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AT&T CEO's "Only Regret" is Offering Unlimited Data Packages
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People here are so brainwashed it's amazing.
Apple forced AT&T to offer unlimited as part of being an exclusive carrier. It was back at a time when data was 2G and a heavy user used 20MB a month. People who signed up felt they were entitled to lifetime unlimited data at fast speeds for that date...even though the speed/use of data has grown exponentially. And how dare AT&T not build infrastructure off that same $30 to pay for ever increasing data needs.
Every rational person who owned a business would think the exact same way. The 'all you can eat' model for data consumption doesn't work in the cellular world which has a much more restricted 'pipeline' that other internet service options.
Of course a lot of the vitriol is because it's AT&T. If Apple ran a cellular service and Steve Jobs said this last year, people would be fawning over how profound it was.
Apple forced AT&T to offer unlimited as part of being an exclusive carrier. It was back at a time when data was 2G and a heavy user used 20MB a month. People who signed up felt they were entitled to lifetime unlimited data at fast speeds for that date...even though the speed/use of data has grown exponentially. And how dare AT&T not build infrastructure off that same $30 to pay for ever increasing data needs.
Every rational person who owned a business would think the exact same way. The 'all you can eat' model for data consumption doesn't work in the cellular world which has a much more restricted 'pipeline' that other internet service options.
Of course a lot of the vitriol is because it's AT&T. If Apple ran a cellular service and Steve Jobs said this last year, people would be fawning over how profound it was.
Unbelievable!
Oh poor little thing! they had exclusive rights to the best thing to come along since sliced bread for years and they complain about doing something that is good for their customers!
Oh poor little thing! they had exclusive rights to the best thing to come along since sliced bread for years and they complain about doing something that is good for their customers!
If you think a better model exists, why don't you buy some spectrum, cell towers and other equipment, start a competing company, and give everybody (including me) better service for a lower rate?
Love you fanboy guys. Apple making huge profit margin = GREAT. ATT&T making small profit margin = EVIL.
Wow what a stupid statement. This not only has to do with the iPhone but androids too and every other smart phone att sells because there raping all those users too. 3.58 billion last quarter on 29 billion in revenue is not a small profit. Stevensen is a Greedy businessman and a poor excuse for a ceo. His own company penalized him for screwing up the merger with t mobile. His opinion is about as important as last years news.
I can't imagine that many people lowered their texting plan because they have iMessage. Why?
1) If you're on a family plan, texting is so cheap as a whole. (If you're not on a family plan, get together with some friends and get on one!)
2) You can't dump texting for all the people who don't have iPhones.
3) iMessage is taking the texting load off of AT&T, so it's a benefit to AT&T. Sort of kidding on this one, since I'd assume the texting load is kind of low. But if I've got unlimited texting, now I'm using AT&T texting less when I text to my iPhone friends (especially when on WiFi).
4) Most customers probably don't even realize iMessage now uses less texts from your texting plan.
My 2 cents...
Gary
1) If you're on a family plan, texting is so cheap as a whole. (If you're not on a family plan, get together with some friends and get on one!)
2) You can't dump texting for all the people who don't have iPhones.
3) iMessage is taking the texting load off of AT&T, so it's a benefit to AT&T. Sort of kidding on this one, since I'd assume the texting load is kind of low. But if I've got unlimited texting, now I'm using AT&T texting less when I text to my iPhone friends (especially when on WiFi).
4) Most customers probably don't even realize iMessage now uses less texts from your texting plan.
My 2 cents...
Gary
Whh, I still want to know how people can even afford a iPhone and the data plans. I guess I am the only with no smartphone. If only if there was some sort jail break to get unlimited data than maybe i would bother to have a smartphone. Better yet, how about free wireless hotspots to kill off AT&T and other cell phone services.
Apple.
If Apple released an iOS update that enabled FaceTime over a cellular network, what do you think AT&T (or any other carrier) could do to stop them?
There's no law that requires AT&T to approve Apple's software.
