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lol love how they claim.. oh we'll wave activation fees.. oh you mean scam fees just like 10.00 a month for a watch that will ultimately use very little data and should just be connected to your current data plan? Thanks guys.. so generous of you!
 
Bell’s $5 plan sold me on the AppleWatch LTE. $10 is too much for an occasional use of cellular. $5 is just right.

But it got me thinking. What if I used my Watch for more than just occasional use and more like my main personal computer? Before the keynote, I was planning on buying a new iPhone and maybe upgrading my Watch.

But now I’m thinking about not owning an iPhone at all. In this scenario, my Apple Watch and AirPods would be the computer that I always have with me. I’d use it for messages, phone calls, music and would ask Siri questions for what ever else I search on my iPhone for today.

For actual work, I have an iPad Pro that I often carry with me as a binder under my arm. For photography, I already carry my Sony a9 with me.

Keep this in mind. Without an iPhone attached to your account, you will NOT get a $10/mo charge. If you notice, while you don't have to have your iPhone WITH YOU, you pretty much still need to have an iPhone ON YOUR ACCOUNT to get that price.
 
I was going to buy a new Apple Series 3 watch, but not now that the US cell carriers are ripping people off. They should only charge $5 a month! I’m out.
 
To be honest it should be free because the more people use the watch instead of the phone the less it will congest the network. Leaving the phone at home and paying the same monthly fee should be a carriers wet dream
 
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I'd give it consideration at $5/mo. At $10/mo, it's just not worth it for a watch. I pay $10/mo to add to my plan 2GB of data on my iPad Pro 10.5", and THAT is worth $10/mo. If I go running without my phone, I consider it a feature to not have notifications.

I feel like a lot of people who get the LTE model will sign up at launch, but cancel it within a few months to a year because they'll realize they just don't need it.

Give it a year and T-Mobile will be offering it free with iPhone service, lol.
 
You can't. The Apple Watch has a special embedded SIM which can't be removed.

right so how do you switch carriers? if you can switch carriers, wonder if you can reassign the sim that contains the 250mb of data

i remember losing that sim and they gave me a new sim card that has the same 250mb of free data. so it's entirely possible to assign a particular plan to the esim in the watch assuming you can switch carriers.
 
I'd really like LTE but only for emergencies, mostly when running or hiking. At this price, I'll just take my phone with me when I know I'll be far from help. $10/month is obscene, given how little data will be consumed on a watch.
 
I could potentially add the LTE service in the summer when I'm doing more outdoorsy stuff that I won't want to bring an iPhone with me. Going to the beach, biking, running and other activities where a bulky device would be a hassle and might drop out of my pocket sounds good. I'd probably deactivate in the winter when I'm not doing any of that stuff though.

I don't know what an "eligible" plan on Verizon means but I have a feeling that they will force me onto one of the new "unlimited" plans they have now. I'll probably have to switch over from the Verizon unlimited plan that I got which was grandfathered within about 7 months of its release. The closest "new, new" Verizon plan is $5 more--which means I'll effectively be paying $15 more per month for the watch--if they make me switch. errrr.
 
If $120 a year is causing you consternation, you probably shouldn't be an Apple Watch owner to begin with.

Streaming Apple Music to my Airpods, while out for a run, with the added capability of my wife being able to reach me in the case of an emergency without having to take my phone. I'll gladly sell my Series 2 and upgrade.
 
This is a bummer. I'm still going to get the Series 3 with cellular for two reasons. I've been wearing the Watch since day one, still love it, so it's time for an upgrade. Also, since the cellular option is only $30 more up front, I'm going to give it a try. If I find that it's not worth the extra $10/month, I'll drop the cell service.
On a side note, the cost of being a fanboy is really skyrocketing. Cell service on the Watch is cool, but, that's another $10/month. The iPhone X is awesome, but that's $1,000. AppleCare + for that is now $200. The price of some iPads went up $50 yesterday for no reason. And at these prices, Apple leaves out some really basic things. USB C chargers for fast charging on iPad Pro and iPhone X. Or, a basic charging pad for iPhone X.
I know...first world problems. Things could be a lot worse, but, they could also be a little more fair.
 
