Apple Tablet to Support Multiple Wireless Carriers Including Verizon?

[andiwm2003]

.............................................................I am NOT saying there going to be better, there network is much much better, but this advertisement that AT&T is running with being able to talk and surf at the same time does nothing for me, and I wonder how many others?

in three years I never wanted to talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. and with the iphone it's not possible anyway to use it as a phone and use an app in parallel. so this is not a necessary feature for me, maybe for others.

it's more important to have reliable cell phone service and robust fast internet. in both categories ATT fails in my area. lots of dropped calls and frequent internet slowdowns.

 

[lilskaterpunk]

Doubt it... But I guess January 26/27 are around the corner

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Oops -- sorry. It was never my intention to even remotely suggest we all work together to bring a network down. I work in an IT department and my only aspirations and dreams of such stuff always involve nightmares (that is, yet another disaster recovery scenario that needs to be worked out). Anyway, all I meant to imply here was that given the unexpected problems AT&T encountered with the iPhone -- are the other 3G carriers up to the challenge with the iSlate.

And of course key to the potential of the nightmare is the uncertain concept that the Tablet will have to sell in very high volume like the iPhone to get enough units into the marketplace to potentially be disruptive. That's the piece I'm not seeing as very likely.

 

[cmaier]

I sense my life is about to get more expensive.

I use verizons per-day plan with my MBP aircard, but they just stuck a cap on those plans. If the tablet offered tethering, i'd just get a contract for the tablet and tether my MBP TO the tablet when necessary (a couple times a month).

 

[cmaier]

in three years I never wanted to talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. and with the iphone it's not possible anyway to use it as a phone and use an app in parallel.

huh? Sure it is.

 

[Lesser Evets]

I still call b.s.

Right there with you.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

i've struggled with this idea and the tablet.

I still am leaning towards no 3G/data connectivity for the first version but I can see pros/cons for each side.

Realistically, are people, besides apple zealots, willing to pay monthly data plans for 1) home 2) cellphone 3) tablet?

If it can double as a (first purchase, super-sized) iPhone, yes. As a great mobile VOIP phone (not dependent on a locked wifi location), yes. And before anyone implies I mean holding a 10" screen up to your ear, that's NOT the idea (picture dialing on your Tablet, but using your ear buds with microphone (or a wireless bluetooth headset) for your communicating- just like you can do with the iPhone now, without holding the iPhone up to your ear).

 

[ltcol266845]

Question to Kindle owners though: aren't you able to surf the web, too? If so, how is that charged?

It isn't. Completely free.

That said, out side of their book store, that web browser is frustrating to use because it doesn't have a touch screen and the need for eInk to refresh. But it works GREAT with Amazon's book store. And Wikipedia.

 

[derek1984]

And likely pay $200-$300 more for the device from Apple.

I already pay the $30 a month for 3G on the iPhone like everybody else. Having another 3G data plan for over $20 a month would make me consider not even bothering with this. I am getting this with 3G or I am not even going to bother.

 

[Starflyer]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

I guess eventually even AT&T might get around to offering tethering too!

Tethering with the iPhone really isn't that difficult.

How can I do this without a jailbreak?

 

[Small White Car]

And likely pay $200-$300 more for the device from Apple.

Based on what?

The iPhone costs $600 with 16 GB.
Google's Nexus 1 costs $520 for 4 GB.

The iPod Touch costs $300 for 32 GB
The Zune Touch costs $270 for 32 GB.

Am I missing something? What Apple handheld device are you thinking of that's vastly more expensive than its competition?

 

[ltcol266845]

If it can double as a (first purchase, super-sized) iPhone, yes. As a great mobile VOIP phone (not dependent on a locked wifi location), yes. And before anyone implies I mean holding a 10" screen up to your ear, that's NOT the idea (picture dialing on your Tablet, but using your ear buds with microphone (or a wireless bluetooth headset) for your communicating- just like you can do with the iPhone now, without holding the iPhone up to your ear).

I totally was thinking the same thing, partly what I am hoping Google Voice can do this year.

But it better not be 10" for type of usage scenario. Where do you put it while you walk? It'd have to go in a bag, or hold it in your hand. First one, sure, but no where near as convenient as tossing it back in the pocket. Second one, maybe, but I imagine a great deal of theft especially in urban environments... Or people walking around you bumping into you and watching it crash to the ground....

We'll see, I'm excited to see what Apple cooked up, though I'm girding myself up for disappointment. If it uses a traditional LCD screen, this is a no-go. I hope Apple innovates better than that. I really need to have a screen similar to eInk, or at least those hybrid jobs that can switch between LCD and eInk.

 

[Gepper]

To the guys in the states, aren't you able to get an extra SIM-card from your provider? In sweden you can get an extra one for just a few $ / month.

