AT&T exec: iPhone data plans to be announced June 29th

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  • Reply 21 of 86
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    I hope people are capable of making a distinction between "what I'm paying now for x services" and "highway robbery if it's much more than that."



    I currently pay Verizon $59 for 900 talk minutes. Somebody else might pay less to another carrier, or less for fewer talk minutes, or some modest amount for "unlimited texting", or "unlimited data" on a hand-set that isn't really set up for much thorughput, etc.



    None of that has much to do with a plan from AT&T that might include, say, some number of talk minutes and "unlimited data" on a phone that by design is a big bandwidth user.



    An $80 or so plan that includes some reasonable number of talk minutes and a good amount of internet time would by no means be outrageous-- it would be pretty reasonable.



    $100 for same would be, let's say, not startling, while much over that would be a problem, if only as a mass-market psychology kind of thing.



    A person who is paying $19 for 200 talk minutes may be taken aback by a voice/data plan that costs quite a bit more, but that doesn't mean that AT&T would be evil extortionists for charging more.



    If people are happy with a few hundred talk minutes and unlimited texting with some (rarely used because it's awkward) "internet" thrown in, then they probably shouldn't be getting an iPhone, which almost certainly will be married to a voice/data plan that reflects what it is designed for.
  • Reply 22 of 86
    That would be awesome if they had an unlimited everything plan so you wouldn't have the headache of trying to keep everything straight... but it's not going to happen.



    I wish everyone could have some self-control and wait the weekend to find out more about the plans and maybe read some reviews before this thing drops. We are consumers and as such we can be judicial about the kinds of things we spend our money on. Wouldn't it be amazing if come launch day we all realized this and Apple/AT&T didn't quite get the huge response they were hoping for and we made them sweat just a little before we decided that this thing isn't worth standing in line for with a big dollar sign painted on your face?
  • Reply 23 of 86
    boukmanboukman Posts: 93member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by webmail View Post


    The reason AT&T is keeping the pricing "secret" till the last minute is because exclusive to the iPhone will be an Unlimited "Everything" plan for the USA.



    $100/month



    That's more the Apple way of doing things : keep it simple (the "everything is included" so you don't have to worry about when/where/how much you use your phone) and charge a premium price (although it is cheaper than any other alternative if you add up everything that's included).
  • Reply 24 of 86
    danboydanboy Posts: 9member
    Well at least they didnt say they are gonna be releasing the information about the plans at 6pm. I'm hoping they will be giving out that information the morning of so it gives people time to get everything figured out. however they didn't actually say when they will be giving out that info they just said the 29th.











    ps. does anyone else think its unfair they are re-opening 6pm local time?
  • Reply 25 of 86
    salmonstksalmonstk Posts: 568member
    It seems ATT will not be subsidising the phone. Perhaps Steve got them to agree to not do that but instead charge a reasonable unlimited everything deal for $100 bucks.
  • Reply 26 of 86
    Seeing there will probably be some slick .Mac integration, would this be rolled into the plan? It could be a good way of generating revenue for Apple. E.g. I don't use .Mac, nor do most other Mac users I know.
  • Reply 27 of 86
    sigs21sigs21 Posts: 82member
    I figure they are still working on the cost..Apple wants this and ATT wants that...



    this is apple we always know a little about what is coming, but they sometimes throw a little surprise our way...



    I figure WIFI is messing the data plans up.. I know i can get Wifi every were here in Austin.. for free.. and in a few places I travel to..





    I am there the first day.. I want the phone.. I am going to check it out my self.. if it trully does not fit in my budget.. then hell with it.. I figure its an ipod a phone and a web browser.. that is cool... Alot better then my stupid blackberry.. And I have Outlook web mail.. so a lot easier for me at the airport then turning on the lap top getting my sprint card out and finding an plug.



    I just hope apple will take gift cards I have a few to use. at the store..
  • Reply 28 of 86
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by webmail View Post


    The reason AT&T is keeping the pricing "secret" till the last minute is because exclusive to the iPhone will be an Unlimited "Everything" plan for the USA.



    $100/month



    That would be very fair in my opinion. Sort of like the WWDC keynote with the $129 price for the Ultimate/Business/Home joke. Just one price for everything is so much better than nickel and dime.
  • Reply 29 of 86
    bikertwinbikertwin Posts: 566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by webmail View Post


    The reason AT&T is keeping the pricing "secret" till the last minute is because exclusive to the iPhone will be an Unlimited "Everything" plan for the USA.



    $100/month



    Well, if it's gonna cost that much, I want a discounted iPhone. I don't want to pay list price for something that's gonna cost $2400 over a 2 year period.



    I'd frankly rather pay list price for the iPhone and get to choose whatever I want for the plan.
  • Reply 30 of 86
    What would everything for $100 bucks include? Unlimited txt/mms/sms/data and how many voice minutes?

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by salmonstk View Post


    It seems ATT will not be subsidising the phone. Perhaps Steve got them to agree to not do that but instead charge a reasonable unlimited everything deal for $100 bucks.



  • Reply 31 of 86
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlackSummerNight View Post


    What would everything for $100 bucks include? Unlimited txt/mms/sms/data and how many voice minutes?



    Well, probably not unlimited mms, since the iPhone doesn't support it, but certainly unlimited text and data, with some large number (2000?) number of minutes of talk time.



