FIRST: AT&T has the biggest GSM network in the country.  I’ve seen T-Mobile carts selling unlocked iPhones or offer to unlock your iPhone for you for free with purchase of service. Despite their desire to attract folks to their service, T-Mobile still sucks compared with AT&T in my experience.  I’m sure this varies by geography, but the vast majority of folks I’ve spoken with have shared similar experiences, and even my own T-Mobile prepaid SIM gets worse coverage in my W810i than AT&T did before I switched to the iPhone.

SECOND: I consider it pretty unlikely that Apple would build a CDMA version of the iPhone for use within the United States on either Verizon or Sprint and VERY limited use outside of the United States. Building a GSM phone is much smarter, economically speaking, because it works in almost every country with a mobile phone provider.  I’m not going to give you percentages of GSM vs. CDMA, but outside of the US, CDMA is almost worthless.  Plus, it looks like both Verizon and AT&T are going to be moving their networks to 4G LTE technology.

THIRD: The rumor mill is stating that Apple is building a custom version of the iPhone for China that lacks a wifi chipset under pressure from the Chinese government.  I’m not confident that Apple would go so far as to make a nationally-tailored version of the iPhone without wifi.  However, the market in China is much larger in terms of raw population, and may in fact be larger than many major wireless markets currently served by the single physical iPhone build currently being sold.  Regardless of that, wouldn’t it be easier to build, test, and qualify a device with one component removed (that little Broadcom wifi chipset) than with a completely different radio with new and varied characteristics?  This version neutered for Chinese consumption seems much more plausible than the CDMA device, but I still think it’s probably BS. But what do I know.

The main thing I have with all of these dumbfuck technology pundits is that nobody seems to realize that Apple has carefully chosen its preferred wireless carriers based on their common network characteristics: GSM.  Even in Japan, they chose to work with SoftBank instead of NTT DoCoMo because DoCoMo doesn’t operate a GSM standard network.  For Apple to switch carriers to anyone other than T-Mobile (in the US market) would create a fuckload of implementation problems that are completely isolated to the US market. And, I’m sure Apple has studied this, T-Mobile’s network kinda blows.  AT&T is no fucking gem of an operator, but the realistic alternatives are no better.

I don’t understand things like product launches drawing this kind of crowd.  Movies and concerts I get, but all of this hubbub for a piece of Chinese plastic that is WAY better designed, but not completely unlike other pieces of Chinese plastic to hit the market.  It’s insane, and I like it.  A LOT.

Don’t get me wrong: I own some Apple stock and I’d like to see it go up to the 160+ range this summer so I can sell off and relieve my debt ratio that has given me Goatse-like pains the past 2 years.  When Apple does well, it helps out the rest of the “Mac economy” so to speak, and I am just such a member of that economy.  More success is good.  Watching crazy douchebags break their credit cards doing it: priceless.

Just thought of something: they should sell the JesusPhone in vending machines at all Starbucks and Saddleback Church locations.  Please contact me so I can provide a mailing address for commission checks thankyouverymuch.

I wanted an extra phone number to have in case my main cell died or got lost.  I didn’t even need it to be mobile, I just wanted the number to be accessible.  I looked high and low and found that not only was a landline more expensive, it generally didn’t even include any kind of long distance without additional fees.  We may not have the best mobile phone industry in the world, but for my use, it’s cheaper than copper.  I have ATT for my iPhone, but I use T-Mobile for their awesome prepaid service (awesome excepting the fact that they don’t have any means of using EDGE data.)

So when the woman and I called Cox to move our cable service, they asked us about getting 6 months of free digital telephone service, I declined.  He asked if we wanted to save money, and I told him that it would not be saving me money since after 6 months I would be paying for a service I don’t have or need now.  He seemed a little befuddled, but at least he didn’t push the issue.  I can only imagine what ATT does with it’s landline voice subscribers.  I would consider naked DSL service if the speeds were competitive with Cox’s cable internets, but alas, DSL sucks donkey balls and getting ATT to give you naked DSL would require another round with the donkey (with non-guaranteed results.)

The only thing I can think of for using a landline is a physical fax machine.  I might keep one around if I needed it, but I have no use for such a contraption, and I wouldn’t tolerate it anyways because of all the damn fax spam I see in other peoples’ trash.  If I did need faxing, I’d probably just use OS X’s built in fax server option and have them all PDFd for me.  Or use eFax.  I dunno, I haven’t thought about it that much to be honest with you.

I love my cheap, accessible cell service.  If I need to make international calls, I guess I can use SkypeOut, but I don’t need to talk with anyone outside of the states right now, so who cares?  Not me.

Fast forward to my conversation with an ATT representative this morning.  I’ve been with ATT for over 5 years, and I extended my contract another two years with the activation of my iPhone.  My fiancee has been with ATT even longer, since I was stuck in the muck that was Sprint Wireless from the time I graduated high school until that contract ran out.  She actually still has her “Pacific Bell Wireless” SIM card somewhere.  But anyways.  I love Sony Ericsson phones.  If I did not have my iPhone, I would have some manner of Sony Ericsson phone in my pocket.  They are fantastic devices.  I’ve had my W810i for over a year, but she got it when I got the iPhone.  She’s looking to get a Crackberry or something similar in the near, so the W810i would be moved to backup duty.  T-Mobile’s prepaid service is easier (and cheaper) than ATT’s, so we have one of those SIMs that would probably go into it.

The ATT rep was very nice about it, and was able to provide the unlock code immediately via SMS.  I think that this experience is a lot like people’s experience with online music.  If you give folks an EASY, reasonably priced way to legitimately unlock their phone (even if they charged $5 or $10 for it) people will not be as likely to pay for shady unlocking services and that market would dry up.  The fact that the unlock code is FREE is only icing on the cake.  ATT’s current policy seems to be really fantastic and it is one of the reasons I will continue to be a loyal customer of theirs.  I’m sure if I was requesting unlock codes multiple times per month, their willingness to provide them might be affected, but I am not a reseller.  I may not always use the unlocked phone on their network (obviously, that is the whole point of unlocking.)  But I will certainly send them my monthly check knowing that they are willing to make a customer happy by not holding on so tightly.