AT&T CEO on Enterprise iPad Adoption and Wireless Voice Quality Improvements

[satcomer]

To all the Verizon wannabees, remember Apple went to then first with the iPhone idea and they rejected them! So Steve & Company went to Cingular (later they became AT&T) and they took a chance on it. So remember the grass is always greener on the other side.

 

[IWantItThatWay]

I couldn't watch the video because I am on my iPad and the video is in FLASH.

 

[itsmeok]

I live in Silicon Valley and if anything, it's gotten worse over the last year. It downright sucks wet donkey balls. I want an iPhone 4 but waiting until fall or next year to see if that mythical Verizon model ever appears.

+1
well, i live in santa barbara, not silicon valley, and i get a minimum of 3 dropped calls a day. so, yeah, it sucks worse than wet donkey balls.

 

[mattster16]

I don't appreciate being told that I should be paying for the usage I'm incurring when I'm paying $30 for unlimited access. The keyword is unlimited. Just because most of your users don't use the service they paid for doesn't mean I'm a bad customer.

The worst is when you don't even let me use like I should. I should be able to tether a device to it for free as it is simply a software issue, I should be able to download Youtube videos and have the same quality as I would on my WiFi, I should be able to update apps greater than 20mb in size, I shouldn't have my images/videos compressed when sending over 3g and much more.You are billing me for a service that says unlimited and then limiting my usage from the get go.

If you think other users should be paying less then give them that option if they only need 200mb without attacking me.

wah wah! They aren't taking away your unlimited data. They are changing their business model, get over it or switch carriers. The only thing I don't like is the removal of the iPad plan, that definitely sucks. I would have liked there to be some comments on the new data rates in the interview (apologies if there are but I can't watch the video since I'm on my iPhone and it's flash...)

 

[mattster16]

Verizon and Sprint both handle more data than AT&T does, and they don't have these problems. Why?

AT&T handles more data than all the other carriers combined..

According to Steve jobs

 

[Rot'nApple]

I have a question... The iPad, does it have the same internals as the iPhone 4? The 3G version? I went to Apple.com and the iPad tech page and it looks like it does. My second question, if I receive 3 bars and the 3G on the top of the iPad display screen, would that mean I would get cell phone reception if I had the same on an iPhone? Or is the iPad specs totally different? It would be nice, because I am getting this while in my home and TMo gives me zero bars inside my house! I just want to talk or receive calls without forwarding to a landline or using a signal boost device. Not being technical, anyone here know if I purchased an iPhone would I be able to use as is in my home with that type of signal reception or is the iPad a whole device onto it's own with regards to at&t and it's cell phone mobility reception? I just don't know! Hoping someone here might. Thanks.

 

[mountaingrub]

This Guy is A Loser

How about you make it so not all of my calls drop. How about you don't punish your users for your lousy network by capping data usage. How about you get in touch with reality and catch up with the times. The day of pay per minute belongs in the history books with failures such as AOL and "cell" phones. Don't re-name it pay per gigabyte and expect people to act like they are as stupid as you.

 

[mountaingrub]

wah wah! They aren't taking away your unlimited data. They are changing their business model, get over it or switch carriers. The only thing I don't like is the removal of the iPad plan, that definitely sucks. I would have liked there to be some comments on the new data rates in the interview (apologies if there are but I can't watch the video since I'm on my iPhone and it's flash...)

Anyone who uses "wah wah" is someone who got beaten up in school on a regular basis. You are darn right people will complain about the capped usage. Watching three streamed movies in high quality puts me at 3GB genius! I guess one bus ride will eliminate all of my pre-paid data for the month. What do I do then, start paying out of my behind to AT&T because they are going back to the old days of AOL and making me pay per minute (gigabyte). Stop defending a garbage company like AT&T that can't even handle basic phone calls on their lousy network. By the way you talk about "changing the business model". That is the biggest load of garbage I've ever heard. Companies are supposed to change their model for the future. The future is streaming and cloud computing. The past was paying by the minute. We live in an unlimited data plan world, that is the future - we pay for the content we receive and expect the data to be provided on a solid network.

