Waiting for American telcos to follow suit before upgrading. I refuse to pay $15 a month for what is basically an extension. Free money for AT&T. Only BMW’s monthly fee for CarPlay is more outrageous.
1) What carrier charges you $15 per month? Even Verizon only charges you $10 per month, and that's with a the first 3 months free and no activation fee.
2) I'm curious why you believe it should be free simply because 1) you personally won't use it much, and/or 2) you think it's the same effort by the carrier because the phone number is the same. If you're on this website you understand that they're adding additional service to the device so that that it can dynamically switch between how calls are routed to independent nodes on a network that makes it convenient for the customer than having to give it two separate phone numbers. You should also be well aware that the phone number isn't the number that these devices use to connect with and stay connected to the towers right. I'm not 100% versed in how cellular networks are designed as my background as an CCIE for Routing & Switching didn't cover it, but I believe they use an MEID that identifies each node as a unique on the network, which isn't unlike a MAC address for Ethernet, WiFi and BT network node connections.
3 Why are dumb phone used for emergency purposes that have no grace period, an activation setup, and a monthly charge not a big deal for people like you despite never rarely being used, but a device that is continually being used for cellular access is an issue. The size of the device shouldn't make a difference. Now there are more people using a better device for safety and a lower price than before. This is a good thing.
You’re right, ATT charges $10, not $15—my faulty memory. But they also charge a $25 activation fee which pretty much cancels out the the first three months free bit. [The whole first x months free come-on always annoys me because the benefit accrues to the seller—the gift that keeps on giving. Over the, say, five year life of the watch would be a negligible 50 cents a month savings to me. Would rather they just knock the monthly fee by a buck or two so the longer I have the service the more valuable the discount becomes. But that’s another story.]
Honestly, it’s mostly your 1) for me. I just wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost. Perhaps a tiered service? For less money I would gladly accept a call limits on the watch. I was unaware that the mechanics of allowing the watch to be a phone ”extension” were as burdensome to the carrier as you describe. I strongly suspect though that the $10/mo charge is not a break-even proposition for them. But rather a profit center. No sin in that; the question is, is it excessive (gouging)? Would love the FCC to do an audit an publish the actual costs vs. price.
1) When I added mine last year there was 3 months for free and no activation fee. Today their website shows a $30 activation fee.
2) It wasn't that long ago when having an emergency, wearable device for making mobile calls cost a lot more money. If you're elderly or just a long distance runner that likes the benefit of the Apple Watch then I don't think $10 is an unreasonable fee to connect an entirely new device to their network. Even that emergency dumb phone that doesn't get any use is still $10 per month for the line. I think the problem with most people here is they think that because it conveniently allows the phone number to be mirrored and the devices talk to the carrier to determine which device should ring, that it's somehow not a separate device on the network, which is an insane thought considering how mobile networks works and the extra work carriers did to make this a great feature for users. I certainly don't want people calling me on one device and then asking them to call me back on the other.
3) I wonder if it's feasible for Apple to add a GPS beacon feature to the Apple Watch. I think the tech is too big right now, and I have no idea what kind of antenna setup is required, but we all know that cellular connectivity is limited, but being able to send a periodic distress signal to a satellite from nearly anywhere in the world would be a great amazing.
But even if it was technologically feasible, I'm not sure it would outweigh the space needed for other features, like direct health features or a larger battery; and I think there are logistics issues with including it on a device where someone may need immediate medical attention and not realize that use the GPS beacon is considerably slower and not really used for when you fall down in your kitchen.
I was thinking that both (all) devices would ring, like they do now when at home on Wi-Fi when a call comes in. I like your beacon idea—have you suggested it to Apple?
Waiting for American telcos to follow suit before upgrading. I refuse to pay $15 a month for what is basically an extension. Free money for AT&T. Only BMW’s monthly fee for CarPlay is more outrageous.
1) What carrier charges you $15 per month? Even Verizon only charges you $10 per month, and that's with a the first 3 months free and no activation fee.
