Apple's iPhone 5 debuts on T-Mobile April 12 with $99 upfront payment plan

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  • Reply 61 of 103
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    tbell wrote: »
    A comparable plan on AT&T costs $130 a month, lacks unlimited data, lacks the hotspot, requires a $199 down payment on the same phone, and the price never adjusts when phone is paid off.

    I don't think "comparable plan" is a good measure for matching a user to a carrier. I have absolutely no interest in unlimited voice or any text messaging whatsoever. I also don't use more than a few hundreds megabytes of data per month. What I do want is coverage is and speed. This is why I went with Verizon after more than 5 years with AT&T with the iPhone. Their HSDPA was superior to Verizon's LTE at first but that changed and even Verizon's LTE trounced AT&T in my area. I pay about $10 more a month for it (which is after over 20% off from a corporate discount and using nearly their cheapest plan) but to me it's worth it. Clearly the numbers show people are prefer using other carriers than T-Mobile and Sprint which have had to resort to some lower cost "deals" to attract buyers. This was the case before the iPhone was even on AT&T.


    And, no, having faster speeds doesn't mean I'm using more data, it just means I'm not wasting time for the data to load. I actually use less data with my iPhone 5 than I did with my previous iPhones, but there are plenty of factors to consider for that.

    drewyboy wrote: »
    Solip, they said they're are only claiming LTE coverage in a city if the WHOLE city is covered so there isn't any false advertisement unlike other carriers. So when they say it, they mean it. And as TBell has pointed out, the HSPA+ is all over the place with pretty stink'n fast speed.

    This is also the carrier that was calling HSPA+ '4G' long before the ITU-R changed their definition. Remember AT&T pointing fingers at T-Mobile before themselves adopting it? Not that it matters, as HSPA+ is so far above the 384kbps that '3G' started at with UMTS that it's a silly designation anyway to push to the customer.

    Still, regardless of that, Verizon offers me much better coverage and fast LTE in my area so unless I see something that shows it's better for my needs saving a few dollars a month isn't going to affect me. Plus I'm not a fan of this paltry $150 subsidy on the iPhone 5. At that price I'd rather just buy it outright and and factory unlocked if I had to use T-Mobile USA.

    tbell wrote: »
    They have HSPA+ in a lot more areas.

    A lot more areas than what? Their LTE coverage? :???:

    T-Mobile claimed that they would have 100 million customers covered with LTE by the end of 2013.

    That sounds promising but it's still only about 30% of the US.

    I never understood how they calculate those figures. Since people are mobile how to figure these numbers. I guess you could do a neighborhood fairly accurately with a household per capita, but do you could children who have no phones or people that don't have phones? What about business parks or other large areas that have virtually no people living in them, like long stretches of highway? I suppose using an average of the feasible land covered by the radio signal and then calculate the average number of people for that city but that has its own issues if it's not completely covered? But then want about those that commute?
  • Reply 62 of 103
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quitchur Fussin View Post


    How does T-Mobile get away with not charging taxes?



    I'm sure they have taxes & fees.  If the previous poster is correct, it simply means that the referenced $50 amount already includes all of that.  If he is incorrect, then there will be more to pay.


     


    Thompson

  • Reply 63 of 103
    icoco3 wrote: »
    Straight Talk uses ATT towers and iPhone 5 can be purchased then just monthly unlimited, cancel anytime.  In my area ATT provides great service.

    Yes but what about LTE? StraightTalk doesn't offer LTE...
  • Reply 64 of 103
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post







    A lot more areas than what? Their LTE coverage? image

    That sounds promising but it's still only about 30% of the US.



     


    Actually, according to Cnet, T-Mobile plans to cover 300 million Americans with LTE by the end of 2013, not 100 million:


     


    "The carrier plans to cover 100 million people with its service by the middle of this year. And it expects to cover an additional 200 million by the end of 2013."


     


    http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57576382-94/t-mobile-ceo-stop-the-bull-with-carrier-plans/

  • Reply 65 of 103
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    tyler82 wrote: »
    Actually, according to Cnet, T-Mobile plans to cover 300 million Americans with LTE by the end of 2013, not 100 million:

    "<span style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;">The carrier plans to cover 100 million people with its service by the middle of this year. And it expects to cover an additional 200 million by the end of 2013."</span>


    http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57576382-94/t-mobile-ceo-stop-the-bull-with-carrier-plans/

    That's certainly much better news but I still have the same questions and concerns about that means to me.
  • Reply 66 of 103
    Where's our Carly Foulkes ad??
  • Reply 67 of 103
    I don't know why no one is acting like this isn't a huge this. This is a HUGE deal.

