Just as an aide, I love the combination of your avatar and inability to use multi quote.
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AT&T Considering Modifications to Deadline for iPad Unlimited 3G Service Activations
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Just as an aide, I love the combination of your avatar and inability to use multi quote.
Or maybe AT&T lives up to the promise it made people who bought iPads prior to their recent announcement and who cannot return their iPads for a refund.
Yes they verified you can stop and start at will take a look on the AT&T facebook pag
I repeat just visit the page and look they verified you keep the plan even if you cancel
I repeat just visit the page and look they verified you keep the plan even if you cancel
From http://www.facebook.com/ATT?v=wall&story_fbid=402167238908
AT&T AT&T will honor the $29.99 unlimited data pricing for customers who order iPad by June 7.
about an hour ago
Michael Downey ... and allow us to stop and start it at will, as advertised?
about an hour ago
AT&T Yes, Michael.
54 minutes ago
Michael Downey Thank you for that info ... should help a lot of confused customers.
52 minutes ago
AT&T AT&T will honor the $29.99 unlimited data pricing for customers who order iPad by June 7.
about an hour ago
Michael Downey ... and allow us to stop and start it at will, as advertised?
about an hour ago
AT&T Yes, Michael.
54 minutes ago
Michael Downey Thank you for that info ... should help a lot of confused customers.
52 minutes ago
From http://www.facebook.com/ATT?v=wall&story_fbid=402167238908
AT&T AT&T will honor the $29.99 unlimited data pricing for customers who order iPad by June 7.
about an hour ago
Michael Downey ... and allow us to stop and start it at will, as advertised?
about an hour ago
AT&T Yes, Michael.
54 minutes ago
Michael Downey Thank you for that info ... should help a lot of confused customers.
52 minutes ago
Well, if that's the case, I take back all my griping.
If that's not the case, this will be helpful evidence for the class action
Slow down I just read that Facebook comment and AT&T did NOT say it can be restarted at unlimited. They just answered the question it could be stopped and restarted, but not that it can be restarted as UNLIMITED. That is very Clintonesque "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
From http://www.facebook.com/ATT?v=wall&story_fbid=402179198908
Chase Tidwell will ipad users that activate before june 7th be able to start and stop the unlimited plan after june7th as advertised ?
50 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag
Michael Downey Yes. See their response here: http://www.facebook.com/ATT?v=wall&story_fbid=402167238908
50 minutes ago
AT&T yes
49 minutes ago
Edit: oops, someone already posted the same info. Sorry.
Eh okay believe me I hope that is correct. Cause that is all I ask.
I just won't be surprised if the roar dies down and we see sporadic reports of "system errors" not letting customers select unlimited after being inactive.
AT&T's billing system is far from being advanced to allow JUST 3G owners prior to June 7 to be grandfathered in such fashion. But again, I do hope so.
I just won't be surprised if the roar dies down and we see sporadic reports of "system errors" not letting customers select unlimited after being inactive.
AT&T's billing system is far from being advanced to allow JUST 3G owners prior to June 7 to be grandfathered in such fashion. But again, I do hope so.
I hope i can start and stop it - but i'm on a better billing week since i started it today and should be "ok" for a few months. But, being able to stop it for a week was nice.....
Facebook comment
Personally I think the AT&T rep made a mistake and stepped in a big one. I hope I am wrong about this.
Personally I think the AT&T rep made a mistake and stepped in a big one. I hope I am wrong about this.
Did you look at the text I quoted. That person was up in arms over AT&T not know what was happening on their network six months after when the iPad was announced. The announcement greatly preceded there being any significant number of iPads on the 3G network. Exactly how were any detailed measurements done when there were not deployed and software apps not written? It wasn't. Someone pulled some numbers out of they butt and they were wrong. Dwelling on that they were inaccurate is misplaced (given couldn't collect it anyway). It is what doing to fit/adjust to what is really going on.
A possible causality stream here is that changes in network precipitated changes in the pricing. Steve jobs doing a demo isn't going to be a major change in the network. Apple itself got caught flat footed here. In January demo Jobs implied would launch worldwide in matter of weeks. Then it was US and then 3G a couple weeks later then International. Then it was US and 3G about a month later and international even longer. In that context your assertion is that someone at AT&T had an extremely accurate forecast of what traffic was be about now? That is not being an apologist for AT&T that is just an objective accounting for the facts. The January projections sucked. [ I'm not buying into the tinfoil hat deduction that Apple precisely knew all along what the run rates were going to be. ] There is extremely little evidence that they did not. Therefore the statement that AT&T should have known blah, blah, blah is extremely dubious. Even more so when look at the evidence.
Also willing to bet that no one told ATT in January that TV networks were going to target the iPad in major way since everything was compartmentalized and and super, utlra secret. Again strictly siloing information very commonly leads to bad decisions and projections. There is little evidence that it does not. If you have any I'd like to hear it.
