Another boring money post

[mraynrand]

I have no idea if it will be an iPhone. It probably won't be. 10 years is a long way away. One thing is for sure, though: It will be a smart phone in a dock. That one you can write in ink. That's happening.

The faster that happens the better. However, with my experiences with rate and tax and sur charges, I'm not looking forward to the day that everything is in the cloud and pay-for-service. I think they are going to gouge the hell out of us. And then, much like ATMs, credit cards, and bank fees, they will legislate it so that the ants pay for the locusts.

[Partial]

The faster that happens the better. However, with my experiences with rate and tax and sur charges, I'm not looking forward to the day that everything is in the cloud and pay-for-service. I think they are going to gouge the hell out of us. And then, much like ATMs, credit cards, and bank fees, they will legislate it so that the ants pay for the locusts.

I worry about that too. Data plans today are absolutely ridiculous. This is why I don't own an iPhone. Don't want to pay big bucks for the wireless when I'm surrounded by wifi all day. I don't understand how these carriers aren't hauling in ridiculous profits.

Having said that, I have to imagine that someone will disrupt this market. In the next few years, someone will introduce shared data across multiple lines that will bring the price down. After that, companies will be able to buy large data blocks. As LTE and the future gens of wireless progress, the cost to provide the data will become cheaper and cheaper. Hopefully that helps.

[retailguy]

The faster that happens the better. However, with my experiences with rate and tax and sur charges, I'm not looking forward to the day that everything is in the cloud and pay-for-service. I think they are going to gouge the hell out of us. And then, much like ATMs, credit cards, and bank fees, they will legislate it so that the ants pay for the locusts.

I worry about that too. Data plans today are absolutely ridiculous. This is why I don't own an iPhone. Don't want to pay big bucks for the wireless when I'm surrounded by wifi all day. I don't understand how these carriers aren't hauling in ridiculous profits.

Having said that, I have to imagine that someone will disrupt this market. In the next few years, someone will introduce shared data across multiple lines that will bring the price down. After that, companies will be able to buy large data blocks. As LTE and the future gens of wireless progress, the cost to provide the data will become cheaper and cheaper. Hopefully that helps.

Well, the TV market is a lot more mature than the smartphone/wireless internet market.

Do we have choice there? Are there a bunch of companies out there offering cheap TV service? No? Why not?

One reason is that the barriers to entry are huge. Not very many folks can launch satellites into space. Cable companies are a regulated market. Cities and towns only allow ONE, in rare instances, TWO. Now there are occasional options for a second provider using telephone lines, but largely there isn't choice because of barriers of entry.

Costs are high, and rising.

Why will the smartphone industry be different? Cities and towns already regulate the number of towers and location of them. Barriers to entry are large, and competition is low to the point of 4 major providers. All "sub tier" providers have to use tower space from the big 4. The big 4 controls the leases, and the terms of those leases.

So, you, or me are just gonna waltz into the big 4 and demand a contract so we can "knock off" the subscriber base with cheap internet? Yeah. That's not likely to happen anytime soon. It'll take a technological shift that probably isn't even in the making, especially since clear wireless teamed up with Sprint. That was probably the best hope.

[MJZiggy]

I worry about that too. Data plans today are absolutely ridiculous. This is why I don't own an iPhone. Don't want to pay big bucks for the wireless when I'm surrounded by wifi all day. I don't understand how these carriers aren't hauling in ridiculous profits.

Having said that, I have to imagine that someone will disrupt this market. In the next few years, someone will introduce shared data across multiple lines that will bring the price down. After that, companies will be able to buy large data blocks. As LTE and the future gens of wireless progress, the cost to provide the data will become cheaper and cheaper. Hopefully that helps.

Wait a fucking second here!!!! All this shit you're doling out and you don't even own an iPhone? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAAAA!!!!!!!!! You have to be absolutely shitting me! So then this begs the question: when a ringing sound comes from your pocket, exactly what device is it that you put against your ear?????