Tether Says Apple Pulled iTether App Over Carrier Burden

[ninjadex]

Scary

After reading various quotes from this company, it appears they might be logging data sent through their tethering service. How else would they know the usage habits of "more than 500,000 users"?

Call me old-fashioned, but I can't see a legitimate reason they should or would need to do this for a tethering app.

 

[dBeats]

What I'm confused about is that nearly everyone with an iPhone has a data plan that is no longer unlimited. That means we PAY for the airtime we use. How in the world is this a burden on the network?!?

It's times like this I wish the carriers would just go to hell and we would all setup wifi locations everywhere and use Skype or (insert your own VOIP software here.)

Ma Bell is back in full force. Keep holding on to that worthless business model.


Hay Carriers, just shut up and take my internet data plan money!

 

[Centient]

What's the full story here?

Until I read the press release from Tether I was willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt that iTether just slipped through. A human error type of situation is totally understandable.

However Tether is saying they provided info on the nature of the app, answered follow up questions, and even provided a video demo of the app. Taken at their word, Tether sounded totally above board during the process. Just reading their press release from early this morning, after iTether was first released, they were clearly thrilled to be able to release their app to such a huge number of potential customers.

How exactly did something like this make it through all these hoops, with the implications of such an app being fully understood by Apple, only to get pulled hours later? I'd really like more details on this. (Not that I expect we'll get them).

 

[Mikedexter]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Well works like a champ for me! But only using it when really needed! Only if it worked with the iPad

 

[soco]

your comment is fail.

they didn't huff.
they didn't puff.
they didn't (as of yet) try to blow down Steve's house.

they took a risk and made an app.
they played by all the rules and cooperated with "the house".
it got pulled.
they're naturally disappointed.
they issued a very calm, measured response.

what would you have them do differently???

What?

They huffed and puffed (a metaphor, by the way) about Apple's decision.

Yes, they played ball by the rules. Unfortunately, those rules also make Apple justified. It's an odd situation in which, by the rules, no one did anything wrong.

Look, I'm not disagreeing that their response was calm and measured. It was, and good on them for that. But I know why it was measured and I picked up on, just like we all did, the tone behind that measurement.

 

[hitekalex]

Is this some kind of joke?

This has nothing to do with "carrier capabilities" obviously, since the same carriers will happily sell you stand-alone tethering plan for extra $30/month. It is about carrying trying to hold on to their turf, and Apple playing along and stifling innovation and consumer choices.

I am hopeful that some day US and EU regulators will break up this unholy alliance once and for all.

As to your candy store example, it makes so little sense that I won't even bother.

Specifically what I said. They're huffing and puffing about the deciscion of a company who controls an App Store to pull an app that they control from that store after financially supporting companies (carriers in this case) complained of it's capabilities.

Essentially, you go to a candy store to buy M&Ms. Obviously the candy store is selling these M&Ms and splits profit with Mars candy company in the sense that they bought the M&Ms at one price, and to you another.

You come to find out that the candy store owner decided that his truck drivers were complaining about the M&Ms they had to deliver to the store for whatever reason. The pressure from the drivers is enough, and the store no longer sells M&Ms.

Now tell me, does Mars candy company have any right to be mad at this candy store?



Seriously?

 

[kironin]

We strongly disagree that it burdens a carrier’s network, as from our own data history on more than 500,000 users we know the average user consumes less than 200 MBs of data per month on Tether. In comparison, one TV show streamed from Netflix, an approved Apple App, could easily be in the 300-400 MBs range. Sure, there are some users that will consume way more than the average however that’s the case with any of these types of products.

This is spot on. I use data heavily for business, but I don't TV shows, or movies, etc. , barely use pandora anymore, and only occasionally access youtube and I am consistently use around 1/10 of my 2GB limit per month. Tethering would only be at times to access data that would only had a small blip to that and still be far below my limit.

 

[jclardy]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

It's also confirmed that Apple wanted to make even more money in such a short period of time, or else they would never have approved it in the first place.

Assuming 100,000 people bought this app in the short period of time it was available 100000 * $15 * 30% = $450,000. A nice chunk of change to a small corporation, but Apple has around $80 billion in the bank. I don't think they really plotted a cash grab at such a low level.

They probably allowed it to bring up more anger against the greedy US carriers who limit data usage while also enforcing how you use it.

 

[baleensavage]

Why do carriers care? If I have say a 1GB per month plan, why does it matter if I use that 1GB over the month on my phone, or in one day (or week) on my computer? 1GB is 1GB, why does it matter how I use it, on which device, or how fast I use it? 1GB is 1GB, and its my 1GB to use.. after all the customer is paying for the 1GB, shouldn't they be able to use it how ever THEY wish?

Because the carriers want your money...all of it. It's the same nonsense that they use to require their top data plan with an iPhone purchase, even if you live in an area without 3G coverage. Or how about texting plans? They've charged for those since day one and they take absolutely no amount of bandwidth to send. Is there any rational justification for charging $5 a month for texting? Tethering is just another excuse for cell phone companies to tack another $30 onto your already high bill.

 

[toddybody]

Damn the carriers. They kabosh unlimited data and replace it with horribly priced tiered plans. More so, they charge us a premium to use tethering on our finite plans. Sorry, but 200Mb/2Gb should be ours to unseat will. It's funny how their "robust and trusted" network can handle uninterrupted streaming to our phones, but would be too fragile to use the same bandwidth through our connected devices. Oh that's right, the tethering premium magically fixes that. Did I mention that I hate them?

