Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
You have to keep renewing to keep the deal. Based on the usage I've seen it's not financially viable to keep paying for the Unlimited account.
Plus, you can sign up for the 200MB for $15 and if you go over you can call AT&T and they will let you up to 2GB for $25 without a penalty or overage fees, providing you call during that month of usage.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
You will loose the unlimited due to AT&T changing the terms when you activate again.
You have to keep renewing to keep the deal. Based on the usage I've seen it's not financially viable to keep paying for the Unlimited account.
Plus, you can sign up for the 200MB for $15 and if you go over you can call AT&T and they will let you up to 2GB for $25 without a penalty or overage fees, providing you call during that month of usage.
I see. Thanks for the reply!
Just another big f-u from AT&T! Keeping my fingers crossed for the end of exclusivity on Monday!
Just another big f-u from AT&T! Keeping my fingers crossed for the end of exclusivity on Monday!
It sucks that they changed the plan 5 months after they announced it, but that is one of the pitfalls of going month to month. You do lose a lock in for price points.
They are letting you use it like an ETF-free contract you can get yourself out of at any time but keep the Unlimited plan of the 250MB for $15/month. They are also letting you call them to change your usage even if you go over without any fee.
They don't have to let you do either of these and compared with the rest of the US market I'd say they are actually being pretty nice for a carrier.
David Ppgue has a pretty fair article on the new fees...
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.
yes and no. It is an unlimited plan. but ATT retains the right to charge you more if you go over 5GB so long as they notify you first.
So I imagine the first couple of times, especially if several months apart, they do nothing but if you are going over like every month you'd get a notice about your excessive use and that in the future anything over 5GB would be charge at a rate of X. However, you are welcome to cancel your service and as this is a change in terms, there's no ETF blah blah
as for the ipad thing, they can't sign you up and hand you a sim that you swap for the one in the unit when it arrives?
It sucks that they changed the plan 5 months after they announced it, but that is one of the pitfalls of going month to month. You do lose a lock in for price points.
They are letting you use it like an ETF-free contract you can get yourself out of at any time but keep the Unlimited plan of the 250MB for $15/month. They are also letting you call them to change your usage even if you go over without any fee.
They don't have to let you do either of these and compared with the rest of the US market I'd say they are actually being pretty nice for a carrier.
David Ppgue has a pretty fair article on the new fees...
Yeah I know it's not bad really, and I know that I'll likely never use 2GB of data a month (though on my iPad I'm not so sure). But I would gladly pay the extra $5 a month to not have to worry about how much data I'm using. AND this was one of the main selling points of the 3G iPad. Now I'll have to constantly be checking my data usage to ensure I don't go over my limit. I guess I'm mostly pissed about the inconvenience and the feeling I just got played by AT&T (which I did apparently).
So I imagine the first couple of times, especially if several months apart, they do nothing but if you are going over like every month you'd get a notice about your excessive use and that in the future anything over 5GB would be charge at a rate of X.
Never had that happen and have never seen proof of that happening.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacDevil
Now I'll have to constantly be checking my data usage to ensure I don't go over my limit. I guess I'm mostly pissed about the inconvenience and the feeling I just got played by AT&T (which I did apparently).
Oh well, life goes on...
1) If you currently have AT&T and a data plan from them you can easily check your data usage going back about 7 months. You get a nice graph and everything.
2) On the iPad and the iPhone they will send you a message when you reach certain limits to prevent you from going over.
3) in iPhone v4.0 you can now turn off Cellular Data (I don't mean Airplane Mode or going from 3G to EDGE) this way you can make sure you can be sure you only using WiFi when you're on WiFi that may be coming in and out.
4) If you do go over it's not some wonky pre KB fee that will push you into the thousands of dollars within minutes. It's $10 for another 1GB. If you start reaching the end of that you'll get notifications, again, about your usage.
5) If you are unaware about your usage and you haven't been illegally tethering I seriously doubt you even came close to 2GB. Chances are you're going to be saving money with this plan. Start with 200MB and then see if you need more.
1) If you currently have AT&T and a data plan from them you can easily check your data usage going back about 7 months. You get a nice graph and everything.
2) On the iPad and the iPhone they will send you a message when you reach certainly limits to prevent you from going over.
3) in iPhone v4.0 you can now turn off Cellular Data (I don't mean Airplane Mode or going from 3G to EDGE) this way you can make sure you can be sure you only using WiFi when you're on WiFi that may be coming in and out.
4) If you do go over it's not some wonky pre KB fee that will push you into the thousands of dollars within minutes. It's $10 for another 1GB. If you start reaching the end of that you'll get notifications, again, about your usage.
