4 ms·

AT&T didn't just come out and install a newer telephone because they had a newer model. If the equipment is fit for the service why replace it?

by Aloha 7y ago

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
If you rent a $100 device at $10 a month for 10 years you end up paying $1200 and still not owning it. I can see why consumers and consumer advocate groups don’t like this.
- Aloha 7y ago
  The customer should always have the option to buy their own hardware - that's to me something that was fought for (and won) with Carterphone
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
    Sorry, I managed to reply to the wrong comment.
wmf 7y ago
I should have said they were renting very old and inadequate equipment; it wasn't fine and they knew it.
dredmorbius 7y ago
AT&T later in its history, 1960s - 1970s, offered the option of uplines (touch-tone, "Streamline", "Princess", and eventually Mickey Mouse telephones) as service upgrades. So there wasn't no interest in innovation, though I'd agree with the general view that the interest was low.
- Aloha 7y ago
  None of those were real technical improvements over the 500/2500 set however, they were upgrades designed to please the customer aesthetically. Meaning, all of those sets performed more or less (in some cases less, specifically in certain special service applications) identically to a 2500/500, and at least one of those was a 2500 in a mouse shaped box. Touch-Tone was actually a value add for the telco because it reduced register holding times in crossbar switches, and could reduce the amount of common control hardware needed, yet they still charged more for it (and the service too) (Also, I think you mean trimline not streamline)
  - dredmorbius 7y ago
    Thanks, yes, Trimline. I'm really not going to try to defend AT&T's specific level of innovation. I'm noting, however, that the possibility of offering a range of hardware at a range of price levels and allowing for volitional subscriber updates is possible, and was practiced.

AT&T didn't just come out and install a newer telephone because they had a newer model. If the equipment is fit for the service why replace it?

by Aloha 7y ago

AT&T didn't just come out and install a newer telephone because they had a newer model. If the equipment is fit for the service why replace it?

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago

If you rent a $100 device at $10 a month for 10 years you end up paying $1200 and still not owning it. I can see why consumers and consumer advocate groups don’t like this.

Aloha 7y ago
The customer should always have the option to buy their own hardware - that's to me something that was fought for (and won) with Carterphone
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
  Sorry, I managed to reply to the wrong comment.

wmf 7y ago

I should have said they were renting very old and inadequate equipment; it wasn't fine and they knew it.

dredmorbius 7y ago

AT&T later in its history, 1960s - 1970s, offered the option of uplines (touch-tone, "Streamline", "Princess", and eventually Mickey Mouse telephones) as service upgrades. So there wasn't no interest in innovation, though I'd agree with the general view that the interest was low.

Aloha 7y ago
None of those were real technical improvements over the 500/2500 set however, they were upgrades designed to please the customer aesthetically. Meaning, all of those sets performed more or less (in some cases less, specifically in certain special service applications) identically to a 2500/500, and at least one of those was a 2500 in a mouse shaped box. Touch-Tone was actually a value add for the telco because it reduced register holding times in crossbar switches, and could reduce the amount of common control hardware needed, yet they still charged more for it (and the service too) (Also, I think you mean trimline not streamline)
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  Thanks, yes, Trimline. I'm really not going to try to defend AT&T's specific level of innovation. I'm noting, however, that the possibility of offering a range of hardware at a range of price levels and allowing for volitional subscriber updates is possible, and was practiced.