AT&T will sell unlimited plans without iPad 3G hardware before June 7 [u]

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  • Reply 21 of 76
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    I don't know why, but I suspect they are phasing this out to make way for a new kind of 'unlimited' plan for the video iPhone.



    Or the exact opposite; perhaps AT&T wants to make sure that their network doesn't get saturated with video chats.
  • Reply 22 of 76
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by K1200 View Post


    AT&T has said that 65 percent of its smartphone customers use less than 200MB per month, while 98 percent use less than 2GB per month.



    ][/url][/c]





    If 98% people use less then 2GB, then why even bother to put a cap?[/QUOTE]



    "Lies, lies, lies, yeah"?
  • Reply 23 of 76
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    Or the exact opposite; perhaps AT&T wants to make sure that their network doesn't get saturated with video chats.



    Perhaps. We'll know better on Monday.
  • Reply 24 of 76
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post


    I bought the 3G and estimated I would only need the 250MB plan. I just started my vacation and switched to the Unlimited plan for that. Glad I did. Now since I am locked in I will change my plan. I will use 3G as much as possible. I will stream videos from Netflix even when I am not watching. I will consume as much data as possible, I will waste as much as possible. I also may never buy another Apple product again. Pretty tacking behavior foe a company that has billions in cash.



    I don't think you need to worry about losing the unlimited plan anymore. It seems that you can keep the iPad unlimited data option if you ordered your iPad by Jun 6th (see the update in the article).
  • Reply 25 of 76
    rorybalmerrorybalmer Posts: 169member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    Exactly! Jobs stood on stage and exclaimed, "Cancel and sign up whenever you want", or very similar. What, all within the first month of buying but lose that option thereafter? He lied. He KNEW his change was coming.



    Consumers need protection from these bait and switch tactics. Apple will say they can't control att and att will say they can't control what Apple promises. But these products are unique. The 3g works with one carrier. The hardware and service are together make one product, at least based on the "bait" portion of the sales pitch.



    So, what will happen? They'll be a suit, 4 years later they'll be a settlement. The lawyers will get millions and those wronged will get 3 free months of 3g.



    Steve Job's said it was unlocked.. meaning it's radio isn't locked to one carrier, and there are no contract prices on the iPad itself. You can buy a month to month data plan from any carrier, but the best deals are in the contract prices. You give them more business they give you a better deal.. it isn't rocket science nor is it anything criminal. It's business.



    Would I like to see them offer some special low cost no contract deal just for iPad? Sure who wouldn't. I'm sure Steve Job's would love that too.. but you can't honestly expect that, it's not how business works.



    I'm not trying to say AT&T is some fantastic, honest, heart warming company, but I find almost all arguement's against contracts completely rediculous. You can't expect a company to give you a $700 phone for $199, give you their best deals on services, and not expect some gaurentee that you won't just walk right out their door and right into the competition's.



    Anyone can sign up for any carrier and buy any phone without a contract, but your pricing will be inflated due to the fact that they have nothing to say they will get your dollars next month.



    If you want to argue the prices themselves, fine. Infact I encourage it!! It just sturs up the competition and makes for better deals in the end. But give it up with the whining over contracts.
  • Reply 26 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pooch View Post


    i find it funny how the media has since day one bought into at&t's claim that it's an "unlimited" plan.



    it's not.



    it's a 5GB plan.



    "unlimited" is a marketing term used to fool consumers into thinking they are getting something which they are actually not getting. and it worked. wonderfully.



    this is only true for laptop connect cards. not for the iPhone. I am pretty sure the iPhone is capable of exceeding 5GB without extra charge. I stream a lot of slingbox video and other video constantly which I would be charged extra for on my laptop. I have to tailor my internet usage on my laptop because of the 5GB cap. There was a legit hack without jailbreaking or unlocking to tether a while ago which worked fine and no extra charges. The iPad is advertised as the same. It sucks that when it finally comes out they renig on their offer. That's going to piss a lot of people off.
  • Reply 27 of 76
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post


    I'm confused. The iPad 3G, which I own, allows you to buy 3G access on the fly. Pay for the month when you need it, let it cancel when you don't. Repeat as needed.



    Since I am an existing customer, I needn't worry.



    I haven't used my 3G yet on my iPad. If I use it after Monday, am I screwed? On the other hand, if I were a new customer and get my iPad before the cutoff date, would I have to activate 3G before the cutoff date or is the info stored in the system so that when I first use 3G, be it next week or in December, would I still be known as an "existing" customer and afforded the unlimited privileges?



