As a three customer I find this action very disconcerting. It's either a PR wonder stroke or a nightmare. Has desperation forced their hand? This is a negotiation that should be controlled at the very top corporate levels not with the customer. How can the senior management at Apple respect a company that has basically just collapsed to it's hands and knees and begged it's not very large customer base to succeed where they obviously have failed.

The iPhone was no big secret - everyone knew well in advance the impact of this device. This is either a monumental lack of foresight or a complete failing at negotiating a deal. None of the online 3 services are particularly useful to me and I certainly couldn't care less if they were on my phone or not. Perhaps by demanding the iPhone carry these services they got a negative result - who knows? - Well someone does. But this kind of stunt only helps to re-enforce a complete lack of corporate vision. I think I will jump ship even sooner than planned.

I really wonder if that is really Steve Jobs though.. I'd be really impressed if it was..

hers their link

3 Shop Direct Blog

i've actually been wondering about it since too, mechcon, and i have to say it would be pretty cool if it was. apologies for my initial cynicism.

Thanks for the link.

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3 Shop Direct Blog Blog Archive Sending Apple your iPhone message is the link directly to (apparently?) Steve's comment..

What does it take to get to the execs at the telcos to realise hat all we want is the wide open internet on our phone, so stop forcing your walled garden content portal nonsense down our throats. Make it a paid option for your customers who DO need the hand-holding. No surprise if Apple turned them (and Telstra) down because they wanted to hardcode their own homepage or add their own branding to the iPhone.

And now they are realising that the iPhone closes, which may have better specs, will not come close in matching the market penetration and hence support as the iPhone. With this realisation comes the realisation that they will loose out on the foundation of a big new market sector, one that will use large amounts of data. And this is justs 3's pathetic attempt to get the iPhone back.

And serves them right, why should we be forced to get branded phones?

I'm surprised though, I didn't make the connection between 3 and Hutchinson earlier, why wouldn't Apple have given Hutchinson global access to the iPhone when they gave it to Macau/HK? UK Hutchinson was also left in the cold.

Exactly - all I want my mobile telco to be is a dumb pipe to the internet and let me make phone calls & SMS and hold my voicemail, that's all.

I couldn't agree more. I just posted on 3's pathetic blog to the same effect. Too little too late. The losers are trying to pass the blame to Apple for their own failure to do something earlier.

Paulm

here's an idea for the telcos: Instead of badgering Apple for customised/branded firmware, get into the iPhone Developer program and download the SDK and write your own custom app that gives your customers one-touch access to Whereis Maps, Trading Post, Bigpond, Planet 3, Vodafone Live, or whatever existing content you already have. Sell it on the iPhone App Store, or heck, even make it a free download to whoever wants it. That way the customers who DO find them useful can still get them, while the others are spared the crap.

Sorry. People buying Futurama DVDs got Futurama back in production.

Next!

Agree completley jonathanpoh, there's nothing more frustrating than crap that comes pre-loaded on devices (be it mobile phones, computers, PDAs etc..)

By making stuff like that available from the App store they could actually make a bit of money from it..

because people wouldn't download it....and the telcos/providers would loose out

I know I wouldn't download an app specifically for three content .. I find the whole planet three thing is quite annoying...maybe a simple app / url that lets me get to the mythree billing details etc would be useful but trying to 'value add' by locking you into poor content is really a step backwards.

I want an iphone :-)

the only thing the "petition" really shows is how many cranky customers 3 will have if they don't sort it out.... Except for those locked into a contract (to a financially detrimental impact / which is case by case) the petition basically gives three a perspective on the volume of those considering changing providers.

what is more important to those registering? Getting a new iphone or staying with three?