An interesting fact about CDMA handsets is they’re also provider locked, and while they can be unlocked the difficulty level is rather high. Also, SIM locking is a common practice among GSM providers and the practice of allowing the handset to be unlocked in the United States is fairly recent.

Further on the quality of third party apps, mobile app writers never put forth the QA effort required to create an app that doesn’t drastically destabilize the device. However, I agree, I’d prefer high-quality native apps over web-based ones.

However I do agree. Locking the handset to a particular provider was unlike Apple, which usually prefers to stand apart as a technology company, and has made it less available to consumers locked in with competitors and who don’t want to pay exhorbitant contract cancellation fees.

The applications front is a giant question mark. Nobody knows why Apple won’t allow native apps. Whatever the reason is, there are at least three companies which have expressed an interest in developing for the iPhone but won’t, as you mention because Apple doesn’t support it.

All told, the current selection of apps and the limited (but increasing) international coverage of the phone seem to place it at some sort of beta stage in its operational lifetime.

The very fact that Apple went with AT&T is an _issue_, it should _not_ be accepted and defended in the first place. Apple have nothing to do with any of the telecoms, and they should not have anything to do with them. Apple are an independent developer of the device and they should be sold as such. If whatever company wants to approach Apple and offer some kind of contractual agreement where they will sell Apple’s iPhone for say $100 cheaper but to get the deal the customer has to sign up with that particular carrier would be acceptable.

Even from financial perspective of Apple making money from every AT&T contract, Apple would have made by far more money by not alienating users from every other major provider (Sprint, Verizon, T-mobile, and other _huge_ companies), not to mention the rest of the world. I obviously want the device, and so does my sister, the problem is I am currently on Verizon with a family plan that has 4 lines. For me to switch to AT&T I would have to pay $175 per line to end the contract ($700), and on top of that buy the actual phones. I am fucked out of $700 because Apple pursued an _unnecessary_ contract with AT&T.

The people who actually went and bought the phone on different providers and different countries are the biggest Apple fans who are willing to take the blind risk. Apple _fucked_ those people.

The fact that Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Palm devices/software suck is not good enough of an excuse for Apple sucking. The reason the 3rd party applications suck is because no legit company will put money into developing something that has no legal security at all. Not only that but the developers are getting no help or API’s to work with at all. The people who actually attempted to develop apps for the iPhone are the buggest Apple fans who are willing to take the blind risk. Apple _fucked_ those people too.