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Legally, it's going to be a hard sell.

Net Neutrality rules state that they can't block a competing product or service. AT&T don't have a competing product, so they are allowed to limit an application or service.

skype is a competing product, and that works over 3G/LTE.
 
and iMSG, WhatsApp and FB doesnt hurt text messaging?

Of course it does, and they're not happy about that. But notice that too has been avoided in the modern plan, where you get unlimited talk and text - no choice there, one size fits all fee for talk and text. They now no longer have to protect revenues from outdated business models on the new plans.
 
You completely miss the point. FaceTime replaces existing revenue (talk minutes). As the network improves voice over data becomes as good or better than talk - O great, change you unlimited talk to the bare minimum, save a ton of money, hurts AT&T's bottom line.

Don't know how it can hurt their revenue, they don't have a competing product. They don't offer video calling services.
If you're saying that people will use FaceTime rather than making a call, the amount will be tiny. I'd say that FaceTime is one of the least used features in iOS for most people. There are a niche of users that use it, but the vast majority don't, so it doesn't make any difference to AT&T from that standpoint.

They want people off the unlimited plans, and rather than just force people off, they give the incentive to move. The customers where FaceTime is important to them, will be users of more bandwidth, therefore it's more an importance to get them onto limited plans. The people (like me) who don't really care if I can make a FaceTime call over cellular would be less likely to use as much bandwidth, so they don't care as much if "we" stay on unlimited.

It's all about managing the network. If you use a lot of data, they want you on specific plans.

It's a little ironic I think that people were completely fine with only using it over Wifi when Apple said so, but now up in arms that AT&T forces people to a shared plan to use it.
 
AT&T has never allowed Facetime on their networks. You don't have a contract with AT&T that allows you to use Facetime on their networks. Their new contracts do allow it however, but only on their new plans.

You do realize that the entire foundation of our legal contract system is very tightly bound to what is actually in the contract don't you?

AT&T has never had a contract that never allowed FaceTime on their networks. You also don't have a contract with AT&T that allows you to use any app that uses data on their networks. You also don't have a contract that does NOT allow you to use FaceTime on their networks. They are making crap up to force a change in order to get people out of their current contracts without ending them.
 
Well, the plan is not to kill AT&T, but to twist or bend their arm until they give up their evil ways of trying to milk their customers.

No, I've been an AT&T customer for 6 years now and I can confirm they need to die. They've been a leach on society and have played into corporate greed.
 
and iMSG, WhatsApp and FB doesnt hurt text messaging?

---

the name itself is silly "mobile sharing" indicates that u want to share your data with another device, what does it have to do with using facetime on your one and only device

AT&T can't legally prevent them from being used over their network because they provide a competing service.
 
I agree. If you are paying for data (say 2GB), you should be able to use that data however you want.
 
Make record profits, still nickel and dime your customers.

Really can't they give anything back to the customer?
 
I would love to drop AT&T and get a Verizon iPhone 5 but I do not want to lose the ability to talk and use data at the same time, I know some people do worry about that but I still use my phone as a phone (I am getting old I guess) and I use data while talking many times.

So my choices are:

  • Stay with AT&T change plans and lose my unlimited data in favor of FaceTime over cellular
  • Stay with AT&T keep my unlimited data but do not get to use FaceTime over cellular
  • Go to Verizon and lose my unlimited data and simultanious voice/data in favor of FaceTime over cellular

Sorry but FaceTime is going to lose.
 
Even though I know this more than likely won't get anywhere, I can only hope it does. It's my data let me use my data the way I want to use it.
 
I'm not on an unlimited plan so it doesn't really affect me. It is, however, very evident that AT&T is trying about everything they can to force people off plans that they sold to them. If someone is on a grandfathered unlimited plan, it means that they have been with you for a while. You would think a company would want to reward loyal customers, not punish them...

They do reward their loyal customers. I receive a 20% discount on my bill.
 
I have free service from AT&T. Actually, I have service that costs me negative money, that's right, I get more from AT&T than I put in. I did it, you can do it too, here's how!

For 10 years I suffered on an uncool, crappy, untrendy ugly phone with a highly rationed use of of a simple no contract pay as you go provider.