    I doubt it. I think the only way to keep the unlimited on the iPad is to keep paying for it every month, starting before June 7.



    There is some possibility that you could keep it by paying every other month: When you cancel your service, so you don't automatically get billed for the next month, there is something about, if I recall correctly, that if you don't use the service for 2 months (I think it was) your account will be deleted. So, it's possible, although not necessarily the case, that as long as you keep the account "active" you can get the originally advertised price. However, it could just as likely be the case that any lapse in service would disqualify you for the originally advertised price.



    Basically, this looks a lot like AT&T forcing you into a "contract" even though it was advertised as contract free, and this was a major selling point, that you could come and go as you please. Frankly, it may be interesting to do some research into the concept of implied contracts and whether AT&T's advertising this as a come and go as you please sort of plan constitutes the same, with the price increase/dropping of the plan in such a short amount of time constituting a breach of the implied contract. It seems like pretty much a foregone conclusion that they will be facing class action over this.



    However, my guess is that Apple is not at all responsible for this nonsense, other than perhaps for not nailing AT&T down in writing to terms they would offer. It's definitely a bait and switch on AT&T's part, though. (Inducement to buy a device that uses their network for service by promising specific terms of service, but withdrawal of the promised terms of service after the device is bought.)
  • Reply 28 of 76
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member
    on my iPhone I average about 100MB per month



    on my notebook card I range from 0 to a high of 5,376,963 KB for which I did not see any additional charges - several other months I had 2.8GB and 2.2GB.



    I find that 3G is often better than hotel wireless in many places I go and easier than trying to get on a customer's network when traveling for business. and I like to watch netflix when on the road - so that pushes my usage up - but also some times have to send or receive large documents for work as well.



    What I did get charged for is calls made in Canada - which is annoying - since I don't go that often - but a couple hours of con calls up there adds quite a bit to my bill - and adding the international service might not work out in my favor to pay for that all year when I might use it once or maybe twice.
  • Reply 29 of 76
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lilgto64 View Post


    on my iPhone I average about 100MB per month



    on my notebook card I range from 0 to a high of 5,376,963 KB for which I did not see any additional charges - several other months I had 2.8GB and 2.2GB.



    iPad usage will likely be closer to notebook usage.
  • Reply 30 of 76
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rorybalmer View Post


    I know how people love unlimited, but for all the people who are upset about the 2GB cap do they Honestly feel they are in the miniscule fraction of people who use anywhere even near 1GB a month. Like what difference will this actually make?

    I mean, on my iPhone I would deffinatley consider myself an above average data user, but I honestly never go over even 200mb a month.

    Now in retrospect I don't own an iPad so there may be a big difference.. Can someone who has an iPad answer that for me?? Does it suck up alot more data then iphone.. like in the 5 to 10 times more range??



    First, they came for those using unlimited bandwidth, and no one spoke to defend them.

    Then, they came for those using over 2 GB, and no one spoke to defend them.

    Then they came for me and my paltry 200 MB, and there was no one left to speak for me.



    Couldn't resist.
  • Reply 31 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by radster360 View Post


    This is not the first time AT&T announce something and then try to do damage control or try to find solutions around what they announce. Why don't they just thinks about all the possible outcome or concerns and make sure they address them before making such announcements. I mean it took less than 24-hrs by people on this board and other places on all the issues that this new rate change is going to create. If I function like the PR at AT&T my ass would have been fired long ago.



    What's with all these executives for big firms? They seems to be living on different planet, in a bubble, or just flat out clueless about how real people live, consume, spend money, etc. AT&T CEO, BP CEO, Facebook CEO - they are all clueless!



    Here's how a large company implements a new product/service:



    1. Highest level management thinks of a service and brainstorms it with a few select others in the highest levels of management in whatever departments it would involve (marketing, legal, financial, creative, engineering, etc)



    2. Once those managers come to an agreement that it's marketable, they won't get sued for it, and it'll be profitable, they throw the switch and tell the low level managers that this is the new product/service to sell, here are the specs, price, talking points, etc. We don't want your input or feedback because if we implemented your ideas, it would take that much longer to get to market and PS: we went public with it already.



    3. Low-level management scrambles to communicate to their entry level employees the new product/service before customers actually start calling/walking in asking questions about it.



    4. Entry level employees with 15 minutes of training, consisting of an hot sheet with bullet points, scramble to answer all the unforeseen questions, make a few exceptions for the loudest "squeaky wheel" customers, and generally try to sell the product/service, all while being positive about all aspects of the company.



