Why the iPhone Won’t Make it to Canada

[admin]

Apple fanatics north of the border may have world class hockey and universal health care, but they won’t be getting the iPhone. That’s right! The nation that gave American Northeast colleges the sport of Lacrosse is in the midst of a telecommunications dark age. Canadian telcos are too fat, lazy and stupid to be able to secure a deal with a company that wants to bring a market to the nations digital wireless networks.


Discuss "Why the iPhone Won’t Make it to Canada" here. Read the article.

[fmw]

I've heard Canadians tell me they have about the same amount of government as the U.S. but with a population about that of California.

[stratman]

In this situation it's up to the public to stand up and demand change, their bloated bureaucratic government will not. This is one of the problems of big government, over-regulation and over-control.

[Davemcc]

This is just one example of why Canadians generally have a lower standard of living than their American counterparts. You could write an article like this across the entire spectrum of conumer products in Canada. In fact, there has recently been a class action lawsuit alledging collusion and price fixing by automakers in Canada, making cars much more expensive in Canada than the U.S. There seems to be no end to the assault on Canadian paychecks and consumer choices. Ontario is even planning to ban incandescent light bulbs.

[davidtwotrees]

Gosh, everyone's just gonna bash the Canucks here. Firstly, it sounds like the Canadian market has bigger struggles than weather or not they get acess to IPhones. I haven't heard any reasons from the other side as to why the prices are higher. Isn't most of Canada a rural, wilderness type area? Is the infrastructure in place there, and if not, how will it be financed? Is there a big enough market to support competition amongst cellular co's?
I wonder what percent of Canucks could care less about any type of Cell phone service? (not every person on the planet thinks cellular is a godgift!)

[Davemcc]

The vast majority of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border and there are several large metropolitan areas with millions of people. By and large, Canadians are no different than Americans in what they want, in terms of standard of living. But Canadians tend to vote more socialist than Americans and I can't seem to prevent this (or even alter it in any way). We certainly pay the price for it, though. Also, we don't have the historical traditions of the U.S., in terms of protecting individual rights and liberties, especially from the government. This leads to such intrusive and anti-competitive regulatory structures as the CRTC, which is one of, if not the most offensive creations of the state in this country.

[wire]

Apple fanatics north of the border may have world class hockey and universal health care, but they won’t be getting the iPhone. That’s right! The nation that gave American Northeast colleges the sport of Lacrosse is in the midst of a telecommunications dark age. Canadian telcos are too fat, lazy and stupid to be able to secure a deal with a company that wants to bring a market to the nations digital wireless networks.


Discuss "Why the iPhone Won’t Make it to Canada" here. Read the article.

Keep it , in my home town most the ppl. are addicted to the Crackberry anyhow .

[Wayde Robson]

Just to be clear, I didn’t write that piece to bash Canada, just this particular policy.

I am Canadian and live in Guelph Ontario but lived half my life in the US, so I’ve seen a lot of both sides.

Yes, Davidtwotree, you're absolutely right. The iPhone lockout is only the latest symptom of a disease. My purpose is pointing out the disease not promoting the iPhone.

I’ve heard the argument that the CRTC isn’t directly responsible for the price fixing. However, it lets it happen. I won’t claim to be an expert on CRTC policy or even the wireless network business, far from it. I’m just a fan of technology connecting some dots.

The CRTC is roughly Canada’s equivalent of the FCC. As our regulatory body for any radio communications the CRTC should prevent this from happening by promoting balanced access to wireless bands. From what I understand the FCC oversees the use of radio frequencies to ensure its balanced use.

But, the stated mission of the CRTC is to protect Canadian Culture - a ridiculous, outdated notion! It does so by enforcing Canadian content laws on radio and blocking competition in business.

If Canadian culture is so flimsy that our children's unmitigated access to MTV is somehow capable of destroying it - I say good riddance!

But we know Canadians are a complex people with distinct cultures from coast to coast. Like the US, there is not one prevailing culture. The notion that a government program can protect something as ubiquitous as culture is like trying to perform surgery with a bomb.

But who are we fooling? The CRTC’s Canadian culture clause only exists to protect more big government.

Way off topic rant about Canadian socialism

I don’t believe Canada is any more socialist than the US. There are just different priorities.

In Canada we don't provide a welfare safety net for sports franchises or corporations that want public funding for their private business. At least not on the American scale.

A publicly funded free arena and tax exempt status are huge perks to doing business in US markets. That’s why Phoenix Arizona was far more attractive for the Jets than Winnipeg Manitoba.

I fully understand the argument for taxation going toward private enterprise to stimulate a greater economic good. It’s Keynesian economic theory – let’s call it what it is, it’s a form of socialism practiced at great length in the US.

[Xander]

Let me first say that I haven't owned a cell phone in 3 years. It made no sense for me to replace it as I used it so little. I do understand the point that is made and I don't disagree with the concept that similar services should be available for a similar price. My own feelings on the matter though are that these capabilities which are so expensive here in Canada are not really that important. All I want from a phone is the ability to make a phone call. You can't get a phone like that anymore. The rest is just extras I don't want to pay for.

My 2 cents

[davidtwotrees]

Wayde. Excellent response. In the article you didn't mention that you were Candian. Although I share audiophyte Xander's philosophy above-I just want a phone that's a phone. I could care less about videos and cameras and all the other junk they are trying to unload. Technophiles all assume the rest of the masses want technophilia.
Careful in your longing for the capitalist consumer culture, you might just get what you wish for!