    T-Mobile is introducing the cheapest costs to own ANY phone. Paying $99 for a down payment, is $100 LESS than what you would pay on ATT or Verizon initially. 24 payments at $20 per month is no different that have a 2 year contract with the $20 payments masked within your bill.

    This is a great move in the wireless industry, and everyone should get on board. It makes it so that people that don't upgrade or have their own phone, can pay a lower monthly payment. $70, unlimited everything is amazingly cheap.

    And also, the merger with MetroPCS has been approved (as far as I heard), and they will likely activate LTE on cities that Metro already has LTE (mine being one :smokey:)
  • Reply 68 of 103
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    But after 20 months one is going to want to upgrade their iPhone so onto another payment plan they'll go.

    That's what I was thinking. After your phone is paid off... it would be smart to keep that phone for a while and enjoy a lower monthly bill.

    But most people want a newer phone... so they're back to paying more each month.

    T-Mobile's new plans make a lot of sense on paper... but most people will upgrade their phones whenever they can.
  • Reply 69 of 103
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I don't know why no one is acting like this isn't a huge this. This is a HUGE deal.

    T-Mobile is introducing the cheapest costs to own ANY phone. Paying $99 for a down payment, is $100 LESS than what you would pay on ATT or Verizon initially. 24 payments at $20 per month is no different that have a 2 year contract with the $20 payments masked within your bill.

    This is a great move in the wireless industry, and everyone should get on board. It makes it so that people that don't upgrade or have their own phone, can pay a lower monthly payment. $70, unlimited everything is amazingly cheap.

    And also, the merger with MetroPCS has been approved (as far as I heard), and they will likely activate LTE on cities that Metro already has LTE (mine being one :smokey:)

    So $100 less to start, but then I pay $20 per month (is that first payment up front?) so in just 5 months I'm already at what I spent on another carrier and after 20 months I pay it off with only a $150 subsidy compared to the much higher subsidy I get from other carriers, not mention I am usually able to make an upgrade well under 20 months with the other major carriers with no penalty.

    I guess you can save some money with T-Mobile if they fit your right, but you can say that about anything. I just don't see how getting worse service save $100 upfront for a worse subsidy and then to go from about $80/month (what I paid for 2GB) on AT&T to about $80/month on T-Mobile USA ($50 + $20 + taxes) is a real draw. It's sound like late-night informercial trickery to me. "You can't afford not to."
  • Reply 70 of 103
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    As with other carriers, only the iPhone 5 will be compatible with T-Mobile's new 4G LTE high-speed data network.


    And?


    This isn't a limitation by any carrier.

  • Reply 71 of 103
    bwikbwik Posts: 565member
    I'm a heavy internet user with plenty of money and a high income. Never been tempted to actually pay these ridiculous prices. It's just more than I am willing to pay.
  • Reply 72 of 103
    That's what I was thinking. After your phone is paid off... it would be smart to keep that phone for a while and enjoy a lower monthly bill.

    But most people want a newer phone... so they're back to paying more each month.

    T-Mobile's new plans make a lot of sense on paper... but most people will upgrade their phones whenever they can.

    I don't think most people really want to upgrade their phone. The subsidy model of all the carriers made them upgrade. One is stupid if not upgrading whenever possible because one was paying for a phone every month. With no more big leaps expected in the smartphone development but just incremental spec bumps I can see customers willing to use their phones a couple of years longer until the battery is really underperforming. Especially if people have invested in cases, docks, chargers, adapters etc. saving 240$ if you use it three years instead of two is a big deal.
  • Reply 73 of 103
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    oberpongo wrote: »
    I don't think most people really want to upgrade their phone.