5) If you are unaware about your usage and you haven't been illegally tethering I seriously doubt you even came close to 2GB. Chances are you're going to be saving money with this plan. Start with 200MB and then see if you need more.
Sage advice
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
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).
There's no guarantee the unlimited plan will last - there just isn't-- and we see where their intentions are. There's no contract
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.
"Unlocked"? Call it what you want. How many carriers in the USA can the current iPad get 3G on?? Tada! ONE
Users will not, however, be able to tether their iPhone to their iPad. The issue exists because the iPhone can only tether over USB or Bluetooth, and the iPad cannot accept data in either of those formats. For iPhone-to-iPad tethering to become possible, Apple would have to update the software on one of the devices.
hmm. so what are these games exchanging via bluetooth when I play Asphalt5 with my buddy on his iPad? It isn't data?
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
Right. And if you use the 2GB, they only offer 2 more at $12.50 each, but for the iPhone you can buy 1GB at a time for $10.00. Why should the same amount of data on the iPad cost 25% more than on the iPhone? And why should tethering be $20.00 more and they don't even give more data? Rip off!
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.
"A guy at work said..." Well, it's the 5GB cap we are talking about... we need evidence! Did he get it in writing?
Gizmodo ran the numbers of data usage for different video sites so if you plan to hit some of those apps hard with your iPad 3G you might want to get the Unlimited before it's too late.
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
Sure, it seems shitty to change it up 5 months after announcing a break through deal. It makes AT&T look bad even though their current deals aren't bad, are even across the board, except for those grandfathered, and will likely save customers money on average.
By biggest issue is what 8CoreWhore mentions above about charging $20 for the option to tether despite offering no additional data for this privilege. On top of that, Apple locks down tethering to an all-or-nothing feature so even if your phone is on WiFi and for some reason you are trying to connect a device that doesn't have WiFi you can't even turn this on. last year my MBP's WiFi card disappeared for a week and tethering my iPhone via WiFi illegally saved me from not having it online during that time.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
If you activate it before Monday, you are grandfathered in (for an indeterminate period of time - at att whim) but the second you let it lapse for any reason you lose the option permanently. An att rep detailed this in an interview with TUAW.
... Sure, it seems shitty to change it up 5 months after announcing a break through deal. ...
It's utterly unconscionable to do this 1 month after the iPad 3G went on sale. Many people bought it, a device that in the US is only usable on AT&T's network, expressly because of the promise of an advertised service at an advertised price from AT&T. This isn't just a case of, "It sucks, but that's the danger of no contract service." This is exactly the sort of thing that ought to bring wrath of strict regulation down on the industry.
I urge everyone who bought an iPad 3G to file a complaint of bait and switch advertising* with the FTC, and, more importantly, write or call your congressional representatives and urge them to step up to the plate and both make AT&T live up to its promises and put an end to these sort of consumer abuses by the wireless industry through stringent regulation.
* Even though this is a device sold by Apple, it was sold with specific capabilities that allow service through AT&T alone in the US, and AT&T made specific promises about that service. There was an inducement, by AT&T, to buy a device that profits them directly through the use of these services and they are now reneging on the promise of those services. Even the no contract aspect of the promises is a deception since the only way you can maintain the services is effectively by maintaining a de facto contract with AT&T for service.
I paid the extra $130 dollars for the iPad 3G because I believed Apple's and AT&T's advertising of unlimited data plans for $30 per month, contract-free, that I could purchase and cancel at will. I do feel taken advantage of and a victim of the "bait-and-switch" tactic. When I bought my iPad 3G, I bought it to have access to unlimited data on the 3G network for $30 when I wanted or needed it, not for access to 2 GB of data per month for $25.
If AT&T wants to grandfather in iPads, then they damn well ought to grandfather in anyone who purchased an iPad prior to June 7, regardless of whether those users activated 3G or not. They can look at the purchase date for my iPad to verify that I bought it the first day it was on sale, and that I bought it with the advertised offer of unlimited data for $30 per month.
I am pissed, and I could care less what AT&T claim about 98% of users versus 2%. Why would anyone believe AT&T's stats anyway, when they only serve to bolster AT&T's pursuit to throttle data usage on the all smart phones/mobile devices?
Comments
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
You have to keep renewing to keep the deal. Based on the usage I've seen it's not financially viable to keep paying for the Unlimited account.
Plus, you can sign up for the 200MB for $15 and if you go over you can call AT&T and they will let you up to 2GB for $25 without a penalty or overage fees, providing you call during that month of usage.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
You will loose the unlimited due to AT&T changing the terms when you activate again.
