Thursday, October 19, 2006
One Way an iPhone Won't Suck
I have Sprint PCS PowerVision with Sprint Ultimate TV. It's all you can eat TV with a few live channels 24 hours a day using broadband EVDO.
I can watch Jay Leno's monologue or get the latest news from NBC, CNN, or FOX. The other day I listened to the Cardinal's playoff game live while watching my daughter play at the park. On the MetroLink I kept up with my favorite NFL team by viewing live play by play (text and graphics) on the phone. For the last nine months it has been wonderful. Then something changed.. Popup Ads came back into my life. When I now attempt to view a video I first have to click through a screen like this:
Since converting to Macintosh in 2004 I hadn't seen a popup.
Ranting time..
I am a paying customer. If I was a happy Juno/NetZero user, lovingly using his free internet service to read email in a tiny window surrounded by popup ads, maybe this wouldn't bother me.
Example of a Juno window with ads.
Part II: There are No Smoke Filled Rooms in Cupertino.
I picture a bunch of greedy sales/marketing execs in a smoke filled room at Sprint HQ chomping on cigars and blowing smoke rings in their high-back leather chairs:
Apple is rumored to be planning their own mobile phone. I can tell you one feature it won't have -- popup ads. Why? Apple wants to delight their users. Apparantly Sprint wants to exploit their customers. Examples are endless.. Dell and Microsoft cram trial software on new computers in hopes you will ante up for the real thing. Most reasonable people understand advertising, but won't tolerate it for a premium service. Can you imagine HBO with ads?
I can watch Jay Leno's monologue or get the latest news from NBC, CNN, or FOX. The other day I listened to the Cardinal's playoff game live while watching my daughter play at the park. On the MetroLink I kept up with my favorite NFL team by viewing live play by play (text and graphics) on the phone. For the last nine months it has been wonderful. Then something changed.. Popup Ads came back into my life. When I now attempt to view a video I first have to click through a screen like this:
Since converting to Macintosh in 2004 I hadn't seen a popup.
Ranting time..
I am a paying customer. If I was a happy Juno/NetZero user, lovingly using his free internet service to read email in a tiny window surrounded by popup ads, maybe this wouldn't bother me.
Example of a Juno window with ads.I picture a bunch of greedy sales/marketing execs in a smoke filled room at Sprint HQ chomping on cigars and blowing smoke rings in their high-back leather chairs:
Experienced Marketing Dude:
We can get $40,000 a week extra on the PowerVision with popup ads!
Inexperienced Minion (holding tray of Starbucks coffees):
But the users will find it irritating and switch to our competitors.
Experienced Marketing Dude:
Your fired.
Apple is rumored to be planning their own mobile phone. I can tell you one feature it won't have -- popup ads. Why? Apple wants to delight their users. Apparantly Sprint wants to exploit their customers. Examples are endless.. Dell and Microsoft cram trial software on new computers in hopes you will ante up for the real thing. Most reasonable people understand advertising, but won't tolerate it for a premium service. Can you imagine HBO with ads?