 

[powers74]

looks & sounds

This guy has all the characteristics of a real slimebag.

 

[Digitalclips]

5000% increase in mobile data transfers in 3 years! OMG... iPhone would have overloaded any carrier!

 

[MacPhilosopher]

I think they should give me a voice call price that reflects the 15 year old technology that they use. I pay as much now as I would have back then and my coverage is worse, not better. How do i say this? Well, analog cell phones had 3 watt transmitters(the old brick phones having a 6 watt transmetter). I believe digital phones have less than a watt transmission. My question is where are the towers and repeaters to support the system you charge me so much for? They present coverage maps that are irrelevant to most users. I need concentrated coverage in cities like the one I live in: Phoenix. I believe most of AT&Ts receivers ar still strapped on leased space from the original cell companies in the area. Spend a little cash on improving older areas, rather than expanding into areas just so your map looks better. It just like municipalities that continue to collect taxes from older neighborhoods, but sound it building the newsestvand best infrastructure and flower laden medians in outlying new neighborhoods all while ignoring areas that have paid their taxes for decades. Voice coverage should be free by now, with most of my bill being dedicated to data services. Ripoff compan, in my opinion. Apple should reconsider the exclusive contract with AT&T. It is damaging their reputation.

 

[leapp]

Well I was with Verizon and I had a bill dispute. I was told numerous times by Verizon TO NOT PAY MY BILL until the dispute was resolved. Turns out when I applied for my home loan, Verizon hit my damn credit!!! They took it off thankfully because it was documented that they told me not to pay the bill, but nonetheless I was not a "happy" costumer.

The big three all hold you to a contract. I know people that have been "unhapppy" with all three. I myself paid the Verizon ETF to get out. To say that ATT does anything different than any other mobile provider is no accurate. ATT just happens to be in the spotlight more often because of the iPhone and all of the drama/news that follows it.

Of course! Your absolutely right! But generally people are happy with Verizon. Yes, you got bad employees that dick you around. I've had that with everybody. But GENERALLY verizon folks are happy with their SERVICE. And that is the difference. We could go on and on and on about this and that, but it's the service that is at issue. Everything else is a red herring. You wanna know the truth? When it comes down to talking to an ATT rep, or bill pay options, or whatever, ATT is just fine. In fact, they are great. Very happy with that aspect. But thats all moot when I am dropping calls left and right. Before the iPhone I was a verizon customer for years. I had issues with them too. You have that with any large business. Yet, I'd gladly trade superficial issues for good service ANY day. I drop calls. I sometimes can't load web pages. Now, people can say this or that and intellectualize the issue all they want. But the bottom line is that the service sucks. They advertise this great service and it, for most folks (and EVERYBODY I know with ATT) just plain sucks. Again, thats the bottom line.

I have a GREAT phone. Best on the market, imo. And since I'm a mac user, it is factually the best phone for me and my needs. But instead of being happy with such a deserving device, I'm left with junk. Junk I pay a premium for, at that.

Now if they say service is great, but it sucks, then they are liars and, also just imo, the contract should be void, cause they aren't holding up their end of the bargain.

 

[mattster16]

Anyone who uses "wah wah" is someone who got beaten up in school on a regular basis. You are darn right people will complain about the capped usage. Watching three streamed movies in high quality puts me at 3GB genius! I guess one bus ride will eliminate all of my pre-paid data for the month. What do I do then, start paying out of my behind to AT&T because they are going back to the old days of AOL and making me pay per minute (gigabyte). Stop defending a garbage company like AT&T that can't even handle basic phone calls on their lousy network. By the way you talk about "changing the business model". That is the biggest load of garbage I've ever heard. Companies are supposed to change their model for the future. The future is streaming and cloud computing. The past was paying by the minute. We live in an unlimited data plan world, that is the future - we pay for the content we receive and expect the data to be provided on a solid network.

Wow really? A little defensive. I wasn't aware that pointing out someone is whining makes me someone who got beat up in school on a regular basis. Who would have thought? (Your statement is false by the way.)

