Ireland Archives

Friday, June 27, 2008 -- 12:56 p.m. -- out and about

I do promise some good news eventually, folks.

I inquired after caller Pat asked me whether or not the Irish would see Visual Voicemail at iPhone 3G launch.

As you may or may not know, there has never been Visual Voicemail there, something to do with network infrastructure.

So I contacted my kind representative at O2 Ireland and was told the following:

"The service isn't yet supported by the network here so won't be initially available on iPhone 3G -
though we continue to assess this with a view to possibly providing this service in the future for our customers."

I would love to tell you that I have a background in network infrastructure, but I don't ... so I have no idea why this is such a problem.

So I'm sorry that you don't have Visual Voicemail ... but after reading the posts about Canada, you may be OK with that considering the alternative.

If I hear anything more, of course, you know you'll find out here right away.

Thanks for calling.

Saturday, May 10, 2008 -- 1:26 a.m. -- on my couch

Good news for folks in Ireland who want an 8GB iPhone right now ... following in the footsteps of O2 UK, O2 Ireland is dropping the price €100 from €399 to €299.

Of course, the 3G iPhone is coming very, very soon ... presumably to Ireland, but that's not known for sure. So the question is a hard one ... pay a little less for some iPhone love now or wait patiently for what should be the 3G iPhone and pay an unknown price.

It's not an easy decision to make, but at least know that there's some good news for the current crop of 8GB iPhones.

Thanks for calling.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 -- 9:30 p.m. -- at my desk

I checked in with my source over at O2 in Ireland to see if there's any plans to offer a discounted 8GB iPhone to match what O2 did in the UK yesterday.

I'm sorry to report that it's not meant to be. At least not now.

The spokesman at O2 Ireland said the following:

At the moment we don't have any plans to introduce a similar promotional offer, though, as with all our products and services, we will continue to review our pricing strategy for the iPhone on an ongoing basis.

So sorry to hear that.

As caller Pat points out, at today's exchange rate, an Irish 8gig iPhone would cost £323 in GB pounds, against £169 in Britain. Or you could say an Irish 8gig iPhone would cost $634 in US dollars compared to $399 in the US.

Hopefully when the 3G iPhone comes it isn't priced so high.

Thanks to O2 Ireland for answering my inquiry so quickly. The people at O2 in the UK and in Ireland are really nice and helpful. I just wish they had better news.

If you wish to discuss the price discrepancies or anything else, please leave me some comment love.

Thanks for calling.

Friday, March 14, 2008 -- 12:03 p.m. -- on my couch

Typing that headline made me crave buttermilk pancakes and strawberry syrup.

Hmmm. Strange.

Anyhow, as reported earlier, today is iPhone launch day in Ireland and Austria.

So welcome Ireland and welcome Austria to an incredible club. Welcome to club iPhone.

Each country is a little different. Here's a quick overview and links to the respective Web sites for more information.

Ireland (o2)
TARIFF: €45 to €100
MINUTES: 175 to 700
SMS: 100 to 250
DATA CAP: 1GB
PLAN: 18-month plan required
WEBSITE: www.o2.ie

Austria (T-Mobile)
TARIFF: €39 (classic) to €55 (supreme)
MINUTES: 1,000 to 4,000
SMS: Varies according to plan - up to 1,000 included
DATA CAP: 3GB
PLAN: 24-month plan required
WEBSITE: http://iphone.t-mobile.at/

Definite differences between the two countries.

I know we already have Irish readers, and I thank you. And I welcome anyone else from Ireland and Austria that wants to become part of the strongest international iPhone community in the world. That's right here at iPTIB. Feel free to contact me via any of the methods on the right rail for more information, or just leave a comment here. Remember, I respond to EVERY SINGLE COMMENT so if you say something, check back because I will definitely answer you.

Unfortunately, SMS alerts are not currently available outside of the United States.

Thanks for calling.

Friday, March 7, 2008 -- 12:15 a.m. -- at my desk

Turning away from the SDK now and toward the launch of the iPhone in Ireland, I heard from the PR department at O2 Ireland about some of my questions including Visual Voicemail (network issue), umlimited data and costs.

Here's what they had to say:
Why isn’t Visual Voicemail available in Ireland?
The visual voicemail service is not yet supported by the network here, though we will continue to assess this with a view to possibly providing this service in the future for our customers.

Why is there no unlimited data plan?
From our own statistics on data usage by our customers, we know that for the vast majority of our customers 1GB should be a significant amount of data per month.

Doesn't Ireland's iPhone cost a lot?
The price of the device in Ireland is the same as in Germany and France. The UK device price is currently slightly less, though obviously this variance changes depending on the exchange rate. Thereafter, while our price plans may vary with the UK, they are comparable with France and Germany. In addition, the iPhone tariffs do compare favourably to other contract / post-pay price plans in Ireland.

It's good to know that Visual Voicemail is a network thing. That's how things started in France, but they soon got into the game.

As for data, well, I buy what they are saying, but unlimited data means never having to worry about going over and never looking over your shoulder. It should be unlimited to provide that extra peace of mind to customers.

And as for price, well, maybe it compares and maybe it doesn't ... bottom line is simply that Irish customers are not getting the same deal that UK customers are getting.

But I thank the kind folks at O2 for getting back to me. And of course I will keep you posted on what happens next on the Emerald Isle and everywhere else around the world.

Thanks for calling.

Friday, February 29, 2008 -- 12:07 p.m. -- on my couch

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**UPDATED WITH QUOTES FROM O2 IRELAND CEO.**

Just wanted to let all the readers in Ireland and elsewhere know that I'll be following up soon on some of the most burning questions concerned iPhone Ireland -- from the lack of visual voicemail to the high tariffs to the limited data plans.

