The iPhone and TiVo - the digerati is out of touch

By Adam Turner
Monday, 07 July 2008 03:06

Market

I'm convinced the digerati is out of touch with the man on the street, after last week's iPhone and TiVo debates.

When reviewing new products and services, it's important to remember that different people have different needs. Just because something doesn't suit my needs, doesn't automatically mean that it's crap.

Last week Optus was canned in the blogosphere for only offering between 100MB and 1GB of data per month on its Australian iPhone plans. Some commentators described it as "hefty", others as "puny", but over at the Sydney Morning Herald I said I think 100MB per month is about right for the entry level plans. If you're just checking your email (using IMAP to just download headers and then reading only what you need), dipping into Google Maps and doing a little web surfing such as reading blogs on the train, then 100MB per month should meet your needs.

I also said $0 upfront for the iPhone on a $79 monthly plan, which includes 700MB of data, is the sweet spot most people. This is enough data to stream a bit of mobile-optimised audio and video every day, as long as you don't go too overboard. It's not like the iPhone is your only internet connection, it just needs to tide you over when you're away from home and the office.

I took a roasting from many readers, insisting they'd chew through far more than 1GB in a month, although I'd say more readers agreed with me than disagreed with me. I admit 1GB is certainly not enough for really heavy users, but such people seem oblivious to the fact they're in a minority. I'm talking about the data needs of the average user here, not the average daily requirements of the digital elite. Anyone seriously expecting to get unlimited iPhone data in Australia is delusional - it's not a god-given right. Yes, it's not fair. Yes, the telcos are bastards. This doesn't change the fact that Optus' plans are about right for the average user, if not the average nerd.

The TiVo debate saw a similar reaction from the digerati. CONTINUED