That saved me $20,000 over those 10 years, which I then invested in AT&T when the stock price was low ($26) in 2009.

Now for a little bit of math. AT&T is so profitable because you all love your iPhones so much, that they payed out at that time a 6.5% dividend. That means, your money goes through AT&T and then into my pocket to the tune of 20000 * 0.065 = $1300 per year. This is more than enough to pay for all the service I could ever hope for on my new iPhone5.

Work hard, sacrifice, invest - you all work for me now. AT&T is your liability, it's my asset. Continue to buy a bunch of luxury crap on credit and live paycheck to paycheck and you get what you deserve. Learn to play the capitalist game!
 
No one cares please bring us iMac news, I'm gonna keep posting this until Mac rumors stop posting stuff we don't care about.
 
Don't know how it can hurt their revenue, they don't have a competing product. They don't offer video calling services.
If you're saying that people will use FaceTime rather than making a call, the amount will be tiny. I'd say that FaceTime is one of the least used features in iOS for most people. There are a niche of users that use it, but the vast majority don't, so it doesn't make any difference to AT&T from that standpoint.

They want people off the unlimited plans, and rather than just force people off, they give the incentive to move. The customers where FaceTime is important to them, will be users of more bandwidth, therefore it's more an importance to get them onto limited plans. The people (like me) who don't really care if I can make a FaceTime call over cellular would be less likely to use as much bandwidth, so they don't care as much if "we" stay on unlimited.

It's all about managing the network. If you use a lot of data, they want you on specific plans.

It's a little ironic I think that people were completely fine with only using it over Wifi when Apple said so, but now up in arms that AT&T forces people to a shared plan to use it.

You must acknowledge the huge correlation between people not using FaceTime and FaceTime being unavailable to use over cellular connection. Certainly, it does make a difference to them, because more people will use FaceTime over cellular, even if it's just occasionally at first.
 
Why are they stopping at FaceTime, tethering is a bigger issue for me, tethering is a feature created by and operated by apple not the carrier, why do they have any right to ask for any money for this service.

If use data on my phone it free, if i decide to use my iPad via tethering i have to pay every month, absolute rubbish and completed immoral and probably illegal.

I personally couldn't careless about FaceTime but support all those who want it within there existing data bundle.

Offering a new 2 year service that gives it is not a compromise in my book.

Hopefully, if they win this case, that will open the door for other things like tethering which make all the sense you stated. Data is data. PERIOD!
 
I'm 95% happy with AT&T, but I sure hope they lose this - this kinda stuff keeps AT&T in check...
 
You completely miss the point. FaceTime replaces existing revenue (talk minutes). As the network improves voice over data becomes as good or better than talk - O great, change you unlimited talk to the bare minimum, save a ton of money, hurts AT&T's bottom line.

I think you are missing the point. The talk minutes revenue is replaced with data usage revenue. Video chat consumes a huge amount of data. You pay more for more data. PERIOD! lol
 
AT&T will loose. When data plans are capped, how can a carrier justify blocking one feature/application. FaceTime cannot be worse than any other H.264 video app. Even if it a data hog (Apple may differ), I can do what I want to do with my 2GB, I already paid for. I believe their main reason is the average data usage from current 300 Mb will jump without additional revenue if customers start using their paid data.

FCC/FTC/DOJ already screwed AT&T by rejecting T-Mobile merger and they will be happy to stick it to AT&T again. Merger approvals in this country are supposed to be routine and AT&T lost it, that should say something about this company.
 
FaceTime while driving

I can't wait until we can do this.... you think Txt'ing bad, wait until people are having video chats while driving... it's gonna be fun!
 
Please No Just Fix It I Dont Want To Go To Version.

I'm 95% happy with AT&T, but I sure hope they lose this - this kinda stuff keeps AT&T in check...

This. I have NO love for Verizon in any way shape or form after my previous experience with them. I also DO use voice and data simultaneously OFTEN. As far as the Facetime thing? Eh, 99.9% of the time I'm somewhere with WiFi anyway so what's it matter. I sure as heck ain't getting rid of my unlmited plans due to it and wind up paying MORE for less!
 
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