The Author – Bart Busschots
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Feb
28
iPhone Comes to Ireland in March
Filed Under Computers & Tech on February 28, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Well, it’s official, Ireland is getting the iPhone on the 14th of March 2008 exclusively from O2. You can get all the details on this page on the O2 site. That pretty much settles it, my next cellphone will be an iPhone. However, I’m not going to be rushing to buy one on the 14th. I have a perfectly functional cellphone and until that changes I won’t be getting and iPhone. Mind you, if I was less broke I might be more inclined to go out and grab one sooner.
The prices are as I’d expected. The Dollar prices with a Euro sign instead, in other words, standard Apple prices. I’m not impressed by the available contracts though. The lack of an unlimited data plan really stands out as a shortcoming in my book. Mind you, our cell networks are rather poor once you leave the confines of Dublin city so it will probably be a non-issue for quite some time to come. One nice thing is that it’s ‘only’ an 18 month contract, longer than the average here, but shorter than the two years in America.
[tags]iPhone, Ireland, O2[/tags]
I’d agree that the lack of an unlimited data plan is amazingingly poor. We must be the only market in the word which doesn’t offer one for the iPhone. However, the comment that the mobile networks are “rather poor” outside Dublin really spoils this blog with its “Dublin is the centre of the Universe” attitude.
Hi Alec,
Are you saying that we have good data networks nation wide? I’m in Kildare and even here we have poor data networks. I really wish we had a solid nation-wide data network but I really don’t think we do. I am of course open to correction.
I don’t condone a Dublin is the centre of the universe attitude, I deplore the fact that the government and others have such an attitude. I wish things weren’t like that but sadly I think they are.
Bart.
[…] iPhone Comes to Ireland in March […]
I don’t want to get into a hollering match about mobile coverage but I think that we have good signals almost everywhere albeit with dead spots (often in the very place you want to use your phone!!) As for the Government having a Dublincentric attitude – do I not remember a huge outcry when they introduced decentralisation:->
Hi Alec,
I’m not talking about regular coverage but data coverage. The only data device I have at the moment is a 3G data modem and I’m not at all impressed with the coverage outside of Dublin. The days when mobile phones stop working when you head away from major towns are long gone but good 3G coverage is far from ubiquitous. I know the iPhone uses Edge but I’d be shocked if out edge networks were better than our 3G networks.
As for decentralisation, we don’t have it in this country. What decentralisation actually means is taking power away from central government and giving it to local governments. Our government is NOT proposing to do this, it’s just playing musical chairs with civil servants and pretending that’s decentralisation. It’s also being done in a retarded way. One of the marine based offices is moving to Cavan of all places, a totally land-locked county!
Anyhow, to get back to my point, our nationwide data coverage sucks so most people won’t hit the 1G limit because they won’t be able to unless they live in a large urban centre.
Bart.
I’ve an Xda Orbit, from O2. It has more features than the iPhone and looks better too.
I won’t be switching.
Bart,
Happy to accept that what you MEANT was data coverage and also happy that that’s variable in rural areas. Would have been nice if you had SAID that though.
As far as decentralisation is concerned, I was using the term in the sense that it was introduced i.e. relocation of government departments out of Dublin. I’m sure you’ll also accept that it doesn’t matter what Dept is where, since all communication with these Depts is either by mail or electronically so where they move to is a spurious argument…
Lets stop arguing about semantics and see if we can mobilise iPhone users (like me) to batter the walls of the O2 bastion and get them to see sense in their price plans and also not allowing imported iPhones onto their price plans AT ALL.
Cheers
Alec
Hi Alec,
Just a last thing on decentralisation. I think it does make a difference where things are because not everything can be done virtually. Also, Bertie doesn’t get to change the meaning of words. Almost everyone in Ireland thinks that we’ve been promised decentralisation when all we’ve actually been promised is relocation of the same central government departments.
As for O2, I think the best we can all do is vote with our feet as it were. Don’t pay O2 the exorbitant rates and continue to use hacked iPhones. I wonder if it would actually be cheaper to get one up north and roam all the time?
Bart.