[MRVphotog]

Since AT&T is the exclusive carrier and has zero coverage in Vermont, the iPhones will not even be availible in Vermont. Coverage is spotty in NH and Maine as well. I assume this stinks for a local Apple store, Small Dog Electronics, and their new store in Burlington.

I guess wifi works but not much of that in Vermont either. Personally, I couldn't care less but i assume there has got to be some Vermonters, who were waiting, like millions of other folks, to get their hands on one.

[vter]

Like you, I couldnt care less!
The Small Dog store on Dorset Street seems to be doing really well. There are usually lots of cars parked right in front of it (although, they could be going to EMS I suppose). I bought my iPOD there and the service was great.

[tkln]

I don't own a cell phone.

Yes, you read right. I'm 34, and refuse to spend money on something I didn't need before, and don't need now.

But I'm a Mac head. And I can't deny that I have been salivating over the iPhone. Do I need it? Nope. Can I afford it? Nope. Will I get it? Not now...but maybe one day!!

My mom has AT&T - we were up visiting Memorial Day weekend and she had amazing service - much better than my fiancé's Verizon - was she roaming or something? Will the iPhone not work when roaming? (sorry, since I don't own a cell, I also don't know much about how the whole coverage thing operates).

[MRVphotog]

I don't have a cell phone either but my wife and kids do. They have Verizon which is very spotty. I remember about 5 years ago a company from Maine proposed putting cell towers along I89 but didn't get very far.

There have been a couple of times where there were bad accidents on I89 in "coverage dead zones" and being unable to call for help, state officials want to improve coverage.

Back in Maine they put a cell tower inside the steeple of the church in the center of my town. Seems like a win-win when done that way

[tkln]

Ironically, I subscribe to Small Dog's email digest, and this is part of what I just received in my inbox:

Don's Comments on the iPhone

I was interviewed a few times by the local press when the iPhone was
first announced and have fielded some more calls from reporters now
that the iPhone is going to be released today. One Kibbles & Bytes
reader took me to task, rightfully, for ignoring the elephant in the
room in last week's Kibble.

I have to admit that I have very mixed feelings about the iPhone. I
am very excited for Apple. Apple does not need to obsess about
growing market share, if they can continue to develop new markets!
The iPhone is going to be huge and a significant advancement for
Apple. It will probably be even larger, someday, than the iPod
business. The reviews of the iPhone that I have seen have all
confirmed that the hype is justified by the ingenious engineering and
product design of the product. I want one REALLY BAD. I want one
and I want to be able to offer the iPod to Small Dog's customers,
however, neither of those are going to happen, at least in the short
term.

Hence, my mixed feelings. Vermont is the only state in the USA that
does not have a single AT & T/Cingular tower. The whole state is
basically frozen out of the iPhone market by Apple's decision to have
an exclusive arrangement with AT & T regardless of the fact that AT &
T does not offer service in Vermont and much of northern New England
as well as in many rural areas throughout the country. Even though
Vermont has an extensive GSM network, we will not be able to use the
iPhone. We have had many discussions (and many offers) about setting
up an account in an AT & T area and then using the phone on the GSM
network here. While that would work in theory, in fact, what
happens is that if you primarily use an AT &T phone(iPhone) in a
roaming area, they will eventually cancel your account. This has
already happened to some folks here, even before the iPhone was
announced. Apple has also apparently locked the iPhone so that it
will only work on the AT& T system, so buying an iPhone and simply
replacing the SIM card is not an option either. I'm not moving
from my beloved Green Mountains (see above) so I guess I'll just have
to be patient and hope that Apple will release compatible iPhones
that can be used in Vermont in the future.

Small Dog Electronics will not be able to sell the iPhone,
notwithstanding the issue of coverage, as Apple has limited sales to
their own stores, their on-line store and A T & T-owned stores. This
means that the entire Apple reseller community, the most enthusiastic
and expert Apple advocates on the planet, will not be able to sell
the latest technological marvel from our primary supplier. Apple
Specialists are mostly "specialty retail" stores that serve loyal
customers and fill "white space" locations where Apple does not yet
have a bricks and mortar presence. In these locations, we are the
Apple store. Well, not officially, but our customers look at us as
being their local Apple resource and it is always difficult to
explain why we do not have the same products (iPhone, Product RED
iPods) or offer the same services and resources as an Apple retail
store. We have been Apple resellers in the darkest days of Apple,
when the press wasn't writing such flattering stories and the Apple
death knell was the story of the day. Apple Specialists hung with
Apple and it hurts to see us forced into the role of second class
resellers.

But enough of those sour grapes, I'm a perpetual optimist, it is part
of my character. So, the good news is that the iPhone is going to
make Apple stronger and that the pipeline of products coming from
Cupertino is quite full. We have our hands full selling and
marketing Macs, Apple software and iPods. I would love to expand to
include the iPhone but not having that product will allow us to do an
even better job of growing Apple's market share for Macs. The iPod
and the iPhone are really a super highway for switchers. Once
windoze users get a taste of Apple's approach to computing and
software through iTunes and now, Safari, the job of convincing them
to consider switching to a Mac is easier.

I also think that this iPhone is just the start. The product I really
want is the Wi-FI version of the iPhone. All of the features of the
iPhone except that phone calls are all VOIP and free! I know that
Apple sees the iPhone as a third leg of their stool. It will spawn a
bunch of add-on accessories and products. If initial estimates are
even close, Apple will have the resources from IPhone sales to take
it to the next level and have many versions of the iPhone and I'll
just bet that one of those, one of these days will work in Vermont
and other areas not served by A T & T.

We are debating whether we should handle iPhone accessories. Right
now, I think we are going to decline to carry them because we cannot
sell or support the iPhone. After all, I do not carry Zune
accessories and unfortunately, Apple has made the iPhone into an
Apple Specialist's Zune.

It is going to be fun to watch all the frenzy about the iPhone and
our message should be clear. The iPhone is a revolutionary product
and is a fantastic opportunity for Apple. If you live where there is
A T & T wireless service, you are going to want an iPhone. I REALLY
WANT ONE!

So that answers my question about why it won't work when roaming!!