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With the new cloud-based music service, will we see the unlimited plan again?

petrucci666

petrucci666

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 30, 2009
714
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Los Angeles, CA
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All of us can see the cloud-based iTunes coming very soon, but I can't imagine using it with my crappy 2GB data plan.

Since Apple will try to push this new service as much as possible and with the service being a large consumer of data, do you think we'll see the unlimited data plan come back? Apple (if they're smart) will undoubtedly push AT&T's buttons to raise their data plan packages.

What do you guys think?
 
No i dont think it will ever come back. The phone companies dont care how you use your data, they just want to charge you for it. The phone makers want to provide you devices rhat can use cloud, but they dont care how much the phone companies charge you to use it. So in reality, no corportation really cares that it will cost you more. All they are concerned about is how much they can squeeze out of you without you leaving them.
 
I don't think that there is a prayer that the unlimited data plans will come back. On the other hand, I can see Apple charging a flat rate per month or year for unlimited streaming access.
 
i don't understand all the 'excitement' about "the cloud". you're not going to have unlimited data plans, so you're going to pay data charges to stream stuff you already own plus, apple will invariable charge you for storage space.

wake up people.
 
BlindMellon said:
i don't understand all the 'excitement' about "the cloud". you're not going to have unlimited data plans, so you're going to pay data charges to stream stuff you already own plus, apple will invariable charge you for storage space.

wake up people.
Click to expand...

I 100% agree with this. I don't see much of a plus to this except more storage space on your devices (but isn't that what the storage space on your device is for?!?!). So in reality, what is the hype of cloud based music...I don't get it. You will be charged by apple and you will be streaming LOADS of data which will cost even more money.

The only way you see an unlimited data plan again will be for them to charge over $50 a month for it and chance are it will be more then that. Pretty soon it will be more then the minutes you are paying for...
 
BlindMellon said:
i don't understand all the 'excitement' about "the cloud". you're not going to have unlimited data plans, so you're going to pay data charges to stream stuff you already own plus, apple will invariable charge you for storage space.

wake up people.
Click to expand...

In the long run, you may not have a choice. All your apps, movies, music, etc may all be on a cloud server. Same with android. In the future, you may have phones that will not come with much internal storage and you will be forced to use much more data and thus pay higher data fees. We will probably see no more itune software upgrades in the future for pc's and macs and we will be forced to activate new phones via their cloud servers. It's not if it will happen but when.
 
You know, just because the option to store media offsite might exist eventually, doesn't mean you have to use it. :rolleyes:

What, pray tell, is the problem with storing your media locally on your iPods and iPhones and iPads?

Nobody will be forcing you to use cloud storage. If you are going to use SO much data by playing media over the cloud, then don't. Store it locally instead.

Problem solved.
 
cwelsh said:
I don't think that there is a prayer that the unlimited data plans will come back. On the other hand, I can see Apple charging a flat rate per month or year for unlimited streaming access.
Click to expand...

That makes no sense at all. Unlimited is not coming back and Apple is going to charge for unlimited???? :confused:
 
Alaerian said:
You know, just because the option to store media offsite might exist eventually, doesn't mean you have to use it. :rolleyes:

What, pray tell, is the problem with storing your media locally on your iPods and iPhones and iPads?

Nobody will be forcing you to use cloud storage. If you are going to use SO much data by playing media over the cloud, then don't. Store it locally instead.

Problem solved.
Click to expand...

Agree.
 
I still don't understand why I'm supposed to want to store my music on the cloud. It will be inaccessible underground on the Metro, and what about being in and out of bad reception on the train between DC and Philly? Those are really two of the primary times I listen to music on my phone and i wouldnt want to give them up. I like storing documents on the cloud so I can work on them from different computers, so is the idea just that you could log into your music from a work computer or at a friends house? Or so you have access to more music than you can store locally?

I guess I answered my own question, but I still think I prefer to just listen to the music I have stored locally.
 
I also don't think unlimited plans would come back for cloud services, and I don't get the point of the cloud. Okay, so I can access my music and such wherever I have network service? Great, I can do that with flash memory too. And there is speculation that Apple will only allow iTunes purchased media into their cloud. I understand that people still pirate music at a high rate. Honestly, I have never done it. However, I didn't start buying digital music until about two years ago, I have seven years worth of CDs in my iTunes library. So why should I use the cloud when I can only store iTunes purchased songs? Doesn't help with all the other songs I listen to purchased outside of iTunes.
 
Givmeabrek said:
That makes no sense at all. Unlimited is not coming back and Apple is going to charge for unlimited???? :confused:
Click to expand...

Sorry, looking back I can see how it sounds confusing. What i meant to convey was that the fee you would be paying to apple would be a usage fee, similar to how zune works. You pay X amount of dollars a year and you can upload as much content / music / movies as you want and stream them whenever. I didn't mean to imply that the act of listening / watching movies over the 3G network would be free and not use data from your data plan.
 
wxman2003 said:
In the long run, you may not have a choice. All your apps, movies, music, etc may all be on a cloud server. Same with android. In the future, you may have phones that will not come with much internal storage and you will be forced to use much more data and thus pay higher data fees. We will probably see no more itune software upgrades in the future for pc's and macs and we will be forced to activate new phones via their cloud servers. It's not if it will happen but when.
Click to expand...
oh, i'll have a choice. i can barely justify a $15 data charge as it is. i'll drop smartphones in a hot minute if monthly plans get more expensive and i'm sure as hell not paying for access to music/films i already own.
 
wxman2003 said:
In the long run, you may not have a choice. All your apps, movies, music, etc may all be on a cloud server. Same with android. In the future, you may have phones that will not come with much internal storage and you will be forced to use much more data and thus pay higher data fees. We will probably see no more itune software upgrades in the future for pc's and macs and we will be forced to activate new phones via their cloud servers. It's not if it will happen but when.
Click to expand...

What good do cloud servers if you are in a place with no service? If you have the music/apps/movies on your iPod/iPhone/iPad/Mac you can use it anywhere.

The cloud thing is based on everyone having fast affordable access, which is not coming any time soon.
 
I don't get it as well. Memory is very cheap. Most people can store a reasonable supply of media on their device...or at least store everything they want iTunes and made decisions abotu what to put on their device.

Having to stream pruchased content in under a data plan with limitations seems like a step backward.

What's the upside supposed to be?
 
Apple isn't dumb. You probably won't have to use cloud if you don't want to. For example, it won't work on most iPods.
 
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