2) I'm curious why you believe it should be free simply because 1) you personally won't use it much, and/or 2) you think it's the same effort by the carrier because the phone number is the same. If you're on this website you understand that they're adding additional service to the device so that that it can dynamically switch between how calls are routed to independent nodes on a network that makes it convenient for the customer than having to give it two separate phone numbers. You should also be well aware that the phone number isn't the number that these devices use to connect with and stay connected to the towers right. I'm not 100% versed in how cellular networks are designed as my background as an CCIE for Routing & Switching didn't cover it, but I believe they use an MEID that identifies each node as a unique on the network, which isn't unlike a MAC address for Ethernet, WiFi and BT network node connections.
3 Why are dumb phone used for emergency purposes that have no grace period, an activation setup, and a monthly charge not a big deal for people like you despite never rarely being used, but a device that is continually being used for cellular access is an issue. The size of the device shouldn't make a difference. Now there are more people using a better device for safety and a lower price than before. This is a good thing.
You’re right, ATT charges $10, not $15—my faulty memory. But they also charge a $25 activation fee which pretty much cancels out the the first three months free bit. [The whole first x months free come-on always annoys me because the benefit accrues to the seller—the gift that keeps on giving. Over the, say, five year life of the watch would be a negligible 50 cents a month savings to me. Would rather they just knock the monthly fee by a buck or two so the longer I have the service the more valuable the discount becomes. But that’s another story.]
Honestly, it’s mostly your 1) for me. I just wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost. Perhaps a tiered service? For less money I would gladly accept a call limits on the watch. I was unaware that the mechanics of allowing the watch to be a phone ”extension” were as burdensome to the carrier as you describe. I strongly suspect though that the $10/mo charge is not a break-even proposition for them. But rather a profit center. No sin in that; the question is, is it excessive (gouging)? Would love the FCC to do an audit an publish the actual costs vs. price.
1) When I added mine last year there was 3 months for free and no activation fee. Today their website shows a $30 activation fee.
2) It wasn't that long ago when having an emergency, wearable device for making mobile calls cost a lot more money. If you're elderly or just a long distance runner that likes the benefit of the Apple Watch then I don't think $10 is an unreasonable fee to connect an entirely new device to their network. Even that emergency dumb phone that doesn't get any use is still $10 per month for the line. I think the problem with most people here is they think that because it conveniently allows the phone number to be mirrored and the devices talk to the carrier to determine which device should ring, that it's somehow not a separate device on the network, which is an insane thought considering how mobile networks works and the extra work carriers did to make this a great feature for users. I certainly don't want people calling me on one device and then asking them to call me back on the other.
3) I wonder if it's feasible for Apple to add a GPS beacon feature to the Apple Watch. I think the tech is too big right now, and I have no idea what kind of antenna setup is required, but we all know that cellular connectivity is limited, but being able to send a periodic distress signal to a satellite from nearly anywhere in the world would be a great amazing.
But even if it was technologically feasible, I'm not sure it would outweigh the space needed for other features, like direct health features or a larger battery; and I think there are logistics issues with including it on a device where someone may need immediate medical attention and not realize that use the GPS beacon is considerably slower and not really used for when you fall down in your kitchen.
I was thinking that both (all) devices would ring, like they do now when at home on Wi-Fi when a call comes in. I like your beacon idea—have you suggested it to Apple?
No, because I don't think we're at that point yet. I think the space in the Watch needs to go to so many other things for the foreseeable future and that anyone that will be going far outside of a cell signal (read: civilization) should probably get a dedicated device for that type of emergency service.
While I've personally used a Series 0 Watch on a 3 night hiking trip though the mountains* I still consider a "city" Watch.
* You might be amazed at how long the battery lasts in Airplane mode with Raise to Wake disabled.
So if you check when Apple changed it's internal exchange rate (2015), the Euro was at ~$1.09. Now add the VAT of 23% on the cost plus shipping of the phone. That gets you very close to exactly the same price.
Comments
While I've personally used a Series 0 Watch on a 3 night hiking trip though the mountains* I still consider a "city" Watch.
* You might be amazed at how long the battery lasts in Airplane mode with Raise to Wake disabled.
Now add the VAT of 23% on the cost plus shipping of the phone.
That gets you very close to exactly the same price.