Right, I'm looking at the new plans and the new tethering option.
If tethering is available for an iPhone then there is no reason you should not be able to tether an iPad.
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AT&T Replaces iPad Unlimited Data Plan with 2GB Capped Plan for New Customers
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Right, I'm looking at the new plans and the new tethering option.
If tethering is available for an iPhone then there is no reason you should not be able to tether an iPad.
No, it's a way to get more money out of customers while giving them less. And you just wait, all the other U.S. carriers will fall in line very soon...
2GB is less than 2 full length feature movies encoded at a decent bitrate on h.264. Specifically, the rate that apple uses for iTunes SD movies. You would go over downloading just two.
As for streaming, I'm sure it's relatively lower bitrate, but even at one quarter, nobody who is a fan of video streaming is going to be pleased with this rate.
However, I personally am quite pleased to see this. More *ISP*'s need to start pricing their plans in ways that better reflect what they can actually offer. The "Unlimited" has been a lie for 20 years and should be illegal let alone extinct.
I'd be happier to see another tier for the big data users. Maybe we will, who knows? But at least the terms are clear this time. What's more, the retroactive plan changing is probably the most fair offering I've seen from an *ISP* in years.
Yes I'm calling AT&T an ISP because though they are obviously one of the first carriers to realize it, all wireless carriers will be ISPs over time and they need to start training users to understand the cost of the infrastructure before expectations of such things spread beyond the relative minority of smartphone heavy data users.
By the way, I looked up my data usage trends, which are reportable back to November or so, and I was really shocked that my iPhone data usage peaked at 540mb in one month. I thought for sure it would be much higher as I am a heavy user of the 3G. I don't stream video though, and rarely stream audio so that could be the real kicker.
All-in-all I am glad for the change.
That was at launch, not on the new data plans.
That is the question everyone had since they already paid for data on their iPhone.
If the iPad tethers to other devices then it'll tether to the iPhone, when tethering is available. You fail to understand the context and time frame that the question was asked, things have changed.
I'm putting it out there - I'm 10 days through my billing cycle and I've used 200 MB. I could get by on the new plan. But the point being is that there have been times when I have gone over 2 GB and I don't want to have to pay an extra 10 bucks when that happens.
Ripoff.
I bought the 3G model of the iPad with the understanding that "unlimited" data would be $30.00/month. 1 month in to it's existence, and AT&T changes that to $25/2GB/month?????? You can't use a video streaming app (Netflix/ABC/MLB) without chewing through that in no time. I used up 250MB in ONE DAY using streaming video apps. Some quick math:
250MB x 30days = 7.5 GB
7.5 GB = $30 on the old plan
7.5 GB = $75 on the new plan
($25 (first 2GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB))
This is the original iPhone price drop all over again.
I know Apple's not responsible for AT&T's decisions, but they better be ready for some backlash for this one. I know I'd have saved my $130 and gone with a Wifi model if I'd known this change was coming.
I bought the 3G model of the iPad with the understanding that "unlimited" data would be $30.00/month. 1 month in to it's existence, and AT&T changes that to $25/2GB/month?????? You can't use a video streaming app (Netflix/ABC/MLB) without chewing through that in no time. I used up 250MB in ONE DAY using streaming video apps. Some quick math:
250MB x 30days = 7.5 GB
7.5 GB = $30 on the old plan
7.5 GB = $75 on the new plan
($25 (first 2GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB) + $10 (1GB))
This is the original iPhone price drop all over again.
I know Apple's not responsible for AT&T's decisions, but they better be ready for some backlash for this one. I know I'd have saved my $130 and gone with a Wifi model if I'd known this change was coming.
So, will we see a sudden increase in sales for the AT&T ver of Nexus One? I'm waiting for a confirmation that it will get 2.2 (so far, only the T-Mobile version getting 2.2). Remember, 2.2 adds tethering and wifi hotspot for Android, and I don't think AT&T can do anything about it if you stick with the old $30 unlimited data.
So? Then keep the $30/month unlimited rate. Existing iPad customers aren't affected.
arn
This is precisely my thinking as well, they figure this is the solution to their network problems, it has the additional burden of the iPad now, and the video chat on the next iPhone will hurt their bandwidth even more.
In typical fashion, rather than doubling their efforts to improve the network, they just move the main cost to the users using the most bandwidth, by introducing a cap.
I guess I will just stick to the existing $30 unlimited as long as possible on my iPad, and with the new iPhone I guess I won't have a choice.
Don't compare it to Apple's price drop of the original iPhone. This is at&t telling iPad and heavy data users to get ****ed.
Nope, not at all. People don't even know that you can buy a Nexus One for 529 dollars. No one will switch.
And go to who, T-Mobile? Have fun with ****** EDGE coverage.
I'm feeling conflicted about AT&T right now. I agree that we desperately need competition; Verizon compatibility can't come soon enough. There really should be an unlimited iPad plan for those who want it. It does seem a little like bait-and-switch, to advertise unlimited iPad data two months ago and now suddenly take it away. If the iPad is meant to be a digital consumption device, AT&T is crimping it's use.
More than likely. The people who are being grandfathered in are those who sign up before June 7th. After that everyone will be stuck with 2 GB. So yes, if they cancel for even one month they are no longer grandfathered in.
The average movie from iTunes is 1 GB. And that is being generous. Of the 94 movies I have on my iMac 8 are below 1GB. 86 movies are above 1 GB and Star Trek (2009) which I bought from iTunes is 1.83 GB. Avatar on iTunes is 2.34 GB, with this new plan I couldn't buy that movie because I would go over the limit.
At&t is suffering with all the Apple products using their network (so they say) but they have to realize this is not a smart move. From a business side this makes sense but not from a customer side.
What they are doing is eliminating people from downloading movies over 3G which is fine with me. It's bandwidth hogging and the people who want to replace their main internet connection with a 3g connection should pay more.
They are protecting the majority of their customers interests, it is good for the consumer and the company.
I wonder what the people who go over 2GB are doing? If it is such a great thing to download massive amounts of data via 3G then you must have a strong need for it and no problem paying for it.
Double-You Tee Eff?
I guess they realised international carriers try to pull **** like that in the UK and suddenly felt they were being too generous. That’s the thing, the networks will never ever try and outperform/outclass/undercut the others by a wide margin, because they know that if they do, it'll just ruin the party for everyone.
Simple greed.
I guess they realised international carriers try to pull **** like that in the UK and suddenly felt they were being too generous. That’s the thing, the networks will never ever try and outperform/outclass/undercut the others by a wide margin, because they know that if they do, it'll just ruin the party for everyone.
Simple greed.
Yet another reason why AT&T is not a reliable partner for Apple.
Apple open the iPhone & iPad to other data service providers....please.
Apple open the iPhone & iPad to other data service providers....please.
Well, users that care about these caps and tethering would know. For $529, you get an unlocked phone and once it gets 2.2, you can do tethering and wifi hotspot for free, something to consider if you're already on the to-be-discontinued $30 unlimited iPhone plan and in need of tethering but don't want to be raped by the new AT&T data plans.