I wish I could buy a single data plan from AT&T that would cover all of my 3G devices (iPad, iPhone, MacBook data card, etc.)...
Yeah, obviously I'm dreaming.
Yeah, obviously I'm dreaming.
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Apple Details iPad 3G Service Sign-Up and Management
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I heard the SIM cards and tray are going to be bigger to prevent people from popping it out of their iPhone and using it on the iPad. I could be wrong.
I checked my iPhone and I've never used more than 71MB in a single month over the past two years, and I average about 40MB. Many times when traveling the iPhone is my only working connection. However I still use a laptop as well when I can.
I would say that 250MB would cover all my casual browsing and email with no problem.
Great job AT&T and Apple.
Because this is consumer friendly, easy to use and gives me power to chose and control my spend, I purchased the wifi model and will start with the $15 plan, but I suspect I soon will be at unlimited.
(I had not intention this morning of buying the 3g model since i am too skeptical of wireless companies.)
I can't believe more companies aren't smarter this way. They go out of their way to bleed the customer with draconian terms, packages, and interfaces, and they actually end up with less money.
Treat your customers like adults and you'll make more money.
Because this is consumer friendly, easy to use and gives me power to chose and control my spend, I purchased the wifi model and will start with the $15 plan, but I suspect I soon will be at unlimited.
(I had not intention this morning of buying the 3g model since i am too skeptical of wireless companies.)
I can't believe more companies aren't smarter this way. They go out of their way to bleed the customer with draconian terms, packages, and interfaces, and they actually end up with less money.
Treat your customers like adults and you'll make more money.
My wife and I both have the $30 unlimited plans and stay well below 250MB, too. They need to move the 250MB plan to the iPhone, too.
The iPad uses a 3FF Sim card and I'm 99% sure it'll be user replaceable. So, you won't be able to pull the sim card out of your phone and throw it into your iPad, but you should be able to swap it out with a different 3FF Sim.
As for Verizon, I know you we're only trying to make a point, but a Verizon sim certainly wouldn't work. (Unless the iPad mysteriously supports CDMA/EV-DO, which it won't)
The bigger question is whether it's carrier-locked like the (US) iPhone. If not, the only issue is getting Micro-SIMs. If so . . . well that's a PITA. Without a carrier subsidy for the iPad, though, there's less basis for locking it to AT&T.
It's not carrier locked. You should be able to swap micro-SIMs if need be for int'l travel. The real question is still how do you get the right one, how much will it cost, etc...
P
It's absolutely not carrier locked in the US, but it might as well be because T-Mobile in the States uses a non-standard frequency.
It's how it works on every other pre-paid service. I do it all the time with my verizon aircard. It connects to the network but locks down dns until the device is activated by processing payment.
You should be able to use t-mobile's 2G stuff, if you're willing to put up with it.
Actually they are smaller. microsims. It's a newish standard. It's not to prevent using it on other devices (electrically they are the same, and you can even cut a sim down to microsim size). In fact, I would bet the new iPhones will use the smaller sims as well to save space for other stuff.
Actually, that's pretty much what I use my iPhone for. I don't download videos (or books & magazines for that matter) other than the occasional YouTube, I don't download photos other than the occasional email attachment, I use Pandora maybe twice a month for a couple of hours at a time, in fact... I rarely use my iPhone during work hours because I get horrible 3G reception in my office. So I really have to wonder how I easily hit 250MB each month, but I do.
When I went on vacation last month I did use my MobileMe account to show photos and video, but that was only a couple of times, and my usage for that month was about 700MB.
As for not understanding the point of the device, let's be honest, it's basically an iPhone on steroids, and if people were only interested in reading books and magazines on it, they would buy a Kindle.
I'm just saying that maybe 250MB is a low bar to set.
Micro-SIMS
Apologies if this is a dumb question, but would there be any problem with buying an iPad here in the US with the aim of taking it abroad and popping in another micro-SIM there?
I.e., in a country where the iPhone is already available through local carriers (South Africa, say) -- as a baseline for compatbility in general with Apple products -- would there likely be any additional issues for the iPad, with frequency etc.?
As for the micro-SIM itself, seemingly you can just cut any old SIM down to size...
Thanks.
Apologies if this is a dumb question, but would there be any problem with buying an iPad here in the US with the aim of taking it abroad and popping in another micro-SIM there?
I.e., in a country where the iPhone is already available through local carriers (South Africa, say) -- as a baseline for compatbility in general with Apple products -- would there likely be any additional issues for the iPad, with frequency etc.?
As for the micro-SIM itself, seemingly you can just cut any old SIM down to size...
Thanks.
Should be no problem at all as long as pre-paid data microsims are available in those countries.
The page says:
Sign up on your iPad.
You can sign up for 3G data service with AT&T at any time right on your iPad. Theres no need to visit a store or call customer service. Just tap Settings and choose Cellular Data. Then type in your user information, select a plan, and enter your credit card information.