You have to keep renewing to keep the deal. Based on the usage I've seen it's not financially viable to keep paying for the Unlimited account.
Plus, you can sign up for the 200MB for $15 and if you go over you can call AT&T and they will let you up to 2GB for $25 without a penalty or overage fees, providing you call during that month of usage.
I see. Thanks for the reply!
Just another big f-u from AT&T! Keeping my fingers crossed for the end of exclusivity on Monday!
I see. Thanks for the reply!
Just another big f-u from AT&T! Keeping my fingers crossed for the end of exclusivity on Monday!
It sucks that they changed the plan 5 months after they announced it, but that is one of the pitfalls of going month to month. You do lose a lock in for price points.
They are letting you use it like an ETF-free contract you can get yourself out of at any time but keep the Unlimited plan of the 250MB for $15/month. They are also letting you call them to change your usage even if you go over without any fee.
They don't have to let you do either of these and compared with the rest of the US market I'd say they are actually being pretty nice for a carrier.
David Ppgue has a pretty fair article on the new fees...
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.
yes and no. It is an unlimited plan. but ATT retains the right to charge you more if you go over 5GB so long as they notify you first.
So I imagine the first couple of times, especially if several months apart, they do nothing but if you are going over like every month you'd get a notice about your excessive use and that in the future anything over 5GB would be charge at a rate of X. However, you are welcome to cancel your service and as this is a change in terms, there's no ETF blah blah
as for the ipad thing, they can't sign you up and hand you a sim that you swap for the one in the unit when it arrives?
It sucks that they changed the plan 5 months after they announced it, but that is one of the pitfalls of going month to month. You do lose a lock in for price points.
They are letting you use it like an ETF-free contract you can get yourself out of at any time but keep the Unlimited plan of the 250MB for $15/month. They are also letting you call them to change your usage even if you go over without any fee.
They don't have to let you do either of these and compared with the rest of the US market I'd say they are actually being pretty nice for a carrier.
David Ppgue has a pretty fair article on the new fees...
Yeah I know it's not bad really, and I know that I'll likely never use 2GB of data a month (though on my iPad I'm not so sure). But I would gladly pay the extra $5 a month to not have to worry about how much data I'm using. AND this was one of the main selling points of the 3G iPad. Now I'll have to constantly be checking my data usage to ensure I don't go over my limit. I guess I'm mostly pissed about the inconvenience and the feeling I just got played by AT&T (which I did apparently).
Oh well, life goes on...
So I imagine the first couple of times, especially if several months apart, they do nothing but if you are going over like every month you'd get a notice about your excessive use and that in the future anything over 5GB would be charge at a rate of X.
Never had that happen and have never seen proof of that happening.
Now I'll have to constantly be checking my data usage to ensure I don't go over my limit. I guess I'm mostly pissed about the inconvenience and the feeling I just got played by AT&T (which I did apparently).
Oh well, life goes on...
1) If you currently have AT&T and a data plan from them you can easily check your data usage going back about 7 months. You get a nice graph and everything.
2) On the iPad and the iPhone they will send you a message when you reach certain limits to prevent you from going over.
3) in iPhone v4.0 you can now turn off Cellular Data (I don't mean Airplane Mode or going from 3G to EDGE) this way you can make sure you can be sure you only using WiFi when you're on WiFi that may be coming in and out.
4) If you do go over it's not some wonky pre KB fee that will push you into the thousands of dollars within minutes. It's $10 for another 1GB. If you start reaching the end of that you'll get notifications, again, about your usage.
5) If you are unaware about your usage and you haven't been illegally tethering I seriously doubt you even came close to 2GB. Chances are you're going to be saving money with this plan. Start with 200MB and then see if you need more.
1) If you currently have AT&T and a data plan from them you can easily check your data usage going back about 7 months. You get a nice graph and everything.
2) On the iPad and the iPhone they will send you a message when you reach certainly limits to prevent you from going over.
3) in iPhone v4.0 you can now turn off Cellular Data (I don't mean Airplane Mode or going from 3G to EDGE) this way you can make sure you can be sure you only using WiFi when you're on WiFi that may be coming in and out.
4) If you do go over it's not some wonky pre KB fee that will push you into the thousands of dollars within minutes. It's $10 for another 1GB. If you start reaching the end of that you'll get notifications, again, about your usage.
5) If you are unaware about your usage and you haven't been illegally tethering I seriously doubt you even came close to 2GB. Chances are you're going to be saving money with this plan. Start with 200MB and then see if you need more.
Sage advice
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
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).