 

[flopticalcube]

Let's just hope that 3G is an option and not a requirement. Or maybe there's two "iSlate" models, similar to the iPhone/iPod touch choice.

That's what I'm hoping. It could be as simple as a little plugin module similar to what netbooks have and then you could choose various carriers or non at all but that doesn't sound very Apple.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

There are a few ways Apple could handle this. And maybe if the price is truly approaching $1000, maybe they've figured out a way to bake 3G connectivity into the purchase price (as has Amazon).

I would say there is no way this could happen, unless the 3G is extremely limited to downloading content to consume on the device (no VOIP, 3G phone calls, heavy web browsing, etc... in other words, no "open" 3G for broad use).

Why? Because full use of a 3G data connection at a baked-in price of even $1K could completely kill the 3G businesses of AT&T, Verizon, etc. As soon as you have "free" 3G for purposes other than buying media, you can have VOIP as a complete replacement to the flexibility of 3G phone service.

At the point, EVERY cell phone contract would be at great risk of getting canceled for the much better deal to be had with this device plus a solid VOIP application.

Amazons "free" 3G is not free at all. It is paid for in the price of each bit of media downloaded to the device. If that device was such that people were scarcely buying media and instead using it for broad 3G demanding purposes , media prices would have to go up and/or "heavy user" fees would be announced.

AT&T, Verizon, etc are not going to kill their very golden goose just to help Apple sell more Tablets.

 

[Aeolius]

If it can double as a (first purchase, super-sized) iPhone, yes.

And how would I carry it? Not on a belt clip, like my iPhone. I suppose I would have to invest in a man-purse. I already have an iPhone. I already have a MacBook. I want a new device that compliments my prior purchases, not one that has redundant features.

 

[*LTD*]

in three years I never wanted to talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. and with the iphone it's not possible anyway to use it as a phone and use an app in parallel. so this is not a necessary feature for me, maybe for others.

Yes, you can.

 

[RyanS123]

There is no way, i am spending a $1,000 for a apple tablet plus a monthly data charge! This should be included! Barnes & Noble, and Amazon both include their data service @ no charge. Im sure the people at Apple could figure out a way to do it.

 

[Xenious]

i've struggled with this idea and the tablet.

I still am leaning towards no 3G/data connectivity for the first version but I can see pros/cons for each side.

Realistically, are people, besides apple zealots, willing to pay monthly data plans for 1) home 2) cellphone 3) tablet?

Exactly! My iphone already is a pipe to the internet via cellular access why do I have to pay for another pipe when I can use the one I have?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Hmm I wonder if you can buy this without a contract

My guess is absolutely, but for a price without a subsidy... so get ready for "sticker shock". My guess on the low end for an unsubsidized Tablet is $799, though it is much easier to imagine $999 vs. $599, so I'm price biased (expectation) to the upside.

 

[fishmoose]

Wifi and being able to tether the iPhone to it would be enough for me tbh, let's see what happens though.

 

[Small White Car]

There is no way, i am spending a $1,000 for a apple tablet plus a monthly data charge! This should be included! Barnes & Noble, and Amazon both include their data service @ no charge. Im sure the people at Apple could figure out a way to do it.

The Kindle does not do full color websites, Youtube, iTunes, photo galleries, online video games...

You get the picture. This is like asking why a cart-full of groceries costs $200 while a single bottle of milk only costs $4.

They're totally different things. You can't expect to pay the same for both.

 

[arkmannj]

Does this mean we'll be stuck with a subsidized / unsubsidized pricing structure ?
If I had a tablet I honestly would have little interest in paying another monthly fee to a wireless company.

If I'm away from WiFi then I can tether my phone to it, or use my USB data dongle.

 

[GeekLawyer]

...Why? Because full use of a 3G data connection at a baked-in price of even $1K could completely kill the 3G businesses of AT&T, Verizon, etc. As soon as you have "free" 3G for purposes other than buying media, you can have VOIP as a complete replacement to the flexibility of 3G phone service...

I agree with you that it's unlikely. It's the direction I wish things would go, however. I'd love to see the pricing model turned on its head. Instead of having carriers subsidize the price of mobile devices, I'd much rather pay an inflated up-front price that would essentially pre-pay connectivity. Rather than having it nickel-and-dimed back out of me over the next two years. There's a time-value to money. Perhaps if you paid it in advance a discount could be offered due to 1) they'd have the revenue now and 2) no chance of cancellation over the life of the contract.

As it is now, our devices are subsidized heavily, which we pay back over the contract term. But it's not like AT&T reduces your wireless bill once you've repaid the subsidy. They continue to charge the same amount, ad infinitum.

Just to complete my thought - the Kindle has done this already. Yes, most of what you get over 3G is purchased books. But there is a web browser. That you could, in theory, use 24/7 to look at "free" content on the web. In theory.

 

[DTphonehome]

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This should open the door for a future verizon iPhone.