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Tethering

My informal source, who is a programmer for a subcontractor and has been decently reliable, has said that Apple had been working on seamless tethering functionality between the iPhone and the Pad, but there have been difficulties, including serious resistance from carriers. Fundamentals for the new functionality were supposed to be built into 4.0 with a roll-out in the spring or summer, but the whole approach may have been scrapped.
 
I can Have wifi ANY PLACE i GO ! Why would I suddenly want to pay for it? I actually kind of kick myself for getting an iPhone ! .....Better to have a $#!tty phone with an iPod Touch ! ( WIFI and all ...)

Which is why the Touch does not have a camera, lots of people would ditch the iPhone for a touch if it had a camera. I'd rather pay $10 for a phone that I can drop-kick and then have my touch in a nice case on my belt. However I want a camera, because I have kids and like to have a camera.
 
If your going to get a tablet instead of a laptop, then I understand the appeal. I just don't see me wanting a macbook pro (which I already have) an iPhone (which I already have) and a Tablet. Well, I can see me "wanting" one...

I know if any company can bring out the wow factor in a product it's Apple so I look forward to the 27th. However, as many have stated already, no way I can afford to or even be willing to pay for an additional data plan.

I think my iPhone bill for my wife and I at $145.00 a month is ridicules! Then there is DirecTV, high speed Internet, Home Phone (I don't want everyone calling me on my cell phone) all this stuff adds up and becomes annoying.

I really enjoy my TV, Internet and iPhone so for entertainment and enjoyment, the money is well spent but again it adds up.
 
My informal source, who is a programmer for a subcontractor and has been decently reliable, has said that Apple had been working on seamless tethering functionality between the iPhone and the Pad, but there have been difficulties, including serious resistance from carriers. Fundamentals for the new functionality were supposed to be built into 4.0 with a roll-out in the spring or summer, but the whole approach may have been scrapped.

Apple needs to build or take over it's own data network! Then they would have no restrictions.

They can either afford it or get investors easily.
 
Agreed. Anyone buying a Tablet should be able to use it in either, or BOTH, networks.

Yeah, I don't care to be locked into either provider. Fine if what they're doing is simply negotiating some sort of subsidy with service. But I'd rather a tablet that comes without contract and can be used (even only with an external dongle) with any carrier who is providing the service.

Besides, a Verizon Apple Tablet will be totally outdated when V roles out 4G/LTE in a year or so.
 
Apple needs to build or take over it's own data network! Then they would have no restrictions.

They can either afford it or get investors easily.

I would just like to say...
There are other countries than the USA

and also
most other countries have SIM cards not CDMA

So please, get real.

The iPad will be released worldwide, to cater for a world market.
 
People, step outside yourselves and look at this from the seller's end of things.

Apple wants to sell tons of these Tablets. I've heard 10M in one year is the goal. Apple wants to make the Apple margin on all their sales. Apple knows that pricing is an important variable regardless of how great this thing might seem. So, it is easy to imagine the OPTION for a subsidized version. That's how the masses that want a "cheap" price can get the latest & greatest for just a few hundred dollars... just like the iPhone. Yes, that cheap price comes with a contract, but Apple has a TOTAL (we want our margin) price they want for this thing. Either YOU pay that total, or you plus a subsidizing company pay it. Your choice.

It should be obvious that AT&T's network is fairly overloaded. I see much too much gripes about it on this site, other sites, and in the press. If you are Apple you know this too. If Apple wants to keep ramping up the sales of iPhones and now this Tablet year over year, can AT&T build out their network fast enough to handle the coming additional load? Worse, does AT&T even WANT to do that?

Meanwhile, there is this other "whole" network, advertising "there's a map for that" very, very obviously making the point that their 3G is in many more places than AT&T. Remembering that Apple's goal is to sell many more iPhones (and Tablets) this coming year... noting that AT&T's network seems increasingly constrained to support that sales goal... and noting that the exclusivity contract with AT&T is apparently up for ending... it only makes sense to build BOTH 3G options into this new Tablet. That opens up a whole other market of buyers hooked to Verizon enough that they don't want to switch to AT&T. And I saw yesterday that that market is apparently 80M people deep.

Those with AT&T interested in iPhones have probably got one by now. Those with Verizon wanting an iPhone so bad that they would cancel, pay, and switch have mostly done so. Those with Verizon who won't switch are a very ready market hungry for the wonders of an iPhone or iPhone-like device on the Verizon network. Apple would be foolish not to build BOTH into this Tablet (and into the next iPhone too). It's not like building both in adds much cost to the hardware.

So, following this logic, here's what I expect related to the Tablet:
  • OPTIONAL 3G, meaning cheaper price with contract, but "expensive" without (let iPhone with and without pricing be your guide to guess your Tablet price... my guess is $799 without a contract)
  • OPTIONAL 3G in the same Tablet build (not 2 separate models) making it 3G compatible for BOTH AT&T and Verizon (and others). Among obvious benefits, that makes one model sellable to the 80M Verizon subs, plus capable of being sold and/or used anywhere in the rest of the world.
  • Verizon will have a short speaking part at the event welcoming this new device into the mix, praising Apple, and so on (then no more iPhone-slighting commercials).

