We were surprised when Canadian wireless carrier Rogers said it would charge its iPhone customers $100 per month for a decent-size mobile Internet plan. More shocking: The excuses they're using to explain why it took a massive Internet protest to get them to cut that to $30/month. From WSJ:
Rogers said that at first it didn't have a lot of information about how customers wanted to use the new 3G iPhone. As that information became available, Rogers said it became clear that customers were eager to use the device's data capabilities to the fullest potential, so it responded with Wednesday's price initiative.
Seriously? Is that even possible? We're just lowly writers, not mobile industry professionals, and even we've noted several times how voraciously iPhone owners use the web on their phones. And surely a few Rogers execs watched Steve Jobs' iPhone SDK speech on March 6, during which he said the iPhone's MobileSafari represents 71% of U.S. mobile browser usage.
And here's a few fresh stats from research firm comScore M:Metrics:
- 89% of iPhone subscribers use the Web on their phones, vs. 15% of the overall mobile market
- 83% of iPhone subs use email, vs. 13% overall
- 60% of iPhone subs use search, vs. 7% overall
- 50% of iPhone subs visit social networking sites or blogs, vs. 6% overall
So Rogers: Do you get it now? And have you fired whoever made that "we didn't know!" excuse yet?
See Also:
Where Apple's New iPhone Doesn't Help: AT&T's 3G Dead Zones
Apple's iPhone App Store: 500 Apps, Most Under $10, On Sale Now
Canada's Rogers Caves, Cuts Idiotic iPhone Service Prices