    Sadly this is pretty much any big company with a new idea. The higher ups are paid substantially to think of ideas, the underlings are paid pennies to implement them. And that's why things get complicated, the head doesn't know the hands are in boiling water and the hands don't know the head is about to stick them in.
  • Reply 32 of 76
    jerseymacjerseymac Posts: 408member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pooch View Post


    i find it funny how the media has since day one bought into at&t's claim that it's an "unlimited" plan.



    it's not.



    it's a 5GB plan.



    "unlimited" is a marketing term used to fool consumers into thinking they are getting something which they are actually not getting. and it worked. wonderfully.



    Sort of like a bumper to bumper warrantee on a car. Does it cover the whole car? Or does it cover the bumpers?
  • Reply 33 of 76
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    It does suck that AT&T switched this up so quickly, but it's nice that they are letting current users keep their current month-to-month plan. Some here may think that they should be forced to do so, but it's month-to-month so they have no obligation to. As much as we hate contracts we're now seeing the benefit of what a rate lock in can do.



    I suspect that Apple had no idea this was coming when they announced the plans in January. I have to imagine that the iPhone contract is up in some fashion, that AT&T probably wanted to extended and used the unlimited iPhone plan and special pricing for the iPad as the "carrot" in their negotiations... but failed.



    So does this mean we can expect the 1700MHz spectrum Band IV on the next iPhone to make it compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network, an announcement of a CDMA iPhone to be released later in the year, and/or an unlocked iPhone (Ã* la iPad) still being sold through AT&T, or none of the above?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pooch View Post


    i find it funny how the media has since day one bought into at&t's claim that it's an "unlimited" plan.



    it's not.



    it's a 5GB plan.



    "unlimited" is a marketing term used to fool consumers into thinking they are getting something which they are actually not getting. and it worked. wonderfully.



    There were some that advertised "unlimited" Â? but didn't mean unlimited amount of data usage Â? and capped it at 5GB, but AT&T never did that with the iPhone.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by StLBluesFan View Post


    It "worked" how? Anyone here used over 5gb in a month and been billed for it?



    Yep, waaay over and never charged, throttled, capped or warned.
  • Reply 34 of 76
    desarcdesarc Posts: 642member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by K1200 View Post


    AT&T has said that 65 percent of its smartphone customers use less than 200MB per month, while 98 percent use less than 2GB per month.



    ][/url][/c]





    If 98% people use less then 2GB, then why even bother to put a cap?[/QUOTE]



    because 2% have been abusing the network - jailbroken iPhones tethered to devices and using hundreds of times as much data as the "average" user.
  • Reply 35 of 76
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    Sort of like a bumper to bumper warrantee on a car. Does it cover the whole car? Or does it cover the bumpers?



    And how many dimensions does it exist in?
  • Reply 36 of 76
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    because 2% have been abusing the network - jailbroken iPhones tethered to devices and using hundreds of times as much data as the "average" user.



    I don't think I ever broke 50GB in a month but the mid-40s was certainly common.



    Note, for awhile all you had to do was run the iPhone OS beta to get it and then after that you could just install a profile, both without ever jailbreaking.
  • Reply 37 of 76
    biotechbiotech Posts: 20member
    Everyone is missing the real reason for the change. AT&T can not compete against VOIP unless they charge for it. So Skype, Google Voice and others are taking away from people using there minutes. So they need to make money from it via the data usage.

    '



    Bio
  • Reply 38 of 76
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    Back this up. Find thus mythical 5gb cap and post it. Let's see your evidence or retract your statement.



    Not sure about the 5GB cap, but a guy at work was told by AT&T that he used too much data on his iPhone and they dumped him. He had been an AT&T customer for over 10 years, iPhone for maybe a year.
  • Reply 39 of 76
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Not sure about the 5GB cap, but a guy at work was told by AT&T that he used too much data on his iPhone and they dumped him. He had been an AT&T customer for over 10 years, iPhone for maybe a year.



    He could be tethering. I really can't think of a way someone can use more than 5GB/month with a phone without tethering. Few months ago someone on another thread told me that he was using 20GB a month (using tethering) for few months. He didn't hear anything from AT&T.
  • Reply 40 of 76
    biotechbiotech Posts: 20member
    Pandora Radio and XM Radio. I listen all the time and go over 5gb monthly. Average about 8.5Gb a motnh and never heard from AT&T.
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