Guess what. You don't have to keep at&t. Oh and guess what YOU CAN KEEP YOUR UNLIMITED DATA PLAN so your whole tirade of paying out your behind for going over your limit streaming movies over 3G is completely hypothetical. If you are so angry you should leave at&t and send them a message. If enough people do that then maybe they will change their pricing structure. Also, no we do not live in an unlimited data plan world; many other countries have capped data plans.

I understand some are upset by the change, but at&t can offer whatever products they want. If you don't like it, don't buy it! Companies aren't SUPPOSED to change for the future, they can pretty much do whatever they want within the confines of the law. I'm not defending them, I'm just pointing out the reality of the situation and that you have other options if you don't like this one.

This whole thing has been debated so much on here I don't know why I'm even bothering, noone is going to change their position out of stubborn-ness.

 

[leapp]

To all the Verizon wannabees, remember Apple went to then first with the iPhone idea and they rejected them! So Steve & Company went to Cingular (later they became AT&T) and they took a chance on it. So remember the grass is always greener on the other side.

Maybe ATT should have said no too. But they didn't. It's not us 'wannabees' faults that ATT accepted the iPhone. It's THEIR fault. And we aren't 'wannabees'. I can't speak for everyone, but if ATT would just offer a comparable service (hell, if they'd offer the service they advertise) then we would all be happy being with ATT.

Now, I might just be silly here... but if it's MY FAULT that I don't pay my bill, then they stop service and ding my credit. But when they drop the ball... Oh, well, it's the 'data hogs' fault and 'sometime in the future' things will be better.

I'm so friggin tired of big businesses having all this power to hold people accountable and in contract, while we just have the power to... wait, oh that's right, we don't have any power.

 

[leapp]

Wow really? A little defensive. I wasn't aware that pointing out someone is whining makes me someone who got beat up in school on a regular basis.

meh. Another person said the whiners sounded like '12 year old school girls'. We are having a discussion about viable issues. If I have an accident on the road and I get NO SERVICE (in an area I should have service) and if I am paying for a product that had false advertising, then yeah, we need to bitch. And if nothing changes then we need to bitch louder. What we don't need is people calling us school girls and making crying references in posts. It's not clever, witty or funny. And if you can't take someone pointing that out to you, maybe your the defensive one.

 

[cantthinkofone]

WAAAAAAAAAAY to much business jargon for me to understand.

Nice comb over....

 

[eastercat]

I want an iPhone 4 but waiting until fall or next year to see if that mythical Verizon model ever appears.

Considering a lawsuit revealed the AT&T exclusivity is until 2012, I wouldn't hold my breath.

I lived about 50 miles north of the DFW metroplex for the first 2.5 years as an iPhone customer, commuting to Dallas and experienced the dropped call problem on a regular basis,

I've been with Cingular/AT&T since about 2000 and have only experienced a small percentage of dropped calls in Arlington or Dallas. Most of my dropped calls have happened when going under a bridge or hitting a dead zone. I mainly travel along 75, 635 and Dallas proper.

This is why I will be paying full price for the new iPhone for both myself and my wife.
Every time you buy a subsidized iPhone a kitten dies. Stop killing the kittens.

I understand why you don't want to be beholden. Right now, your plan doesn't make much sense. The AT&T contract officially ends in 2012, unless it has been modified. Unless you've unlocked your phone to use on T-Mobile, it'd make more sense to get the subsidized plan.
For example:
Subsidized $199 (16 GB)+$3360 (450 mins+data)=$3559
Non subsidized $599 (16 GB)+3360=$3959

 

[mattster16]

If I have an accident on the road and I get NO SERVICE (in an area I should have service) and if I am paying for a product that had false advertising, then yeah, we need to bitch.

No cell phone provider guarantees you will have service ALL the time in ALL places. Could you imagine the liability if they did? Where exactly is this false advertising you speak of? Why aren't there any lawsuits being filed and won if false advertising is happening?

The only thing you could possibly be referring to is the iPad data plans. I think that is a dick move on at&t's part, but what they did isn't false advertising since they did reserve the right to change the terms of the non-contract, month-to-month data plans. I'm sure Apple is NOT happy about all of that. I'm not going to start getting all irrational about it though...

