In what is sure to be one of the strangest and most debated Heavyweight technological showdowns of the 21st Century the FCC has called AT&T, Apple and Google to the principle’s office to get the bottom of things.

Since Apple introduced the App Store some people have defended them and their approach, “If we control the apps it will provide a better experience for everyone.”

Leading up to this, they (Apple/AT&T) have crippled the function of some major applications such as Slingbox and now Google’s apps, which have much better support on other devices on the same network such as Blackberry.

I think Apple is stuck between AT&T and the contract that they signed in trying to get their iPhone out the public with the best deal they could secure at the time.

But that excuse is starting to wear thin. In no way am I going to confuse my phone and a service that I signed up, was invited, then accepted and then installed the app on phone for the basic dialer on my phone.

My guess is AT&T viewed the next iPod of the cell phone market as the greatest thing ever for their bottom line, but underestimated the effect on their network.

When geeks across the world started using and creating programs for this device, that was bad enough, but when it hit the mainstream like AT&T had hoped it would like the iPod did they started to see the box they had opened.
Not only did they have one of the hottest selling technology devices, but it was back by a group that knew how to use it and wanted a lot from it. If that wasn’t bad enough, Apple and users were showing even more things to do with it other than check email and see some dumb down version of a website.
Now with the Google Voice app, it isn’t their data network that is in possible trouble, but their over priced SMS messaging service (Free on Google Voice) and number portability that is offered.
The outrageous data rates on SMS charged by carriers is  a know fact, the number portability is the thing that I think really gets them going. Take a tech savvy crowd, a free phone number for life, and no commitment to the old number that the carriers use to hold over you if ever though about moving on. That is the beginning of carrier impendence; the carrier and number are no longer the concern. Then it becomes the features and rates offered to you.

Now am I in no way trying to defend Apple in their choice to disapprove these items, I think it is their duty to their customers at the very least to explain exactly why programs such as these were declined and not hide behind a blanket statement.

I think if Apple had made this phone available to at least two carriers when it launched, much of the end user problems would have been avoided due to the simple fact of market competition and Apple being able to point the to the other carrier’s support or lack there of an application.

As much as I love and depend on my iPhone for my day-to-day business, I will really have start wondering what is a better value for me.

As always I can be contacted at Jparie@gmail.com, please let me know how your feel.