Agreed! AT$T is all about making money and the new tiered structure is terrible. There should have been 3 tier levels:
200 MB and under - $10
1GB - $20
3GB - $30
And for the heavy users an unlimited plan for "DataPro" at $60. Maybe $60 is too high, but there needs to be some sort of unlimited plan for business users.
And yes, the way we live our lives in the digital world has forced wireless carriers to nix unlimited offerings. I saw this tiered structure first come from Verizon, so I KNEW AT$T wasn't going to be far behind. Sprint and Tmobile will be next ... then broadband. It's inevitable.
AT$T: I get why you have tiered plans. HOWEVER, I do not get why you are charging for tethering or, at the very least, why the tethered products don't utilize the same usage bin??? What I mean is: if I have an ipad and an iphone, then why isn't the data used from the same data pool allotted to me? I really get upset over your company. I despise your pricing and your plan structures--not just data, but your text and voice plans were/are terrible as well. C'mon 200texts (incoming and outgoing) as your lowest offering? One of my best friends doesn't even like to text because of the costs. Of course I'm going to need more (as well as "98%" of AT$T users) and different carriers offer it at lower prices.
Case in point: Tmo offers $40 for 1000 minutes and then for another $30, you get unlimited web and text. AT$T, you offer nothing even close to that price, and I haven't even checked other competitors like VZ and Sprint. Shame on you and I cannot wait for your exclusivity contract with Apple to expire, so you can fall, falter, and fail without your Apple crutch to support you. I hate you guys.