Update: Gente, vayanse a firmar la petición que demanda precios justos para el iPhone en Mexico: NelTelcel.com, go now!
–
The moment all us peoples south of the er, um, the southern United States border have been waiting for: Apple’s iPhone is finally coming to Mexico. Telcel is the carrier. A quick click over to Telcel’s official iPhone rate plan page and the unbearable truth starts to sink in: we may have the iPhone but Telcel’s plans totally suck. Here’s what they look like, prices are in US dollars:
iPhone rates for Mexico
| $41 |
$62 |
$83 |
| 200 minutes |
300 minutes |
400 minutes |
| 100 mbs data |
150 mbs data |
200 mbs data |
| 100 sms |
150 sms |
200 sms |
| $4/extra mb of data |
$4/extra mb of data |
$4/extra mb of data |
| 8gb iphone $310 |
8gb iphone $196 |
8gb iphone $80 |
| 16gb iphone $426 |
16gb iphone $310 |
16gb iphone $196 |
Most people outside of Mexico will be shocked by the paltry amount of minutes mexicans get for their money. Despite being a developing nation, mexicans pay more than three times what people in the states and Europe do (if you adjust for average income, it’s more like 20x). Unfortunately, Telcel enjoys a monopoly that’s well documented. High prices for talk minutes is a way of life here, most people shrug and bear it. The real kick in the pants isn’t the minutes, it’s the data.
Read the rest of this entry »
I wrote this post last year about the iPhone coming to Mexico (if/when). The post still gets comments daily, most of which point out that indeed the iPhone is available in Mexico, albeit not officially supported by any of the major carriers.
I thought I’d follow up with some up-to-date facts:
- Yes, if you’re coming from the US and want to use your iPhone in Mexico, it’ll work on the Telcel network (edge). You’ll get voice and data.
- If you’re in Mexico, you can buy an iPhone, have it unlocked/chipped and use it on Telcel’s network and Movistar’s (assumably Movistar’s network is edge, also).
These are what 90% of the commenters seem to be saying. But no one is commenting on how the iPhone works once you actually get it up and on to the network. And more importantly, how much it costs to use the iPhone.
What I’m interested in are the following:
Read the rest of this entry »
Ok, it’s official. I’m sick of hearing about the iPhone. Yes, it’s great, but sifting through 40 rss posts a day about total minutiae regarding the iPhone is way too damn much (has there ever been a device that better helps these sites sell text ads?). I’m gonna make a suggestion here: since the iPhone is in a completely different category then the mac, wouldn’t it be nice if mac rumor sites split their coverage of the Mac and iPhone into two separate sites, or the very least provide different rss feeds for the two product categories. This seems like the humane thing to do. anyone with me on that one?
WPhone and iWPhone are two wordpress plugins that reformat the Wordpress admin for easier access for iPhone users (and other smart phones in the case of WPhone). pretty sweet.
If wishes were iPhones, then beggars would call, an article about Apple’s closed system around the iPhone. Groundswell anti-iPhone sentiments are really starting to gathering steam, slick marketing can never counter this kind of bottom-up criticism. [via DF]
I’ve posted a follow up article, that takes in to account everything we’ve learned about Apple, the iPhone and Mexico since this post was published last June (’07). I’m asking iPhone in Mexico users to give us a little feedback about their experience. The new article: iPhone in Mexico: A Follow Up. I’ve turned off commenting on this post.
Ok, so I’ve been doing some noodling into whether the iphone will ever make it to Mexico. My apprehensions start with the iTunes Store, which is currently not available in Mexico. I’m not gonna conjecture on why iTunes still isn’t available here. What is important is that you need an iTunes account to use most of the data features on the iPhone. No account, no dice. My next thought was that Telcel is a GSM network, but it turns out this thought isn’t entirely correct. Telcel actually has dual GSM/Edge systems in place. Hence, if you’re vacationing in Mexico, you can get international voice/data plans from Cingular/AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile that work on Telcel’s network.
The knife in the iphone-in-mexico coffin is most likely Apple’s deal with AT&T Wireless. Telcel, having a total monopoly on the cellular market in Mexico*, will never bend to Apple getting a slice of subscription fees, conversely Telcel would most likely demand a slice of iTunes booty, for songs downloaded over the phone and it’s network (if/when it’s added as a feature). Mexico is a huge and growing economy, but 99% of the country is still buying the subsidized $40 bottom-of-the-line Nokias. I rarely ever see Blackberrys here, they aren’t even marketed or displayed within Telcel’s stores and the Hip-Top/Sidekick is nowhere to be seen.
If there is a silver lining it’s this: iPods may be a total luxury item here, but I still see them everywhere. They are the ultimate in status symbol for mexican teenagers. The Motorola RAZR was also a huge hit (although it was subsidized), it was responsible for everyone and their mother’s mother re-upping their 2 year contract with Telcel. Telcel’s monopoly (and robust network) make people sign that contract without even blinking. Who ya gonna go to, if there’s only one player in town? I learned this the hard way: when I bought my first phone, down here, I payed full price without a contract and then found out that there is no other provider I could switch to even if I wanted.
So, to sum it up: the tech is here, iTunes Store is not, Telcel is a huge obstacle and I’m not quite sure if the market is ready for the iPhone. It may make one helluva splash with the fresas and the business community, but I don’t know if there is a large enough market to interest Apple. If I had a Magic 8 Ball, I’m sure it would say something like: “Dude, you’re SOL. Keep dreaming.”
Until the iPhone gets here I’ll keep dreaming, in the meantime, I’m going to NYC next week and I can’t wait to get my grubby mits all over one at the 5th Ave Apple store.
Update: I stumbled upon this post at mobilmag.com, in the comments someone writes, in spanish, that he hears from a reliable source, that the iPhone is coming to Mexico in September and Telcel will carry it. I am dubious, but I hold out a child-like hope that it’s true. I believe everything I read on the internets.
–
