Yesterday, for example, I found myself on my couch surfing on my iPhone (via Safari) while watching TV, while my computer was sitting about 5 feet away from me.  I could have gotten up to use my computer, but the problem is that its facing away from the TV.

Yes, aside from the thought “jeebus, WHEN did you get so colossal lazy?”, the other thought that also popped into my mind was that the browser in the iPhone was perfectly acceptable for recreational surfing.  And it allowed me to surf while doing all kinds of things, including watching TV, without hauling out my laptop *and* a TV tray *and* its electric plug.

(having a baby meant getting rid of that TV tray, as its an object with a high center of gravity, and a high risk of damaging small fleshy things, which would put me at a higher risk of getting personally damaged by my wife)

So, its no surprise when I heard that the iPhone, as a means browse the internet, has actually *doubled* its share of the browsing pie. This isn’t merely mobile browsing, but *all* browsing.  Now, the actual numbers are a lot more humble than what I thought, at about 0.3%, but given the kind of positive experiences I’ve been having I’m not at all surprised.

I do wonder if and when Apple grants people the ability to use the iPhone as a tethering device for laptops, how it might change the uptake for the iPhone as a browsing experience.  Not that its currently being allowed in the States, but apparently, in just another month its coming to Canada. Tell you what: when it does come, I’ll try it and let you know. ;)

Most of it being negative, thanks to Rogers’ bald-faced, shamelessly blatant attempt at profiteering, that is, as one glance at their voice and data plans suggest.

I have nothing further to add, actually, other than to say that at times like this, I begin to wish and hope with all my might that companies that happily provide so little and ask for so much, get their delicious comeuppance.

Not just the usual “demand is soft, interest is down, Rogers stock takes a brief dip and everyone moves on”.

No, I mean some sort of catastrophic, humiliating, trip on that step you didn’t see in front of a world-wide audiene, public pie-in-your face, step in a cow-pattie at your wedding kind of comeuppance.

I mean, I don’t think it will actually happen come July 11th, but hey — a man can only hope.

{although some more recent news suggests that perhaps Apple might snub Rogers after all}

I had commented on this discrepancy in a prior post, but its worth mentioning in brief: In the United States, Apple’s iPhone (via AT&T) data package *starts* with unlimited data.  Such a thing doesn’t really exist in Canada, but if it did, would, I’m sure, require you to hand over your first born child, in addition to the mortgage of your house.  In the meantime, we get the privilege of getting 20 megabytes per month for the same price, which really is a pissant sum of data.  If you start out at a lower data package (for the Blackberry, for example), you’ll pay through the nose as you’ll almost certainly go over 1 megabyte simply by checking email and the odd blog page {I speak through experience}.

It turns out that Apple is going to enforce some reasonable standard as it applies to data transfer packages, as it has done in the US, and in the soon-to-be-forthcoming UK and Germany.  And to this I say “bravo”, and “hooray”.

The oligopoly that exists in Canada as it refers to most things, but not limited to mobile carriers, means that the free market determines squat, and everyone gets the benefit of paying higher “we-swear-we’re-not-colluding” prices.

The snarky translation to this is that no one is ever going to make Rogers (or Fido, or Bell, or what have you) charge *less* because there is no real business reason to do so — until now.

So while I’ve been critical of Apple in the past, I am all for a company that improves the lot of consumers everywhere — at least all individuals who have a mobile phone that is.  Because make no mistake: if Rogers is forced to offer a more generous data package, it will necessarily have to start lowering / improving all of its mobile packages across the board, and all of the other mobile carriers will undoubtedly follow suit.

I mean, that would make sense, anyway — but, I’m sure the cynic in all of us (who are familiar with such shennanigans) aren’t quite holding their breath just yet.

Is the iPhone the Invention of the Year? There might be more important inventions made this year, but I don’t think there was one that was more hotly debated or industry-changing as the iPhone.  So on those grounds my vote is a “yes” .

Mat Ingram points out that the price might be around $CAD 499 for an 8 gigabyte phone for a 3 year plan.

Personally, I don’t think its coming before Christmas, if only that I would have expected there to be some kind of huge marketing run up well *before* Christmas for the iPhone. God knows that you can see enough of them in Canada already by the Canadian faithful who have purchased them across the border (or, who have gotten them through other enterprising Canadians).

There are two other issues, of course, which makes its debut here — versus the US — even more interesting.

Price: Given the recent surge of the Canadian dollar (above par compared to the USD on most days now) — or the fall of the US dollar — there’s a tremendous amount of consumer pressure these days to have comparable products priced similarly here as in the United States. Am I the only one curious to see how Rogers will actually price the iPhone? I’m sure there are daily debates going on at the highest level about the pressure to absolutely ream its customers on the price vs. the public outcry against the artificially high price bump, as we’re on par with the USD now. $499 for an 8 gig model would probably be right, but its still $100 more than the same piece of technology across the border.

Data plan: I’ve written about this before, but its worth mentioning — Canadians pay more per megabyte than almost any one else in the world as it applies to wireless data plans. Let’s compare the plans for the iPhone with AT&T and, for example, a comparable plan with the BlackBerry for Rogers.

The entry plan with AT&T starts at $59.99 and you get “unlimited data and text” with 450 minutes of voice. My eyes almost fell out their head when I read that the first time.

Rogers? For $60, you get 25 megabytes of data and *nothing* else (i.e. no voice). Oh, you do get the benefit of paying an extra $7 per MB for every megabyte you go over.

So am I waiting for the iPhone in Canada? Of course I am. But only because I’ll be interested to hear the consumer debate over the whole issue as, if history is any indication, Rogers will want to milk us for all its worth — and with the Canadian dollar being on par as it is, everyone will be able to quantify exactly *how* large a new one its ripping us.

<edit!>Well, I thought I would just embed it but it breaks my theme.Check out the video over here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RdHv9jw84k

I understand that technology drops in price. I think its a given these days that technology is somewhat disposable that way. I get it. Most people do. But the question here isn’t one of principle. Its one of scale. How fast things are changing. A slippery slope.

I mean, does it bother me that the rear projection high definition 42″ television that I bought 4 years ago can now be had for less than 1/3 of the price? Of course. But it doesn’t really get me *angry* because its a slow process that happened over a few years time.

But a 33% drop in 66 days?

Come on, man!

That’s approaching new levels of absurdity! Unless, of course, its a tell on behalf of Steve Jobs that he’s not happy with how fast his Jesus phones are moving (or, perhaps not), and not reaching the supposed 3 million units sold in a year.

Maybe.

At any rate, I think the price drop is significant for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is that it sets a precedent. A happy precedent for some (the later adopters), and an unhappy for others (extra early adopters). I mean, if this kind of ridiculousness is par for the course, what else can we expect in the future?

$500 drops on the next iMac 6 months after its released? $750 rebates off the next Macbook 3 months after its launched?

Or should we only expect it if sales aren’t quite hitting their targets?

Some people, such as Robert Scoble, don’t really mind that they paid a $200 premium for the geekish privilege of having such a Sacred Object. Which is fine. I think companies like Apple need *more* fans like him, and not less, when Apple pulls stunts like these.  I mean, you have to be “ok” with things even when Apple treats you, its early adopters, and its business partners like chumps.

I mean if it*wasn’t* about the bottom line? Steve Jobs wouldn’t be issuing $100 credits, but full $200 ones.