On top of that I've worked for several large organizations. If AT&T is announcing new plans now it was at least 4-6 weeks ago that decided on these updates. There would be several layers of meetings. Probably even more so because likely involved back-and-forth with Apple. Between those readjustments on revenue forecasts and more meetings about those results. meeting with lawyers , etc. etc. etc. That someone woke up a week ago an mind-farted these new rates is extremely unlikely.
Quite similar 1-3 month lead time on the rates announced in January. It was not done then it was tracked into a number of weeks before when even fewer iPads in existence and even less software.
So the gap between when they moved to adapt to evolving information and the announcement is not as large as people are hysterically making it out to be.
Nor do I think iPhoneOS 4 , tethering are entirely decoupled from these adjustments either. It is on the 7th because the new phone is dropping on the 7th. Also suspect Steve didn't want more set of chuckles about lack of tethering (the joke was old last year). Don't think that date is arbitrary. Something about it is another contributing factor to a projected spike in bandwidth. ( videoconferencing , new default app, something. ). If wasn't also the phone, they could have picked a longer switch over time.
You can also throw in substantive Android growth as a possible contributing factor which only occurred this spring after the January announcement. In short, the claims that number of units attached and network bandwidth were all tightly bounded and projected from January are dubious. Not because that is a AT&T slightly view just an independent view.
I'm not an AT&T or an Apple employee. May air is just fine. For example I knew fraking 4 months ago that iPhone utilization numbers were not above 2GB because if was posted right here on the front page of Macrumors. It didn't take me a nanosecond to correlate the info announced by AT&T and that which was already known and widely distributed months ago. Your air is the one that should get checked.
Hardly. What I was proposing was leave the 250MB plan as-is and change the "unlimited" plan to a 5GB plan with a cap. Leave the pricing of that at $29.99/mo. If you go over that limit, pay some more.
No it is not.
Can you start ( simple meaning: turn on and let run. ) and stop ( simple meaning: can you turn off) the unlimited plan?
What you need a more protected question.
Can you cancel the unlimted plan completely right now and then activate an $29.99 unlimited one several months from now?
That would be a clear question which would get a clear answer. It is not activating or stopping that is the critical issue.
It is the supposed implied contract that AT&T will off same terms even after severing contract for a protracted period of time without an active plan.
I think this was pretty clear in the citation I copied.
Unfortunately, since that time, they have now twice posted that you cannot do this. They have not responded to questions pointing out that they are now contradicting themselves.
I purchased the WiFi only iPad on it's launch day with the intent of getting a 3G version down the road when my Verizon MiFi contract was up. With AT&T taking the imminent dive on unlimited, I either have to get a 3G version now or never. It's tempting to get the unlimited deal while it's still on tap because it's the cheapest mobile broadband solution but I have a sneaking suspicion that AT&T will can the unlimited deal all together in a year's time or at the soonest opportunity they can make the change with minimal risk of legal consequences (i.e. lawsuits for bait & switch).
If I pass on the deal now, than I'll be taking a permanent pass on any 3G version and keep using the WiFi version with MiFi until Sprint 4G comes to my area.
Ever since I got an iPhone, AT&T has been the fly in the ointment for one bad reason after another. Unless Apple offers another choice on carrier, I'm not likely to upgrade my phone unless Jobs delivers some serious goodness next week.
If I pass on the deal now, than I'll be taking a permanent pass on any 3G version and keep using the WiFi version with MiFi until Sprint 4G comes to my area.
Ever since I got an iPhone, AT&T has been the fly in the ointment for one bad reason after another. Unless Apple offers another choice on carrier, I'm not likely to upgrade my phone unless Jobs delivers some serious goodness next week.
If they said "only as long as" instead of "as long as", then it would contradict. Right now, they are just being confusing.
Look,
First and foremost, thanks for the detailed response.
I am only trying to relay a couple of obvious point the way I see it. You cannot believe for a moment that AT&T has had an opportunity to visit it's numbers on the amount of iPad volume and bandwidth in this short of time.
Furthermore, to make such a detailed corporate announcement; it had to have been in the works for some time- hence my position for calling bait and switch.
Lastly, even if only 500k (and I have no idea how many 3G's are in the open) were activated and streaming; how is this such a sudden crippler of their network? I understand your Android toss in as well- but that and blackberry are out of this discussion. Reason being is that a very formal Keynote was given by SJ, followed by AT&T's rate plans in Jan. The product has been on the shelves for 30 days +/-.
Sorry does not add up anyway you spin it, sell it, or defend it.
AT&T or Apple has some explaining to do, because this has zero to do with some planet someone just noticed dropping into their spectrum unannounced. They need to charge more? Fine, own up- say we screwed up, and move on. Don't try to pass some BS plan on me that tells me I am saving money when they are in actuality charging me more for less.
Anyone who doesn't think this is bs is not thinking clearly.
Better yet- how about adding the additional plans on top of the current grandfathered plans... Fat chance.
It will be interesting to see what Monday Brings... Wonder if Steve will ignore them again like last year with the tethering.