes common sense, do the exact opposite.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:54 pm Comment from: Macaday

Vodafone's pain is only just starting..!

Nov 19, 07 - 04:54 pm Comment from: Crabapple

@ shiftOpt k,

Vodaphone was the first mobile phone company to be offered the iphone! which means that they were the first to turn Mr. Jobs down. They later claimed that the terms were too draconic, but the truth of the matter is that they spent a hell of a lot of money buying up a 3G license that they still haven't recouped it yet.

If you cant beat them then take them to court. Fcuking loosers.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:54 pm Comment from: Macaday

What are all these star thingies about?

Nov 19, 07 - 04:59 pm Comment from: MikeK

Stars = registered users.

Nov 19, 07 - 05:00 pm Comment from: Mac4lfe

The star shows that your name is registered with MDN.

Nov 19, 07 - 05:09 pm Comment from: Ampar

The star also means that you get your own private dressing room along with the fulfillment of your contract rider that guarantees it's always stocked with six cans of Schweppes Ginger Ale, Aveda candles, a tub of Red Vine licorice, ten bottles of Fiji water and six bags of green M&Ms;.

Nov 19, 07 - 05:25 pm Comment from: MacSmiley

Vodafone isn't generally opposed to T-Mobile's exclusivity contract with Apple, but wants to have these new sales practices examined... The restraining order doesn't aim at a total sales stop."

What's that? Doublespeak? What is the aim, if not to stop the sales??


PS. I love being an MDN all-star!

Vodafone was in talks with Apple too before T-Mobile won the exclusive contract. If Vodafone had won it instead, would they have had obtained a restraining order against itself to examine the deal? Yeah, I don't think so. Hypocrites.

vodafone must be really excreting bricks on the story that 2/3 of O2 (England... not T-mobile, but imagine similar stats for DE) customers are from other providers. they have to be dumb as a box of hair to risk the ill will of being known as the company to block germans from the iPhone.

Nov 19, 07 - 06:08 pm Comment from: Yimmie

Verizon sucks a big hairy bean-bag. If Vodaphone owns 45% I can only assume they suck equally. So eff them.

Nov 19, 07 - 06:19 pm Comment from: Life in the real world

Gotta love them stars! Registered MDN readers are exempt from annoying banner ads, pop-up ads, and pop-und... Whoops!

Sorry. Forgot my user name there for a moment.

Nov 19, 07 - 06:23 pm Comment from: ron

"The star also means that you get your own private dressing room along with the fulfillment of your contract rider that guarantees it's always stocked with six cans of Schweppes Ginger Ale, Aveda candles, a tub of Red Vine licorice, ten bottles of Fiji water and six bags of green M&Ms;."

What about the cheddar cheese, pickled onions, French bread & a Black & Tan?

Nov 19, 07 - 06:24 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Registered MDN readers are exempt from annoying banner ads . . ."

So, you'd pay a subscription fee if that was available? Just curious.

Nov 19, 07 - 06:30 pm Comment from: Willie G

What sucks is that I, as a US T-Mobile customer have to switch to *shudder* AT&T;to get an iPhone, where as my German counterparts do not. Or, at least they won't once this ridiculous stalling tactic from Vodafone blows over.

Nov 19, 07 - 06:44 pm Comment from: Marian

Sour grapes...

Nov 19, 07 - 06:45 pm Comment from: MCCFR

For those who want to delve into this a little more, it's worth remembering that Vodafone's life started to go wrong round about the time it paid (rather too handsomely) for control of Germany's Mannesmann (?), thus creating the German part of Vodafone.

Firstly, the purchase of Mannesmann came hot on the heels of acquiring their 3G licence in the UK (again at great cost); then came the realisation that, having acquired Mannessmann, they would be forced by the UK regulator to dispose of the German company's asset in the UK, Orange (who were subsequently sold to France Telecom). And then, IIRC, there was a bit of a scandal involving Mannesmann's management board.

So, having acquired the Teutonic telecoms company for a reasonably high price, it's not actually surprising that Vodafone is desperate to stop the value of what is probably one of its most valuable end-markets by any means possible.

How many of these lost customers are defectors to iPhone is questionable. Vodafone have always struggled in the consumer marketplace due to perceived higher prices than their competitors, at least in the UK. Also there have been rumblings about various 'billing errors' lately resulting in customers being overcharged... not exactly the way to retain a loyal customer base.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/26/vodafone_billing_again/

Of course competing with a killer product like the iPhone can hardly help matters for them but I think it's more like 'another nail in the coffin.'

But yes I really want an iPhone!!!

Nov 19, 07 - 06:57 pm Comment from: Petey

What makes me laugh about this is that if Nokia or any mobile phone manufacturer released a phone with an exclusive deal with T-Mobile Vodaphone wouldnt have done anything like this.

BUT, because its the 'iphone' Vodaphone is doing this because they lost out on the deal.

WELL TOUGH LUCK LOSERS.

This proves 100% that every mobile company is shit scared of Apple and their talents and their revolutionary iPhone.

Nov 19, 07 - 07:11 pm Comment from: macbookmad

it's just more publicity, which is ultimately good

I really don't get this. Isn't it the consumer's choice whether or not to buy the phone? I mean each of these companies offer multiple handsets with their plans. Just because one company has an exclusive phone it's all of a sudden illegal in some way.

Take me for instance. I love the iPhone, but I don't have one. The AT&T;plan does not fit my situation right now, so I sit on the outside looking in at the "social" with iPhone envy. But I'm not going to go cry to the high courts about it. Everyone seemed to have had a shot at getting the iPhone and the smart ones won out.

Its a shame to see these companies crying over their bad business decisions. Same goes for all those crying over the iPod/iTunes coupling. If I wanted I could have gone out and got one of those other players that played every format but AAC under the sun and used Real player. But, "I" decided to go with Apple. My decision my money.

There is competition out there, its not Apple's fault that consumers don't want to purchase other players at the rate they are purchasing the iPod.

One year to go Verizon, one year and buhbye

Nov 19, 07 - 08:49 pm Comment from: mike k.

Ampar: The star also means that you get your own private dressing room along with the fulfillment of your contract rider that guarantees it's always stocked with six cans of Schweppes Ginger Ale, Aveda candles, a tub of Red Vine licorice, ten bottles of Fiji water and six bags of green M&Ms;

don't forget about the fluffers ...

Nov 19, 07 - 10:10 pm Comment from: Ampar

Or the more risqué acts that still insist on a round of flaming fluffernutters.

Nov 20, 07 - 12:55 am Comment from: silverhawk

I want to see what Nokia does if Apple's iPhone goes to Finland!

since I'm probably one of the few German speakers here in the MDN forum, I can tell you that according to the original article in the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the restraining order has to do with T-Mobile's SIM Locking of the iPhone. SIM locking is indeed illegal in the EU. It also has to do with the question of what happens after the 2 year contract with T-Mobile expires: if you're still not allowed to use your iPhone with other providers even after the contract expires, that is a clear violation of EU law, and Apple will have serious problems in Europe if that is indeed the case.

How is this supposed to work in the US?