 

[alhedges]

This is why I will be paying full price for the new iPhone for both myself and my wife. Please, do the same if you can afford it at all. Your total cost of ownership will be less, and you will send the signal to AT&T that you could leave at any time so they need to actually provided a service level, support, and price that will keep you.

DO NOT BUY SUBSIDIZED iPHONES. YOU ARE THROWING MONEY AT AT&T.

I don't think this makes sense. If you buy a subsidized phone, you pay $200 or $300 to Apple and AT&T pays $400 to Apple. If you buy an unsubsidized phone, you pay $6-700 to Apple yourself and AT&T pays nothing. Nor does AT&T give you a discount on your bill.

Maybe you can unlock the phone and use it on T-Mobile, but you'll only be able to use it on EDGE. Even if the iPhone comes to T-M while you're under contract, you still won't be able to use 3G because AT&T and TM use different frequencies for 3G.

So it seems that if you want to hurt AT&T and buy an iPhone, you want to buy a subsidized iPhone to make AT&T pay as much as possible.

Or you could just not buy an iPhone - I know if I had anything like the service problems people here describe, I just wouldn't buy one. The most important thing I use my phone for is to make calls, and it's kind of stupid to stay with a phone that you can't make calls on.

 

[FireFish]

My Thoughts on this interview with Randall

I just watched this entire interview.

With all due respect to Randall, this is nothing more than a 'Dog & Pony Show'.

Stop stressing the 'industry's new introductory $15 data plan' you introduced. We all know that anyone who goes for that plan is far from wisely strategizing their mobile broadband usage.
How AT&T got away with 'changing their minds' about allowing iPad 3G Customers to activate & deactivate unlimited internet for $30 bucks whenever they want still amazes me. They sold a very cut & dry concept to nearly a million iPad 3G customers & then without even waiting a few months, they pull the plug on the All You Can Eat. That's like you going to a resort for a weekend that has an 'All You Can Eat' buffet & when you wake up to go down & begin enjoying your buffet, you're told that 'Sorry, they've changed their minds. No more All You Can Eat'. Like anyone, I'd be furious that I was shortchanged.
Why didn't they ask Randall about the truth behind the move?

Then, he boasts that they re-invest $19 million into their company's growth. That's a load of bull. If that was true, why did it take me 24 hours to try to process my iPhone 4 Pre-order? Why did your upgrade pre-sale process fail, months after you've been able to prepare for it, and after years of seeing the same mistakes over & over. Seriously, I was up last night at 3 AM when Apple launched the pre-sale & tried THROUGHOUT THE DAY to order over & over again, and all I was left with was the error messages due to Apple's server being unable to handle the load, hence, me not being able to upgrade, until 11 PM tonight (I just got lucky after the 175th attempt).

Randall, why don't we just be honest with each other. Throw a party on your yacht that you bought as part of the AT&T Growth you were referring to. Invite me to your castle that you call 'Home'. Heck, let me swim in your ocean size pool. At least that way I'll feel like my money is going to good use. But don't sit there & try to tell the world that AT&T is doing what's in the consumer's best interest when you're clearly ripping everyone off. I'm happy that they got a little tough & asked him point blank 'will these new data plans actually bring in more revenues for AT&T or will they save the consumer money, sacrificing revenues'. That put him in the exact place he deserves to be without an honest answer to pull him through.

Fact is, the new plans will make AT&T much more money. And in case you forgot, that money comes from your hard-earned bank account. And trust me, more cents on the dollar are going to their executive's lavish lifestyles rather than to the network you rely on day after day.

 

[JoEw]

im praying for t-mobile to become a carrier of an iphone... i can dream.

I'm tired of at&t first they **** me over on my preorder thanks to there ****** servers and there are still no signs of progress on there network.


AT&T is the same they were 30 years ago ****ing there costumers over for there own profits.

a middle figure to AT&T, i don't blame them for wanting to keep exclusivity for the iphone cause as soon as it gets on another carrier 50% of iphone users are dropping there network, including me.