There's no guarantee the unlimited plan will last - there just isn't-- and we see where their intentions are. There's no contract
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.
"Unlocked"? Call it what you want. How many carriers in the USA can the current iPad get 3G on?? Tada! ONE
Users will not, however, be able to tether their iPhone to their iPad. The issue exists because the iPhone can only tether over USB or Bluetooth, and the iPad cannot accept data in either of those formats. For iPhone-to-iPad tethering to become possible, Apple would have to update the software on one of the devices.
hmm. so what are these games exchanging via bluetooth when I play Asphalt5 with my buddy on his iPad? It isn't data?
Sage advice
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
Right. And if you use the 2GB, they only offer 2 more at $12.50 each, but for the iPhone you can buy 1GB at a time for $10.00. Why should the same amount of data on the iPad cost 25% more than on the iPhone? And why should tethering be $20.00 more and they don't even give more data? Rip off!
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.
Exactly. at&t has just CRIPPLED the iPad. Listening to the radio would cost you over a hundred dollars a month now.
This is so bad I swear I think at&t is trying to kcuf Apple.
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.
"A guy at work said..."
Sage advice
My gripe is really not about the change for iPhones. I have no doubt I will be saving money there. My problem is with the iPad plans. One of the main reasons I bought the 3G was so that I could sign up for unlimited 3G data at a moment's notice and take my iPad anywhere and have it work almost as if it were still connected to WIFI. I feel that unlimited access is a fair thing to ask for on the iPad since it is so much closer to a computer and has the potential to consume much more data than the iPhone (streaming movies via the Netflicks app comes to mind). Still, nothing I can do about it!
Sure, it seems shitty to change it up 5 months after announcing a break through deal. It makes AT&T look bad even though their current deals aren't bad, are even across the board, except for those grandfathered, and will likely save customers money on average.
By biggest issue is what 8CoreWhore mentions above about charging $20 for the option to tether despite offering no additional data for this privilege. On top of that, Apple locks down tethering to an all-or-nothing feature so even if your phone is on WiFi and for some reason you are trying to connect a device that doesn't have WiFi you can't even turn this on. last year my MBP's WiFi card disappeared for a week and tethering my iPhone via WiFi illegally saved me from not having it online during that time.
Question (I've been looking all over and have yet to find a straight answer): I got my iPad 3G last week, but have not activated the 3G service yet because I haven't needed it. I get the feeling I should go ahead and sign up for an unlimited plan. However, my question is, if I decide to turn off the auto-renew after a month (because I don't really need 3G most the time), will I be able to get the unlimited plan again? Or do I need to keep having it renew every month in order to hold onto the unlimited plan?
This was a pretty shitty move on the part of both AT&T and Apple. Apple HAD to have known about this by the launch day of the 3G model and it is almost criminal that they didn't inform everyone of the data plan change.
If you activate it before Monday, you are grandfathered in (for an indeterminate period of time - at att whim) but the second you let it lapse for any reason you lose the option permanently. An att rep detailed this in an interview with TUAW.
... Sure, it seems shitty to change it up 5 months after announcing a break through deal. ...
It's utterly unconscionable to do this 1 month after the iPad 3G went on sale. Many people bought it, a device that in the US is only usable on AT&T's network, expressly because of the promise of an advertised service at an advertised price from AT&T. This isn't just a case of, "It sucks, but that's the danger of no contract service." This is exactly the sort of thing that ought to bring wrath of strict regulation down on the industry.
I urge everyone who bought an iPad 3G to file a complaint of bait and switch advertising* with the FTC, and, more importantly, write or call your congressional representatives and urge them to step up to the plate and both make AT&T live up to its promises and put an end to these sort of consumer abuses by the wireless industry through stringent regulation.
* Even though this is a device sold by Apple, it was sold with specific capabilities that allow service through AT&T alone in the US, and AT&T made specific promises about that service. There was an inducement, by AT&T, to buy a device that profits them directly through the use of these services and they are now reneging on the promise of those services. Even the no contract aspect of the promises is a deception since the only way you can maintain the services is effectively by maintaining a de facto contract with AT&T for service.
If AT&T wants to grandfather in iPads, then they damn well ought to grandfather in anyone who purchased an iPad prior to June 7, regardless of whether those users activated 3G or not. They can look at the purchase date for my iPad to verify that I bought it the first day it was on sale, and that I bought it with the advertised offer of unlimited data for $30 per month.
I am pissed, and I could care less what AT&T claim about 98% of users versus 2%. Why would anyone believe AT&T's stats anyway, when they only serve to bolster AT&T's pursuit to throttle data usage on the all smart phones/mobile devices?