Apple does have some pretty cosy relationships with the carriers though, so this means that the restrictions in iOS are influenced by the demands of the industry as a whole.
Well, you're not that unbrainwashed, either.
AT&T has a 5GB cap. Let's examine 14.4MBit/s on the iPhone 4S here, and let alone LTE on the iPad.
14.4MBit/s = 1.8MB/s.
5000MB / 1.8MB/s = About 15 Minutes.
You can use that connection 15 minutes of a 30 day month. That's approx. 0.025%.
Seriously?
Also, within those 15 Minutes, it works fine. It would work fine another 15 minutes tomorrow. And every successive day. Until proven otherwise.
15 minutes of a day, that's 1%.
Those 5GB are hilarious, if it were money that would be a nickel, at 14.4MBit/s.
A realistic cap would be in the 50-100GB range. Who would use it? No one. Would lots of people even surpass the 5GB mark? Probably not.
But: Would you cancel your U-Verse account? OF COURSE!!11
And there lays the problem about this whole "The technology can't support it" crap. For some strange reason, Sprints network does support unlimited bandwidth for everybody. Why? Because the customers who cancel their DSL line for an LTE stick won't be their own.
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AT&T is so far in my rear view mirror
So glad I switched to Sprint with my 4GS...and wow my calls never drop.
So glad I switched to Sprint with my 4GS...and wow my calls never drop.
Did he ever think we would not have bought into it any other way, I still have limitless data, and if I loose that because I move to 4G I think I will stay with what I have. Smart phones are useless without it, I don't abuse but I am not going to use a service where I have to worry every time I use it if I am over the time.
Greedy and pathetic oh wait so is all of AT&T share holders. There was an article where they voted not to open anything up or even want an open internet so what should we think of the CEO he is following the shareholders and their greedy ways.
Greedy and pathetic oh wait so is all of AT&T share holders. There was an article where they voted not to open anything up or even want an open internet so what should we think of the CEO he is following the shareholders and their greedy ways.
Not all his fault there is that article about share holders saying they want more greed and don't even want a open internet. He is a byproduct of the shareholders.
Apple has FaceTime for video, iMessage for text. They need to Add Talktime making it free between iOS and OS X users. How's that's gonna cut into your revenue stream AT&T?
You already have this
. FaceTime somebody and press screen-lock/sleep button. You now only send audio (works best if you have headphones with a built-in microphone).
Even at the data cost where I live it still works out cheaper to use Skype based the idea of a VoIP using AAC-HE at 64kbps, so 1 minute is 480KB, assuming the $1 for 10MB casual plan for prepaid customers then you're looking at least 20minutes of calling for $1. The threat is very real even if they start charging for data given that they would have to charge an astronomical amount to balance up the amount they charge for phone calls being equal to a VoIP call using ones data allowance.
I think the issue is more complex than that given that only some towers are being pushed to their capacity limits whilst there are other towers that have more than enough capacity - the situation isn't always as black and white as the CEO might wish to make it out.
If it's on Wikipedia, it must be true!
Read what I wrote again, it's the access to the bandwidth that is limited. We can't "run out" of data because we've used too much of it.
Assuming that you add more capacity via more towers and intelligent switching of customers to towers to excess capacity then sure, it sounds like a wonder idea but guess what? try setting up a mobile phone tower and then dealing with the legions of moronic parents thinking their kids brains will be fried if a mobile phone tower goes up near their school, church, synagogue, ashram, bus shelter, train stop, local supermarket etc.
We are all not poor? So paying for the phones and service is not a big deal, all deductible baby all deductible. Lots of Pro are in the same boat. Still its not the cost that bothers me, its when I pay for no service, then the money is minor to my anger of been ripped off for sake of ripping me off.
We don't run out of it, it's just at capacity. Even when the towers are maxed, someone is enjoying bandwidth.
There's a difference between depleting something so that it no longer exists (a resource which is finite) and having restricted access to it.
You already have this
Good to know, thanks had not checked it out.