 

[Fireteller]

I don't think this makes sense. If you buy a subsidized phone, you pay $200 or $300 to Apple and AT&T pays $400 to Apple. If you buy an unsubsidized phone, you pay $6-700 to Apple yourself and AT&T pays nothing. Nor does AT&T give you a discount on your bill.

This is where AT&T has you fooled. Once I'm out of the contract I will give AT&T a little buzz, and if I can hold the line for more then 30 seconds, I will say, "This is Mr. Fireteller, and although I LOVE your network, I am not in a contract with you and I'd like to take my business elsewhere, do you have anything to offer to deter me from my ward ideas?" To which they will respond "Why yes Mr. Fireteller we would LOVE to keep your business, why don't we offer you the as;dlfkajdf; plan with which you can save 75% off your current bill." At which point I may dane to take their offer. How do I know this is what will happen? Because I've already done it. And this my friends is the real reason behind the contract -- not, as it may at first appear, to lock you to AT&T, but rather to keep you form being able to negotiate.

f

 

[vvebsta]

the iPhone moving to multiple carriers is the best thing that could happen to AT&T customers... spreading out the data demand over multiple carriers will free up the load on AT&Ts servers and everyone will win.

the fact that AT&T knows this and would rather keep the iPhone exclusive should tell you that they don't give a rat's a** about customers.

 

[leapp]

No cell phone provider guarantees you will have service ALL the time in ALL places. Could you imagine the liability if they did? Where exactly is this false advertising you speak of? Why aren't there any lawsuits being filed and won if false advertising is happening?
.

I don't believe that I asked for that. Nor did I bitch about not having service EVERYWHERE and ALL THE TIME. I think your reading things into posts that aren't there.

And we aren't being irrational. I pay my bills, the service sucks. I bitch for good reason. I'm not throwing my phone against the wall. I'm not running down the street naked screaming "ATT!!!! ATT!!!!!" I'm not punching the lying service rep in the face. I'm not claiming that my phone never works. Nor am I claiming that ATT's service has caused a third arm to grow out of my ear. I'm not saying that ATT should be perfect or that they should pay for every little blip. THAT would be irrational. Sorry for the long explanation, but I just want you to understand what the term irrational means....

And I clearly stated in my post that I sometimes don't have service in areas that I'm supposed to have service. FALSE ADVERTISING. And I have been hearing for many years that my area is going to be improved. In fact, when I bought the phone, the agent said three new towers were going up in my area within the next six months. That didn't happen. FALSE ADVERTISING. I have been to 3G areas and didn't get 3G. FALSE ADVERTISING. I could go on and on but that's good enough.

And if you knew about the legal system, it's just not that easy to sue a conglomerate. They have lawyers on staff 24/7. When they get sued they don't call a local firm. Lol. Nope, they just yell down the hall: "We got another one!" They know what they are saying and what to do if they are called on it. They know how little they have to do to say they are 'reasonably' doing 'what they can'. And they can say that it's the iPhone's fault. Even tho they agreed to be the carrier of said phone. And if you pay attention, you'll see that they are always preparing for it. Didn't that ATT guy say some people were "data hogs", there by setting the stage for blaming users? And now they are beginning to phase out their unlimited plans. So they are "doing what they can" instead of just fixing their service. So you see? Good luck suing them!

But you have given me a good idea. A nice lawyer reading this should throw together a nice class action that would include ALL subscribers. That would put a little shake in their boots. Probably kick start an upgraded service as well, even if the case loses.

 

[carlgo]

...there will never be anything that comes out of his mouth that is said for any reason other than to drive profits.

... We should always look at them critically as opponents who's profit motive always puts them in conflict with our goals...

Large corporations are not inherently bad or evil. ... They are companies that make money. Period.

...If it were not for exclusivity, we would not have to deal with this crap.

This says it all rationally.

You know that AT&T could not operate this way without an accomplice. We Apple fans should all realize that our favorite company made this deal for reasons that are not consumer-friendly and is not on the moral high ground that they are so prone to claim.

There have been calls for a class-action lawsuit. It would seem that not too many attorneys want to go up against the combined might of Apple and AT&T (and they would be combined, joined together in this unholy alliance as they are).