    I think carriers are wary of "unlimited" talk time for fear that teens will just stay on the phone 24/7 whether they're talking or not.
  • Reply 32 of 86
    The thing of it is... a person is smart, but people are stupid. AT&T is going to charge whatever they want and you're going to pay it because Apple has made you believe you just gotta have it. That's it, case closed, end of story. Whatever price they name, you will rationalize that you want the thing anyway, so you'll pay for it. There's no point in debating price, all that's left to do is sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the mass hysteria.
  • Reply 33 of 86
    kavikkavik Posts: 37member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by webmail View Post


    The reason AT&T is keeping the pricing "secret" till the last minute is because exclusive to the iPhone will be an Unlimited "Everything" plan for the USA.



    $100/month



    While *I* think this would be reasonable and an incredible (read: revolutionary) move on the part of Apple+at&t, it would be a better plan/price than *anything* that at&t currently offers. Right now at&t has no "unlimited" voice plan, and their 4000 and 6000 minute plans alone are $149 and $199 respectively. And their data plan (real data--not WAP) with 1500 text messages is $44.99.



    Why would at&t offer their best plan *ever* for a phone that is going to sell itself 1000 times over?



    p.s. I also think access to at&t's Wifi hotspots is going to be part of the mix which is currently an additional $20 markup on their data plan.
  • Reply 34 of 86
    kavikkavik Posts: 37member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Go Banana View Post


    The thing of it is... a person is smart, but people are stupid. AT&T is going to charge whatever they want and you're going to pay it because Apple has made you believe you just gotta have it. That's it, case closed, end of story. Whatever price they name, you will rationalize that you want the thing anyway, so you'll pay for it. There's no point in debating price, all that's left to do is sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the mass hysteria.



    My thoughts exactly.
  • Reply 35 of 86
    Damn it, forgot about the "no mms" support. Sheeesh.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Well, probably not unlimited mms, since the iPhone doesn't support it, but certainly unlimited text and data, with some large number (2000?) number of minutes of talk time.



    I think carriers are wary of "unlimited" talk time for fear that teens will just stay on the phone 24/7 whether they're talking or not.



    How is it that this phone, with it's great picture capabilities can't send MMS. Sheesh I'm peeved. I know they did it for a reason, but I love this feature.
  • Reply 36 of 86
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I think carriers are wary of "unlimited" talk time for fear that teens will just stay on the phone 24/7 whether they're talking or not.



    They've got that covered. It's called dropped call. I don't think anyone has ever actually completed a cell phone conversation of more than 5 minutes. Even Verizon to Verizon with maximum signal strength still drops regularly in my experience.
  • Reply 37 of 86
    Unlimited Voice would be cool. I'm with Verizon right now just like everyone else and INcalling is practically like Unlimited Voice already. I know if I switched carriers I wouldn't get INcalling anymore, but if my end still "feels unlimited" who cares about the people I call and how long I talk to them?



    For me, the web browsing speeds on this thing better be adequete enough to make me not decide to wait for the 3G version with more "gigs" that we know is already on the way.



    But if you kiddies think AT&T is going to drop $50verylarge on upgrading EDGE and not set up an in-store collection box for first born children, I think you've hit the cool-aid too early.
  • Reply 38 of 86
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I think carriers are wary of "unlimited" talk time for fear that teens will just stay on the phone 24/7 whether they're talking or not.



    8 hours between charges.
  • Reply 39 of 86
    mrjoec123mrjoec123 Posts: 223member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlackSummerNight View Post


    Damn it, forgot about the "no mms" support. Sheeesh.



    How is it that this phone, with it's great picture capabilities can't send MMS. Sheesh I'm peeved. I know they did it for a reason, but I love this feature.



    I've never sent an MMS?ever. Even though I get 200 of them a month.



    MMS was invented for phones that can't do real email. iPhone can view and create emails with attached photos. I don't really see a need for MMS.
  • Reply 40 of 86
    mrjoec123mrjoec123 Posts: 223member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I hope people are capable of making a distinction between "what I'm paying now for x services" and "highway robbery if it's much more than that."



    I currently pay Verizon $59 for 900 talk minutes. Somebody else might pay less to another carrier, or less for fewer talk minutes, or some modest amount for "unlimited texting", or "unlimited data" on a hand-set that isn't really set up for much thorughput, etc.



    None of that has much to do with a plan from AT&T that might include, say, some number of talk minutes and "unlimited data" on a phone that by design is a big bandwidth user.



    An $80 or so plan that includes some reasonable number of talk minutes and a good amount of internet time would by no means be outrageous-- it would be pretty reasonable.



    $100 for same would be, let's say, not startling, while much over that would be a problem, if only as a mass-market psychology kind of thing.



    A person who is paying $19 for 200 talk minutes may be taken aback by a voice/data plan that costs quite a bit more, but that doesn't mean that AT&T would be evil extortionists for charging more.



    If people are happy with a few hundred talk minutes and unlimited texting with some (rarely used because it's awkward) "internet" thrown in, then they probably shouldn't be getting an iPhone, which almost certainly will be married to a voice/data plan that reflects what it is designed for.



    When people say $29 or $59 for this or that, are they talking actual cost, or pre-tax? That makes a huge difference. My plan is only $69 a month, but my bill is $85 a month, once all the taxes and surcharges are added. Let's keep the comparisons fair.



    I know that Sprint is generally cheaper than AT&T; I just want to know how much cheaper in reality.
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