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they AREN'T open. That's the problem. The underlying OS might be mostly open. But the hardware you buy is as closed as it gets. You as the paying customer are

by pilif 16y ago

they AREN'T open. That's the problem. The underlying OS might be mostly open. But the hardware you buy is as closed as it gets. You as the paying customer are at the mercy of your carriers ideas about how they can increase their revenue. That's what we get from that crazy model of handsets being subsidized by carriers. If people didn't expect a (mostly) free phone every year or two, with some likelihood, this would stop as people would want to demand to get what they pay for.

orangecat 16y ago
That's what we get from that crazy model of handsets being subsidized by carriers. Exactly, and unfortunately that's what "we" want. Google tried to break that dysfunctional model with the Nexus One, but most people can't get past the initial $529 price. I wish they at least tried to explain how you can end up saving a lot by using T-Mobile's contract-free plans.
- cheald 16y ago
  > but most people can't get past the initial $529 price. Sadly, this is very true. I bought an unlocked Nexus One, and people ooh and ahh over it, but when they ask me how much I paid for it, they blanch. At that point, they stop listening, even though I go on to explain that it ends up costing me less over time than if I'd bought a cheaper-up-front subsidized phone. It's really a reflection of our credit card culture. Many people consider $600 over 12 months (Only $50/month!) to be cheaper than $500 all at once (OMG, my bank account!).
  - omaranto 16y ago
    Stop saying How much you paid for it, instead say X over 3 years of owning it, compared to Y for an iPhone over 3 years. After that, if they ask, say how much the phone itself costs.
isleyaardvark 16y ago
That's why I put "open" in quotation marks. I'd like open platforms to succeed, but I think there are some inherent problems - namely at the hardware level any platform will likely tend to get closed off. The carriers are to blame this time, but we saw a similar thing happen with computer manufacturers putting all sorts of crap on the desktop.

by pilif 16y ago

orangecat 16y ago

That's what we get from that crazy model of handsets being subsidized by carriers. Exactly, and unfortunately that's what "we" want. Google tried to break that dysfunctional model with the Nexus One, but most people can't get past the initial $529 price. I wish they at least tried to explain how you can end up saving a lot by using T-Mobile's contract-free plans.

cheald 16y ago
> but most people can't get past the initial $529 price. Sadly, this is very true. I bought an unlocked Nexus One, and people ooh and ahh over it, but when they ask me how much I paid for it, they blanch. At that point, they stop listening, even though I go on to explain that it ends up costing me less over time than if I'd bought a cheaper-up-front subsidized phone. It's really a reflection of our credit card culture. Many people consider $600 over 12 months (Only $50/month!) to be cheaper than $500 all at once (OMG, my bank account!).
- omaranto 16y ago
  Stop saying How much you paid for it, instead say X over 3 years of owning it, compared to Y for an iPhone over 3 years. After that, if they ask, say how much the phone itself costs.

isleyaardvark 16y ago

That's why I put "open" in quotation marks. I'd like open platforms to succeed, but I think there are some inherent problems - namely at the hardware level any platform will likely tend to get closed off. The carriers are to blame this time, but we saw a similar thing happen with computer manufacturers putting all sorts of crap on the desktop.