    I think it's the other way around. People want newer, faster, better things but with a $650+ phone that isn't subsidized you just hold onto it longer before it such a huge upfront cost. The subsidy model allows you to get that newer, faster, better more often.
  • Reply 74 of 103
    one thing no one is mentioning: you can still get the old $30/mo prepaid plans. unlimited text and data (5gb @ 4G) +100 min... or 1500 min/text + 30mb data. That's way cheaper than any grandfathered iPhone plan. If you're not a power user, then these plans are perfect.

    And about the question of taxes and fees, I'm on a $30 tmo prepaid plan and it is exact $30 every month. fees and tax already included (I assume).
  • Reply 75 of 103
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ampsurge View Post



    Just a thought.....could this also indicate a possible April/June release of the 5s? Wishful thinking!


     


    If they were going to do a June 5s why release on T-Mobile now rather than wait for the new one in 2 months 

  • Reply 76 of 103
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Jim Collins View Post



    Total rip off. So I am supposed to pay for the phone separately and they are still going to charge me almost exactly as much as AT&T does for unlimited data? Now I do know that AT&T 'unlimited' data isn't really unlimited any more, but I expect that T-Mobile's definition of 'unlimited' is a lot closer to AT&T's definition of 'unlimited' than everyone else's definition of unlimited. For this to be a good deal the unlimited plan needs to be about $50 per month and the 500GB plan about $30 a month.


     


    ATT doesn't sell unlimited plans anymore so that's a bonus for some folks. Also AT&T charges the same rate regardless of whether you get a subside, buy full price or are done with your contract. By putting it on two lines when you pay off your iPhone your T-Mobile bill will go down 

  • Reply 77 of 103
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    Nobody's excited about HD Voice? :D



     


    A service that only works if you and the other people both have t-mobile smartphones on 4g. 


     


    Nope not really that big a deal

  • Reply 78 of 103
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post





    But after 20 months one is going to want to upgrade their iPhone so onto another payment plan they'll go.


     


    Or, now that folks aren't being strong armed into that upgrade because they aren't getting a discount because their device is paid off, we might find folks actually waiting until their units are dying before they shell out more cash. Certainly if they have 4 more months on an extended warranty they are liable to wait. So why not save a little cash

  • Reply 79 of 103
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    charlituna wrote: »
    A service that only works if you and the other people both have t-mobile smartphones on 4g. 

    Nope not really that big a deal

    Actually both people must have:

    LTE capable phone
    HD Voice capable phone
    VoLTE capable network

    T-Mobile competitors have announced plans to implement VoLTE this year.
  • Reply 80 of 103
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post


    Well, it depends upon what the taxes and fees are.    My AT&T plan, grandfathered unlimited, including taxes and fees costs about $81 per month + $200 for the 16GB phone (I actually paid $300 for the 32GB phone).   So over 20 months that's $1820.      The T-Mobile plan is $50 for 500MB, which could come to $60 with taxes and fees.   With the phone that's $1699, only a $121 difference over the life of the plan.    The unlimited plan is $70 a month, let's say $80 with taxes and fees.   That's $2099 over 20 months including the phone.    That's $279 above what I'm currently paying.


     


    So I don't see any great bargain here.  If I want to limit my service, I can pay less with AT&T as well.     But for people who don't want to front $200 for the phone, being able to front only $99 might seem like a good deal.


     


    (Man,  I never thought I'd be defending AT&T).



     


     


    First, are you claiming to be a typical AT&T customer? Anybody signing up for AT&T today for an individual plan will pay $69.99 for unlimited voice. Add another $30 to that for 3GB of data. Add another $20 to that for unlimited texting. This doesn't include the ability to share data with other devices like T-Mobile's plans do. The total price is $119.99 without taxes. So with taxes and fees you are looking at $130. 


     


    The comparable T-Mobile plan costs $60 ($70 with taxes) for unlimited data (tethered from 4G to 3G after 2GBs), unlimited voice, and unlimited texting, HD Voice, and the ability to use your phone's internet on other devices (the hotspot feature). Add twenty a month for the phone. That is $90 a month compared to AT&T's $130. 


     


    Moreover, on T-Mobile you can tailor the plans to get rid of data all together if you want to use just wi-fi. You can't do that on AT&T. 


     


    ?Finally, the $50 T-Mobile plan is unlimited data, it is just after 500MB the speed drops from 4G to 3G. Maybe with some grandfathered AT&T deals, or plans with employer discounts, you will not save much switching, but a lot of people will save. 

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