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With the AT&T example posted, $2.89 of the total fees is nothing more than the company charging the customer what the state and feds are charging them. As a customer of Verizon, I am not opposed to paying a small fee, not to mention the state and gubmint taxes. I dislike all the extra fees that AT&T, Verizon and the like through in, as if they are thrust upon them and they have no choice.

Lol if you believe these are real fees. Embed them in the $10 if they are.

I am counting on my fellow watch buyers to let the carrier hear about their disdain for the fee gouging. With enough pressure, I think the big carriers will come down in price.

That's cute.
 
I had initially ordered the LTE model but cancelled that and moved to the GPS Series 3 Model as the pricing was not, for me, worth it. I am very happy with my decision.
 



When the Apple Watch Series 3 first launched, carriers in the United States and other countries where the LTE version of the device is available offered three free months of service and waived activation fees.

That fee-free grace period is coming to an end, and customers are getting their first bills that include the $10 per month service charge.

applewatchedition-3-800x320.jpg

If you have an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE functionality, you've probably already learned that $10 is not all it's going to cost per month. On carriers like AT&T and Verizon, there are additional service charges and fees, which means it's not $10 per month for an Apple Watch, it's more like $12-$14.

On Verizon in California, for example, there's an additional $1.55 in fees on top of the $10 per month charge.

verizonapplewatchfees-800x291.jpg

On AT&T in North Carolina, fees and surcharges add an additional $4.39 to the $10 per month charge, bringing the total to almost $15 per month for an Apple Watch. In some states, these fees on Verizon and AT&T are even higher.

attapplewatchfees.jpg

If you're planning to avoid fees by deactivating service and activating again when it's needed, that may not be the best plan of action. As Macworld's Michael Simon points out, line activation fees that come with reactivation can be hefty.

Though the Apple Watch Series 3 is linked to the cellular number of the iPhone on a given carrier, it requires adding an additional line to a cellular service account. When you cancel and re-add a line, there's an activation fee involved. On Verizon, for example, if you deactivate the Apple Watch Series 3 and then want to activate it again at a later date, there's a $25 charge. Suspending service doesn't work, as it requires a $10/month fee, aside from a one-time 30 day free suspension on Verizon. From Macworld:Like Verizon, AT&T charges $25, while Sprint charges $30. T-Mobile no longer charges activation fees, so it may be more affordable to cancel and reinstate service if you're a T-Mobile subscriber.

On AT&T and Verizon, though, that $25 re-activation fee is the cost of two months of service, or close to it, when taxes and fees are included, meaning it's not really worthwhile to start and stop service if you're going to do it more than once or twice a year.

Macworld was also told that if he stopped and started service he could run into problems when attempting to reactivate the watch, but it's not entirely clear why.

With the three-month grace period, most Apple Watch owners have likely learned whether or not the $10-$15 per month fees are worth the freedom of an always-on wrist-worn cellular connection. Neither Apple nor the carriers in the United States were fully upfront about the additional service fees and taxes and the hassle involved with deactivation/reactivation, though, so there are bound to be some users who will feel tricked when the first full Series 3 bill comes in.

Article Link: Apple Watch Series 3 Costs More Than $10/Month on Most Carriers, Can't Be Reactivated Without Fees
[doublepost=1513654802][/doublepost]This article has probably brought the least value to readers in a long time.... why would anyone think the the $10/month would be tax free. No other connected device is (phones/tablets/android wear).... if you don’t want connectivity, then don’t get the series 3.
 
[doublepost=1513654802][/doublepost]This article has probably brought the least value to readers in a long time.... why would anyone think the the $10/month would be tax free. No other connected device is (phones/tablets/android wear).... if you don’t want connectivity, then don’t get the series 3.
It’s not the taxes. It’s the added fees.
 
Real world answer: People who run long distances and don't want to carry their (increasingly larger) smartphones with them, but must have a method of communication with them for safety reasons.

For example, I run multiple marathons a year and am training year round. I go on long runs all the time. I also live in the middle of a very large non-pedestrian-focused city with a lot of drivers who are generally oblivious to pedestrians, and have had several close calls over the years. Additionally, I'm an asthmatic and while problems are rare–there's always the threat of something bad happening. I have to have a way to call in case of an emergency. For people like me having a watch that can do emergency calls (or allow you to receive messages while you're on a 3+ hour run just in case someone else is having an emergency worth cutting your run short for) without having to carry a large device with you is very appealing.

