AT&T Introduces Postpaid Subscription Plans for Tablet Data Access

[JediZenMaster]

First month free and some people still complaining?

Yeah because its not free forever!!! You know how cheap people here in the US are. You could charge 2 dollars for it and people will still gripe.

I will be so happy when if the day ever comes where the telecommunications providers are nationalized. Then people will have to find someone else to complain about

 

[Fly Rodder]

Your statement does not make sense. Technically what you say is true, but that's not how businesses price the services they sell to you.

Have you ever noticed that broadband Internet providers charge more to hook up to that same MODEM depending on whether it's used in a home or a business location? Do you understand why? I'm guessing you don't.

Nice try, but your analogy isn't appropriate. It's Apples v. Oranges. There's a price difference between business-to-business sales and business-to-consumers sales in everything. Someone paying for 250gb a month for residential use and a business paying for 1,000 gb a month is based on estimated usage. What telecoms are doing, essentially, is charging the business for 1,000gb and then dictating through fee what they can do with that 1,000 gb. The 1,000 gb is already paid for. How you use it shouldn't be up to the provider.

Bandwidth is a public utility provided by for-profit corporations and if it's going to be metered, fine, but don't tell me that I can't hook up another lightbulb and still use the same amount of electricity.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Yeah but there seems to be a deep rooted hate for AT&T where people have blinders on and lose logic when it comes to discussions.

Well, considering that AT&T has, and has had, the vast majority of iPhone users until about three weeks ago, I'd say that the deep rooted hate for AT&T is based on experience. People'll hate Verizon, too.

Granted i know in todays social-eco climate that most americans view big companies or even people that have money as evil.

Gee, I don't understand why. Maybe because they mostly are.

 

[aristobrat]

Oh how convenient. Theyll automatically charge me for something even if I don't use it.

Sorry, I'm staying with the prepaid option.

Pre-paid automatically charges you even if you don't use it also. Pre-paid, post-paid, whichever -- you have to manually cancel the renewal to stop the charge.

So, AT&T announces that you can now have your iPad data billed with your regular AT&T cell phone bill and all the babies on MacRumors come out crying.

Negative votes because AT&T is providing you another choice or just because it's AT&T?

No joke. This article was about AT&T giving customers another billing option for iPad data. They did not change anything in regards to iPad data plans other than ADDING another billing option.

 

[DjHeXeR]

Nice try, but your analogy isn't appropriate. It's Apples v. Oranges. There's a price difference between business-to-business sales and business-to-consumers sales in everything. Someone paying for 250gb a month for residential use and a business paying for 1,000 gb a month is based on estimated usage. What telecoms are doing, essentially, is charging the business for 1,000gb and then dictating through fee what they can do with that 1,000 gb. The 1,000 gb is already paid for. How you use it shouldn't be up to the provider.

Bandwidth is a public utility provided by for-profit corporations and if it's going to be metered, fine, but don't tell me that I can't hook up another lightbulb and still use the same amount of electricity.

I agree. That is what I was trying to get at, after reading my 1st post it seemed a lil confusing. what I meant by it is.

Chipset in phone = Modem
Phone = Computer
Software of phone = software to access data

Remember those old compaq computers with built in DSL modems???
same scenerio. I could easily make one of those into a hot spot and nothing is wrong with that. Why can't I do the same with a phone???

 

[aristobrat]

Remember those old compaq computers with built in DSL modems???
same scenerio. I could easily make one of those into a hot spot and nothing is wrong with that. Why can't I do the same with a phone???

That's off-topic for this thread. Try the AT&T Confirms Personal Hotspot Support Alongside March 11th iOS 4.3 Launch thread.

 

[thelonelylimo]

Except I'm on the unlimited data plan and I assume I'd need to "downgrade" to the 2gb ($25) iPhone plan.

you are correct..

 

[logandzwon]

AT&T adding more options is good.

US mobile Telecoms still suck though. The data prices are ridiculous, and no one cares to fix it.


The DSL comparisons are not valid. You buy DSL for your household. Mobile devices are for individuals.

All the data you can consume a month on your iPhone is not the same as the total of all the data you can consume in a month.

IE;
-If you use your desktop, or you add WiFi and use your notebook instead you'll use relatively the same bandwidth.
-If your wife uses her notebook over your WiFi and you your own, VS you both share a desktop you'll use relatively similar data amounts.

 

[thelonelylimo]

when they increase the bandwidth allotment per month and let me buy data for the family and use it among different devices as i see fit

we can dream...

 

[InfoTime]

I could easily make one of those into a hot spot and nothing is wrong with that. Why can't I do the same with a phone???

Because they price their data plan based on it only be used ON THE PHONE. The amount of data you can consume on a tiny iPhone screen as one single user is not the same as the amount of data you can consume with your iPad and MacBook hooked up to your iPhone hot-spot.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Because they price their data plan based on it only be used ON THE PHONE. The amount of data you can consume on a tiny iPhone screen as one single user is not the same as the amount of data you can consume with your iPad and MacBook hooked up to your iPhone hot-spot.