I now have a contact at O2 Ireland who is currently getting me some answers. With the time difference I may not hear anything back before Monday, but the wheels are in motion.

It's interesting to note the prices in Ireland ... very different from the U.K. for example.

The entry level tariff includes 175 minutes and 100 SMS messages for €45 a month. If you do some quick conversion that's about £34 in the U.K. Difference is that in the U.K. for that price you get 600 minutes and 500 SMS message. So clearly there's a discrepancy. That's not to mention of course the visual voicemail and free Wi-Fi access at Cloud hotspots that is not included in Ireland.

And according to Independent.ie, O2 Ireland isn't apologizing for the fact that the Irish iPhone will cost more than any other.
"You can't compare it with other products," Danuta Gray, O2 Ireland CEO said yesterday. "Comparing it with a standard handset is just not like-for-like. I have music on it, videos on it, DVDs, photo albums, camera. To me it's just an amazing device and I think the type of price here compared with this type of functionality is where the value should be judged."

No question that it's an amazing device, but there's one thing Gray may be underestimating. First off, she confirmed that the network won't accept unlocked phones ... but with Ireland being late to the game and everyone knowing the price outside of Ireland, consumers may be more interested in giving O2 the business instead of their business.

Is O2 in for a backlash? Will Visual Voicemail and unlimited data ever come to the Emerald Isle?

These and other burning questions ... tackled ... answered ... next time on iPTIB.

Anyone out there in the studio audience have any questions? Let me know ... I'll get the answers for you.

Thanks for calling.

Friday, February 29, 2008 -- 1:48 a.m. -- on my couch

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I had the day to really let the iPhone Ireland announcement soak in and it really got me thinking about Canada. The two countries might be an ocean apart, but they might be a lot closer than you think.

Consider a few things.

First, Apple's COO Tim Cook said on Wednesday that Apple is not married to a single carrier model. They said that the way to prevent excessive hacking is to get more phones into more countries.

I don't know, but I think Mr. Cook's comments were specific to Ireland ... while Apple has chosen O2 as the carrier, they did not apparently demand unlimited data as they did everywhere else. They apparently settled for a cap of 1GB of EDGE data. Now I have no idea if anyone would actually use 1GB in a month, but the point is, Apple can't go around and say that you can surf unlimited in Ireland because it's just not true.

Let's head west to Canada. The Toronto Star reported on Feb. 23 that Rob Bruce, president of Rogers' wireless division -- the likely network for iPhone Canada -- told analysts during a conference call "We're not fans of unlimited plans. We want to make sure ... that we create plans that are helpful and don't become barriers to adoption."

Canada's known for its high data rates and recent movement by Rogers to lower some of those prices had folks buzzing -- myself included -- that there might be an iPhone announcement coming. That was before Ireland. That was before we knew that Steve Jobs would accept a new country under his wing even without unlimited data.

So now things get interesting. No unlimited data in Ireland ... so could the iPhone premiere in Canada without unlimited data? Will Rogers get its way, so to speak, and end up selling an iPhone without the one thing that makes it so wonderful elsewhere?

Perhaps the lack of visual voicemail and limited data are just temporary in Ireland and all of this ends us being incorrect, but you have to admit it's interesting to hear what Mr. Cook said, what Mr. Jobs did in Ireland and what could happen in Canada -- because you know that one way or another, there's no way Steve and Co. are going to pass up Canada as an iPhone country.

It's all speculation until it happens. It always is, but it makes for great conversation.

First, I'd like to know what you think of this point of view. Second, I'd like to know if any Canadians out there have considered or would consider purchasing an iPhone through Apple/Rogers if there's a cap on data. Because truth be told, in every scenario that's played out in my fingers as I've typed, I didn't picture a scenario with limited data until today.

Thanks for calling.

Thursday, February 28, 2008 -- 6:51 p.m. -- at my desk

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Soon, the iPhone will officially land in Ireland, and I'm thrilled to welcome new readership to iPhone, Therefore I Blog.

There's so much I have to tell you, so let's start with this ... and if you have questions, concerns or whatever, you can contact me at any one of the numerous ways listed below.

For those of you who have not checked this site out before, it's an international community for iPhone users and enthusiasts.

But it's different than any other iPhone site or blog on the Internet ... it's a close-knit community where everyone is welcome to ask any question or talk to each other about their iPhone thoughts, wishes, wants -- anything at all.

And while I'm based in the United States, I make sure that I keep current with everything that's happening in the International iPhone community.

When there was a major EDGE outage in southwestern England, this was the ONLY PLACE you could go to for continuous updates on the outage. Other media sites mentioned it in passing days after the outage was over -- lot of good that does, right? I was on the phone with my O2 contact in England with one hand and typing with the other.

The point of that is to say that when you need iPhone news and advice, make it a point to come here.

Oh, and did I mention that one of the trademarks of this blog is that I answer EVERY SINGLE COMMENT?

And, look at all the ways you can get a hold of me!
* My e-mail is always on at skleinberg@tribune.com.
* I man my IM Monday through Thursday and Sunday. It's redeyeiphoneblog via AIM/iChat.
* And there's the Twitter Army -- I use Twitter to send out breaking news alerts the minute they happen. So far, the Army is 116 cadets strong and growing every day. Go to www.twitter.com/iptib and get in on the action. Or, e-mail me for more details and I'll get you connected.

So far, people from more than 40 countries and 6 continents have checked in. It's really humbling.

Oh, and we have a fun iPhone gallery -- take photos and send them in to share with the world.

As always, I want to know your thoughts ... what do you like and what don't you like? What do you want to see more of? Less of?

I look forward to seeing you here and talking to you soon.

Thanks for calling.