Exercising your option to NOT buy one with a contract (by laying out the TOTAL price Apple will want for this thing up front... and probably griping about it), you'll have the rich access experience anytime you are near a good free wifi (but hopefully wimax) access point, but you won't have the access the internet anywhere at anytime experience you can get with 3G.

AT&T might (that's MIGHT) roll out a plan to let iPhone subscribers add a Tablet to their plan:
  • for an extra monthly fee (but maybe not quite as much as adding a second iPhone) OR
  • for a one-time (ahem "setup" fee) so that it shares your iPhone contract... probably in a "use one or the other but not both at the same time" arrangement
...probably with a renewed contractual commitment of up to 24 months. Why? If the exclusivity deal is going to end, they'll want to re-lock you up for another 24-month term, and they'll be motivated to make some concessions on monthly cost to do so.

I expect phone functionality to be included in this device so that a person who would want to use this as their phone (too) could... not by holding it up to their ear, but by using earbuds with mic much like using a laptop as a phone. That way those who want their phone and want a Tablet but don't want 2 contracts, could opt for just a Tablet and let it also be their new, next generation phone. Furthermore, this functionality would allow Verizon to advertise this as the "iPhone has come to Verizon" built into the new Apple Tablet, which could grab a lot of sales of this even before the regular iPhone is available to Verizon subs. I, for one, am most interested in this particular feature, as I find the iPhone too small, and would welcome a Tablet-like device to (also) cover that base.

Lastly, no one should go into this imagining any kind of free 3G "like the Kindle" (Apple won't/can't eat the 3G cost of iTunes media that is tens to hundreds of times bigger than Kindle media). No one should imagine that AT&T or Verizon will shoot themselves in the foot to give us a super cheap full 3G option just to help Apple sell more Tablets. And no one should imagine that Apple would be foolish enough to lock this device into a REQUIRED 3G contract when there is so little reason to do so; by making both options available, they can sell to the maximum possible audience.
 
I will be with Verizon. Hopefully they are smart enough and or have learned their lessons early by watching AT&T use it's customers up. If they are smart, they will have numerous plans that actually make sense, instead of having ridiculously priced plans that also manage to go over the set monthly price cap no matter what. Maybe some sort of prepaid with full benefits will be in order.
AT&T commercials are a joke lol, they are talking about themselves. It reminds me of how when you were little and you would try to make fun of your big brother to get him back or something and no matter what you said, it was like, "stop talkin' about yourself like that, that's not nice" lol and your only comeback would be a cheesy . ."Hold on, I'm talking about youuu." and by that time they walked away lol. AT&T is that annoying little brother right now lol, GO AWAY!
 
I will be with Verizon. Hopefully they are smart enough and or have learned their lessons early by watching AT&T use it's customers up. If they are smart, they will have numerous plans that actually make sense, instead of having ridiculously priced plans that also manage to go over the set monthly price cap no matter what. Maybe some sort of prepaid with full benefits will be in order.
AT&T commercials are a joke lol, they are talking about themselves. It reminds me of how when you were little and you would try to make fun of your big brother to get him back or something and no matter what you said, it was like, "stop talkin' about yourself like that, that's not nice" lol and your only comeback would be a cheesy . ."Hold on, I'm talking about youuu." and by that time they walked away lol. AT&T is that annoying little brother right now lol, GO AWAY!

Have you been watching Verizon lately? They just jacked up their ETF rates for smart phones to $350. Their data plans have always been the most expensive too. They have better 3G coverage but that is about all they have going for them. If you think they are more consumer oriented than ATT you are going to become disappointed quickly. All wireless companies suck. I think it's just a story of the grass is greener when it comes to Verizon, but people will find out Verizon just painted the brown grass and it will rub off.
 
All these Apple products on AT&T going to bring the networks to their knees!
Oh wait...
 
Have you been watching Verizon lately? They just jacked up their ETF rates for smart phones to $350. Their data plans have always been the most expensive too. They have better 3G coverage but that is about all they have going for them. If you think they are more consumer oriented than ATT you are going to become disappointed quickly. All wireless companies suck. I think it's just a story of the grass is greener when it comes to Verizon, but people will find out Verizon just painted the brown grass and it will rub off.

Adding to this very accurate summation, all you really have to do is ask yourself what would move any provider to offer lower rates for us? The only thing that drives end user rates down is competition. If a competitor offers about the same level of service for less, the other competitor has to match or lose customers. When the national market is really just a handful of competitors (perhaps it is really just 2 competitors), collusion on pricing is EASY. Keep your pricing about the same, and the people must pay up.

Neither AT&T or Verizon want to battle on price. Could they? Absolutely. But why do so when they are just about the only games in towns for most of the population? Their objective is to maximize profits, which is not accomplished by dropping prices, unless such price reductions make up for the per-customer loss in volume. However, when you are a pseudo monopoly you still get all those customers at your (overly) high price as long as your (ahem) competitor(?) keeps their prices high too.