Two things related to this post.

A) Then why are they selling it as unlimited data if it isn't?

B) Or, based on tiered data plans, if I pay for 2gb of bandwidth, then I've purchased 2gb of bandwidth and it doesn't mattter whether I use it on my phone only or my phone and iPad.

But what telecoms are really doing is selling the right to access up to 2gb of data based on their customers not really using the bulk of what they've purchased and essentially re-selling that unused data to other customer. Which is why there's really only one tier and not much of a choice.

Say they 100gb to sell, they can sell that to 50 people at 2gb per, or they can sell that to 200 people at the same price in expectation that no one will really use more than 500mb each.

Their pricing structure is modeled like insurance actuarial tables and not actual usage. They're full of ****.

 

[InfoTime]

A) Then why are they selling it as unlimited data if it

Please review these two links:

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/ipad.jsp?WT.srch=1
http://www.att.com/wireless/iphone/?WT.srch=1

Now, what was your question?

 

[Tsac77]

Why does $15 get you 250MB on the iPad but only 200MB on the iPhone?

 

[Fly Rodder]

Please review these two links:

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/ipad.jsp?WT.srch=1
http://www.att.com/wireless/iphone/?WT.srch=1

Now, what was your question?

I probably didn't write that post as clearly as I could have.

I know that they don't sell unlimited data plans anymore. But some posters on here seem to think that if you use more than a third of what you're paying for, then you're the devil. AT&T (and soon Verizon) moved away from selling unlimited because they weren't really unlimited. But they're still selling 2gb/month as 2gb/month when they really aren't. The point is that they should be more clear in what they're selling. If it's not unlimited, don't sell it is as unlimited. If it's not 2gbs a month, but access to 2gb a month, sell it that way.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Why does $15 get you 250MB on the iPad but only 200MB on the iPhone?

Because their pricing structure is designed to bleed as much money as possible from consumers not on anything transparent (like usage).

 

[Tsac77]

Real answer anyone?

 

[codymac]

Real answer anyone?

In reality, it probably has something to do with the systems that manage their products and billing. No joke. The big telcos are especially bad about having so many divergent billing systems that it can be a nightmare to roll out products.

 

[BuffyzDead]

iPhone 4 SIM Card in iPad 2 .... sorry

I realized this is a bit off topic but I though someone here might know or have the appropriate links. Thank you in Advance.

My plan is:
To go for either the 16GB or 32GB iPad2 with WiFi+3G.
With that approach, IF I wanted, I could buy 3G service on a monthly basis….No Contract required. Wifi for the other 90% of the time.

And this iPad2 will have the SIM card tray.
Important for what I really plan to do.

SO,
My real plan would be to use my iPhone4 SIM Card (unlimited AT&T data plan), inside the iPad 2, for those occasions when Wifi isn't available.

Is this possible today under iOS4.2.1? ...Links?

Of course what will really matters is, if this is possible under iOS 4.3, next week.

 

[InfoTime]

If it's not unlimited, don't sell it is as unlimited.

Um, they don't.

If it's not 2gbs a month, but access to 2gb a month, sell it that way.

I honestly don't understand the distinction.

 

[DjHeXeR]

Because they price their data plan based on it only be used ON THE PHONE. The amount of data you can consume on a tiny iPhone screen as one single user is not the same as the amount of data you can consume with your iPad and MacBook hooked up to your iPhone hot-spot.

I beg to differ. A buddy of mine had a Sprint account and in 1 mo with an Android Device he racked up 60 Gigs of Data. watching movies and listening to streaming music, etc. NO TETHERING!!!

I can easily consume more than 5 just listening to online audio. (regular radio sucks in my area)

Also isn't and iPad just a BIGGER iPhone w/o calls anyways?? Last time I checked it uses the same iOS and mostly the same apps.

 

[beany boy]

At least with AT@T I can make call.

 

[3587]

iPhone Tethering or iPad 3G?

So, I have the iPhone 4 with the Unlimited data plan... I am purchasing the iPad 2... If I use tethering on my phone, is that part of the annual contract? Or is that month by month like the iPad?

I wouldn't really need to get on 3G all that often, but there will be times where WiFi is not available, so would purchasing the iPad 2 3G and paying as I go or getting the tethering option on the iPhone?

 

[devinci99]

Will current ipad 3G owners who are still with the unlimited plan get grandfathered in if they upgrade?

 

[InfoTime]

I beg to differ. A buddy of mine had a Sprint account and in 1 mo with an Android Device he racked up 60 Gigs of Data. watching movies and listening to streaming music, etc. NO TETHERING!!!

And with tethering he could have shared that with his buddies and used 200 GB! Hey, unlimited is unlimited. Right?

 

[ashmarie73]

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AT&T just needs a pay as u go plan.. Pay when I need ... No charge when I don't.. I think that would be fair enough