 

[Zwhaler]

Dang, I missed it.

 

[Virtualball]

I find this statement grossly underestimated:



Sitting and watching a few YouTube videos everyday will push you way over that.

While I agree that it's a shockingly low number, they're the ones with the data on how the software is used. This is a terrible move by Apple; if Apple started pulling GPS apps because AT&T wanted people to use their service only, would people be happy? If Apple pulled a tethering app because AT&T wanted people to use their service only, would people defend it? Obviously yes, and it's puzzling. We don't have unlimited data anymore, so if someone tethers over 2 gigs, they'll pay for it. That's the whole excuse they gave us for taking away unlimited, right?

 

[soco]

No right? LOL good god.

How deluded the tyrannical control of the carriers has made people.

I'm not deluded at all. I'm fully aware of the tyrannical control. What you're deluded about is the fact that you're all complaining about a control that you happily signed on the dotted line to be under.

After reading various quotes from this company, it appears they might be logging data sent through their tethering service. How else would they know the usage habits of "more than 500,000 users"?

The Tether app has been in use on other devices for a long time.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Protest!

As a protest, I will run Netflix muted in my pocket all day!

Join me!

 

[nagromme]

“Carrier burden” is what I will henceforth call the universally-mediocre, overpriced and poorly-serviced telecommunications offerings in the U.S.

The impact on service MAY be a real problem (or trending in that direction) but it shouldn’t have to be.

(This from the same companies who took huge government payouts from taxpayers years ago, on the promise of delivering a far better broadband infrastructure, and then pocketed most of the cash without actually delivering. Must be nice.)

 

[deuk1219]

Can someone upload the .dmg tether for mac install file?
Their website is extremely slow and the file won't download.

I have the application on my iPhone, but I wasn't home to download the computer version.

Thank you!

 

[soco]

Is this some kind of joke?

Is it?

This has nothing to do with "carrier capabilities" obviously, since the same carriers will happily sell you stand-alone tethering plan for extra $30/month.

And I guess you want to tell me you have no choice but to buy, right? No, of course not. You have every choice in the world not to do so. Just like you have a choice not to be a subscriber to their network.

It is about carrying trying to hold on to their turf, and Apple playing along and stifling innovation and consumer choices.

Again, I agree that it sucks, but we all agreed to all of this when we bought iPhones and subscribed to the carriers' terms.

I am hopeful that some day US and EU regulators will break up this unholy alliance once and for all.

Agreed. So maybe we can more reasonably push for this instead of acting like it's all going to change like magic when a company like Tether puts an app like this into the store.

As to your candy store example, it makes so little sense that I won't even bother.

Then don't.

 

[blueroom]

As a protest, I will run Netflix muted in my pocket all day!

Join me!

And then you'll complain about your battery life *and hot pockets*

 

[Chairman.Jobbie]

Can someone upload the .dmg tether for mac install file?
Their website is extremely slow and the file won't download.

I have the application on my iPhone, but I wasn't home to download the computer version.

Thank you!

http://www.box.com/s/hbay0h9ilazrjfj50uf0

 

[daxomni]

Reading deeper into this, I believe Apple pulled it under pressure from the networks, who would rather people pay the fees for tethering. I think Apple approved this app knowing full well they would be asked to pull it by the carriers. When you look at this way, I applaud Apple for allowing people to get their hands on the app to begin with.

I also applaud Apple for immediately caving into the first sign of external pressure from the very system the iPhone was supposedly intended to upend.

 

[soco]

And then you'll complain about your battery life *and hot pockets*

The ones with ham and cheese in them?

 

[ouimetnick]

As a protest, I will run Netflix muted in my pocket all day!

Join me!

Start these:

Occupy AT&T
Occupy Verizon Wireless
Occupy Sprint

WE WANT OUR UNLIMITED DATA PLANS BACK!

or If we have a 2GB cap, let us us that 2GB on any device, and let us use 2GB the way we want!

 

[bushido]

is it just me or does something seem totally wrong if one company can tell another company what they can put on their phone invention and what not???

 

[Kid A]

It makes sense like charging an extra monthly fee for texting makes sense. The carrier's see it as a way make for you to pay twice for the same service. It costs them essentially nothing to provide since you already essentially have it.

It's easy near 100% profit for them.

100% AGREED!

And (partially) f'd (stuck it to) the carriers with iMessage, no? Too bad most folks are probably already on an overpriced unlimited texting plan. (I myself eventually caved due to pre-iMessage social life pressures). But iMessage could in theory prevent texting overages from folks on limited plans, satiate (for a while) kids with iPod touches (who may otherwise get an iPhone sooner), or encourage folks (if enough of their friends/family are on iOS 5 devices) to move to lower-tier texting plans, IF the carriers continue to offer them.

I'm sure someone will say tethering is somehow different than texting... But my point is, if has shown it is willing to offer a feature to users that help them avoid stupid/extra/excessive carrier fees. Why shouldn't iTethering be next.... eventually?

 

[iRCL]

Who the **** wants tethering across a cabled USB connection that's dialing home to their servers and requires software on the computer you hook to? What a bunch of garbage.

Also - if the carriers care at all about tethering which they've proven they do - they'll simply set up an alert to see who is phoning home to that company's servers and they'll immediately know who's using it and will charge you anyway. You all wasted your $15