Weird. I think the data for my Gear S2 4G Watch is covered as part of the total fee paid for the line my Samsung phone is activated on. It was a free promotional giveaway with the Note 7.

Oh these carriers and their fees. Sheesh.
 
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People already pay gym memberships and for health tracking apps. $10/month to be able to track your runs/rides without the need to bring your phone seems well worth it, in addition to being able to make a call should there be an emergency.
But tracking runs/rides without a phone is a series 2 feature: GPS. The $10/month isn't adding that functionality. For me, it's just adding the ability to make a call in an emergency, and that's not a reasonable cost for that function.
 
right so how do you switch carriers? if you can switch carriers, wonder if you can reassign the sim that contains the 250mb of data

i remember losing that sim and they gave me a new sim card that has the same 250mb of free data. so it's entirely possible to assign a particular plan to the esim in the watch assuming you can switch carriers.

The eSIM is provisioned by the device itself if you choose to switch carriers.

In orde to make calls the SIM must be linked to the same account via T-Mobile's DIGITS feature.
 
Well I guess that makes the LTE Apple Watch a no go for me. I was really excited about it - I would love to be able to leave my iPhone at home in certain circumstances, but $10 a month for service is just absurd. I was really hoping that at least T-Mobile would undercut the other telecoms as they typically do, I could definitely handle $5/month. The worst part is, other LTE watches out there are only $5/month. I guess the carriers think, because it's an Apple device, they can charge more for the same service and people won't care. Hopefully they're wrong, and the pricing will drop soon.
This isn't true. At least for VZW. All smart watches going forward will be $10/month.

Source: brother works at VZW.
 
But tracking runs/rides without a phone is a series 2 feature: GPS. The $10/month isn't adding that functionality. For me, it's just adding the ability to make a call in an emergency, and that's not a reasonable cost for that function.

It's all up to the buyer. My wife would gladly pay $10 month for the peace of mind knowing she can call in an emergency while out running.

I'm sure everyone that has an emergency situation would trade the cost for the ability to get help when it's needed.
 
If $120 a year is causing you consternation, you probably shouldn't be an Apple Watch owner to begin with.
That's ridiculous. Without LTE, it's $330, (even cheaper for a discounted series 2, which is nearly the same thing minus the LTE). So after one year of ownership, the cost for an LTE model is $520 vs $330 for non-LTE. Over 50% more expensive. It's totally reasonable that someone would view a 50% price hike for LTE as over the top.
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It's all up to the buyer. My wife would gladly pay $10 month for the peace of mind knowing she can call in an emergency while out running.

I'm sure everyone that has an emergency situation would trade the cost for the ability to get help when it's needed.
I'm not disputing that it's up to the buyer, or that it could be seen as worth it. I was simply saying that what you're paying for is that emergency call, not for the tracking.
 
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Well I'm glad everyone is not getting one because of the telco prices. That should mean I will have no trouble getting one! $5/mo is a deal breaker?? You can't even get a cr@ppy burrito at some lame fast casual restaurant for that! And don't get me started on the $5 sugar and coffee drinks at that place that costs them pennies.
 
That's ridiculous. Without LTE, it's $330, (even cheaper for a discounted series 2, which is nearly the same thing minus the LTE). So after one year of ownership, the cost for an LTE model is $520 vs $330 for non-LTE. Over 50% more expensive. It's totally reasonable that someone would view a 50% price hike for LTE as over the top.


I know people who spend $100 a month on Starbucks. To each his own. I'll gladly pay $120 a year for watch connectivity.
 
But tracking runs/rides without a phone is a series 2 feature: GPS. The $10/month isn't adding that functionality. For me, it's just adding the ability to make a call in an emergency, and that's not a reasonable cost for that function.

Streaming Apple Music without having to take my phone while on a run is the bigger draw to me and I would guess it will be a big deal to others also.
 
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