Edit: Clearly this isn't a need that isn't covered by a phone. It is, however, a substantial quality of life improvement for some.
Don’t forget us sailors - a very handy device while sailing
 
As a Series 2 owner, I can think of zero instances in the past year I've had my Series 2 when I wished the watch had LTE capability. If it was a no-charge add-on to my existing mobile plan, sure, I'd take it; but at $10+/month? Not a chance.
 
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That is the hidden underbelly to all of our posts about "...but who makes the most profitable _________"

There are 2 paths to becoming the first trillion dollar company:
1. Sell more brand new customers
2. Get more money out of each existing customer

Increasing average annual revenue-per-customer is a great way to get that trillion.

And then we can all praise them and gush about it like we had anything at all to do with it (beyond contributing our dollars toward that milestone).
In this case Apple isnt getting the extra money. The crappy telecoms are.
 
Honestly don't think I'd even want to own a watch with a cellular radio. The new studies and the guidelines California just put out regarding the cancer-causing properties of cellular radiation would make me think twice before having a cellular signal emanating from my wrist all day.
No need to worry with LTE on the Apple watch, it can't run all day on LTE. Most of the day LTE is in Standby mode and the modem is not energized to save battery.

The really neat feature is that you can "enable and disable" the LTE feature any time you want right on the watch, similar to the flexibility you have with an iPhone.

Dave
 
This was where Steve's brute force is missed. Granted after the initial iPhone launch they had to succumb to carrier demands like no FaceTime over cellular, but Apple does seem to be missing the benefits of forcing their brand onto other organizations for a better user experience.

I see this a lot on this thread. Please tell me, how exactly do you think that Apple is going to force carriers provide more service to customers at no additional charge, increase Apple profits all while decreasing their own profits?

Please explain why Sprint would incur additional unrecovered expenses so that Apple, the worlds most profitable company, can make even more money?
 
I’m blown away by the reaction over a couple dollars. This stuff isn’t free. Lot of poor or cheap people here.

Poor or cheap people are frequenting an Apple message board forum? I will pay when the Apple Watch is fully independent from an Iphone. I want access to tidbits of information without the distraction of a smartphone screen, to each his own.
 
I’m blown away by the reaction over a couple dollars. This stuff isn’t free. Lot of poor or cheap people here.

A couple dollars here, some change over there - it adds up quick. You do know a portion of those taxes and fees pays for the poor peoples' land lines, don't you?

The government has been legally raping telecommunications customers in this country for years.
 
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I am with Bell in Canada and this costs me only an additional $5 CAD a month.
Canadian carriers are usually overpriced compared to US, but I am glad Bell is not overcharging people for numbershare and VoLTE support.
I find the service useful and I kinda motivates me to leave my phone home when I am going out for coffee or dinner.
 
A couple dollars here, some change over there - it adds up quick. You do know a portion of those taxes and fees pays for the poor peoples' land lines, don't you?

The government has been legally raping telecommunications customers in this country for years.


Dude, we aren’t talking about food or housing. Series 3 LTE service is basically a first world “entertainment service”. While phone service might be a nescessity, LTE for a watch, as it works today, is not. This is a not much more than a toy for people with money, if it’s too much, walk way.
 
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Yeah. But why would you ever use that thing instead of a normal iPhone. I don’t think if I’m surfing or skiing or biking or something without my phone that I would want to use a watch to answer calls. I’m doing those things to get away from all that noise
I always take my phone with me for these activities, not so I can receive calls but so I can make a call if I'm injured.

If you're in a busy city you can borrow a stranger's phone, but I'm lucky enough to live near trails where I'm unlikely to encounter another person. I've only come across someone once in the last three years. If I break my leg, it could be two hours before my girlfriend calls the police to file a missing person report, and the police will likely wait a few more hours before sending out a search party, which would likely take hours to find me...

So I have to take my phone, and this brings the far more likely issue of smashing the screen in a minor accident. I've got an older series watch now, but my next Apple Watch will definitely be cellular.
 
... If I break my leg, it could be two hours before my girlfriend calls the police to file a missing person report, and the police will likely wait a few more hours before sending out a search party, which would likely take hours to find me...

I believe 911 works on the watch even if LTE has NEVER been activated. I've read several accounts of it working (okay, on the internet)

I hope I never have to try it myself!
 
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