Our system is broken when competition is reduced down to 1 or 2 players. Capitalism fails the end user when this occurs. The only card we can play is to opt out... as in quit BOTH. If enough consumers decide they don't need a cell phone, prices will come down by both of them to try to woo us back. But as much as we all gripe about the robbery of high 3G rates, we choose to pay them anyway. And as long as the crowd does that too, there's absolutely NO reason for rates to get any cheaper (just the opposite actually).
 
Time-out?

Son, I used to pay $5/hour for text scrolling up my black and white monitor at 1200 baud. You kids don't know what rape is. Get some historical perspective.

Please don't tell me that NiteWaves got put in timeout for that î (up arrow :))
 
Hey AT&T: Teathering!?!?!

I would just teather the new device to my iPhone. At least that is what the logical person would do...

Oh wait, AT&T won't let that happen; too logical and no additional $$$ for AT&T!
 
I would just teather the new device to my iPhone. At least that is what the logical person would do...

Oh wait, AT&T won't let that happen; too logical and no additional $$$ for AT&T!

And locking tethering to just the Tablet won't be easy. I can foresee a very quick hack creation to unlock Tablet-only Tethering to laptops, etc. I just don't see tethering as the way this gets done. I can see a special add-on option for Tablets so that they share an account, thus same end result, but probably with a higher monthly or at least a one-time "setup" fee... or maybe that fee is waived with a fresh 24-month commitment.
 
Makes sense. Apple doesn't want to screw over iPhone users, but doesn't want to limit itself to AT&T's network. I think this is a strong possibility and makes me even more excited about a Verizon iPhone.
 
Easy folks. 3G is going to be optional and not mandatory.

But thank God it is an option. The way these rumors have been going on they seem to chant WiFi only which makes no sense at freaking all.

It is in Apple's best interest to run on AT&T and VZW. I'm not a VZW fan but business is to make money.
 
I do not want a friggin' PLAN!

Just sell me a cool device with WiFi and a SIM tray and let me figure out if, when and how I want to use it. Sheesh.

There are more countries than just the US. I'm on an unlimited data plan here for $12 a month and I can put that SIM into any device I want.

So I do not want to be forced into the arms of some phone company just because of a device. It cheapens the whole experience. It is soooo last century. I had to get my iPhone from Belgium because they do not allow locking. Why can't other countries follow suit.
 
Maybe Apple will be offering the Wireless for free but limit what it can do, for example, when the wireless connects it allows you to purchase content from approved publishers. This would allow you to download books, magazines, maybe songs, maybe apps. However, it would not allow you to stream all day, download the latest Blu-Ray movie from Rapidshare or any other large size content, that would be left to WI-Fi only.

It sort of works for Amazon.
 
Maybe Apple will be offering the Wireless for free but limit what it can do, for example, when the wireless connects it allows you to purchase content from approved publishers. This would allow you to download books, magazines, maybe songs, maybe apps. However, it would not allow you to stream all day, download the latest Blu-Ray movie from Rapidshare or any other large size content, that would be left to WI-Fi only.

It sort of works for Amazon.

That's wishful thinking though. Think about what really happens at Amazon. It costs Amazon 15 cents per megabyte downloaded via 3G (see: https://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/2...royalty-program-ahead-of-apple-tablet-launch/). They bill that into the price of the books that are downloaded. Those book's median size is only about 368K. So that only costs Amazon (you) about 6 cents more to cover the "free" download. That's pretty easy to eat within the media's price. And Apple could set this same arrangement up for text-heavy, Kindle (small media file) size content too.

But, as soon as you step up to other iTunes media, the math gets messy. For example, if an iTunes plus song is about 8MBs on average, you can do the math yourself to see how much it will cost to cover the 3G if Apple can strike the same deal that Amazon struck with 3G providers. Now apply that to a 800MB TV show or a 2GB movie.

Anything more than black & white, text-heavy media (well below 1Mb in file size) gets very expensive to bundle into the price we pay for that media (via an Amazon-type arrangement). I can easily see the same Kindle-like content with the 3G download cost built in. But step it up to everything else from iTunes, and SOMEBODY will need to pay up if it is going to be downloaded over 3G. And hint: it won't be Apple.
 
My prayer for REAL HOPE AND CHANGE consists of AT&T allowing tethering from the (iPad) to the iPhone. That way, I can finally get the "change I can believe in" back in my pocket.:apple:

I think you're on to something here. Since we still haven't seen tethering ability with the iPhone in the U.S., it would make perfect sense to unveil it now with the rumored tablet to have that connectivity while on the go. However, I do remember that tethering capability through the iPhone was going to come at a co$t.

I agree with most people here in that another monthly data plan would be robbery. I like the idea that if you have multiple devices with one carrier, then said carrier (ATT or Verizon) should offer some form of a discount with the data portion of the contract.
 
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