I read that as you can use the 3g connectivity to sign up for 3g. So you're in a kind of walled garden until you do.
hello? Can you hear me now? Wait, i'll call you back from my landline!
Nobody seems to be addressing the real problem with the 3G version... and that is that the service is with AT&T. I already have a useless 3G device (my beloved iPhone) that I pay $30/month for data and can't use often because of the crappy service in Los Angeles.
Why would I pay an additional $130 plus a monthly fee for something that I'm just going to end up cursing at because I can't use it when I need it?
The way I see it, most places that I am going to be using the iPad will have Wi-Fi and since it will do everything that my iPhone can do, I can now get a real phone (that I can place calls on) on Verizon, until the Verizon iPhone comes out in June.
Wi-Fi 64GB iPad, Andriod Verizon phone
Nobody seems to be addressing the real problem with the 3G version... and that is that the service is with AT&T. I already have a useless 3G device (my beloved iPhone) that I pay $30/month for data and can't use often because of the crappy service in Los Angeles.
Why would I pay an additional $130 plus a monthly fee for something that I'm just going to end up cursing at because I can't use it when I need it?
The way I see it, most places that I am going to be using the iPad will have Wi-Fi and since it will do everything that my iPhone can do, I can now get a real phone (that I can place calls on) on Verizon, until the Verizon iPhone comes out in June.
Wi-Fi 64GB iPad, Andriod Verizon phone
250MB is a lot, the average iPhone user uses about 270MB per month using email w/attachments, browsing the internet all month, downloading apps, and watching YouTube frequently. When I first got my iPhone I used a lot more than that playing with all the things I could do but now I average about 230MB per month and I use it a lot.
Buy 250MB and if you need more buy 250MB more or bump it to unlimited when the 250MB runs out. It's a great plan.
When your first 250MB runs out and you buy 250MB more it bumps the expiration date to 30 more days. 250MB every 15 days is the same price as unlimited every 30 days. There are no overages, you have to stop using it or roll into a new 250MB or unlimited plan when the data runs out.
It appears when your 250MB data runs out you have 3 choices.
1. Upgrade to the unlimited plan for the extra $15 for the rest of your 30 days.
2. Start a new unlimited plan for $29.99 with a new 30 days.
3. Start a new 250MB plan with a new 30 days.
This is the same way prepaid phone plans work, you get so many minutes or days which ever comes first. With this plan you get 250MB or 30 days which ever comes first, then you must purchase a new plan. You can set it up to auto extend or auto expire or you can upgrade to unlimited for that 30 days if you use the 250MB in just a few days.
Oh I'm not saying it's not a great plan. I really do like the fact that there are no penalty fees. And if you say that the avg iPhone user uses 270MB, I just think the avg iPad user would use more. In fact, I'd love to see the same plan for iPhone users, I think that's where this plan would be more effective in saving people money.
Yes, I understand that's NOT what AT&T or Apple have high on their list of priorities.
Irrelevant.
In the case of rollover, the only time it's been useful for me is when I was heavily phone-interviewing a few years ago... had one month of burning my rollover minutes, then next month was normal.
In this case, all that would happen is my normal $15/mo plan would bump up to $30 in that bad month, then I could downgrade it next month.
Rollover of the 250 sounds like a worse deal than the flexibility you get with auto-bump-up + any-time plan-switching.
+1 AT&T/APPLE on this one.
OK, I see what you are saying. I never stream videos outside of a wifi setting... any photos or videos I'd be showing off are going to be on the device itself. Seriously, why use an online photoviewer when the built-in iPhoto is so slick?
I still think the 250mb is going to be plenty for MOST users... for those whom it isn't, they can get an unlimited plan as needed. I'd have to say, though, that overall more people will likely buy the Wifi only model, making this all a rather moot point.
How much is wifi vs. 3G
Just wondering, how much of that 230MB was wifi-down?
I've noticed (as have many others) that most of my iPhone traffic is near a wifi point where I have access.
I wonder if the iPad is eligible for Starbucks/ATT wifi?
Just wondering, how much of that 230MB was wifi-down?
I've noticed (as have many others) that most of my iPhone traffic is near a wifi point where I have access.
I wonder if the iPad is eligible for Starbucks/ATT wifi?
no rollover. In a way I agree with the gist of your question. Why isn't there a pay as you go choice.
i ask too about activation fees. if I have to pay an extra $26 each time I reactivate that is going to suck. first time to set up the line sure I don't mind but hopefully after that it's not so much a cancel as a 'hold' so no fees.
You can buy a single data plan from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile that covers all your WiFi devices, it's called a MiFi and it is a wireless 3G receiver/WiFi transmitter. The plans are about $60 per month. You can even use this device for your home internet service. The MiFi is not much bigger than a credit card but a little thicker, just keep in your pocket and you have WiFi where ever you are on any WiFi device.
With the iPhone you would need to drop your iPhone plan and just use WiFi and VoIP for your calls. It's not the perfect solution but it is possible.