AT&T's Glenn Lurie on the iPhone

[skavanag]

Plan requirements still unclear

I will gladly pay $500.00 or $600.00 for a phone that enables me to leave my laptop at home, play some music, snap an impromptu photo, and most importantly - integrate my addresses, calendars, other productivity applications.

I will NOT pay for a data plan that costs $50.00 or so a month - or approximately $1200.00 over the life of the minimum contract. If I could use the data plan at home and use the phone in place of my home land-line phone, then I would. I can't. It just is not reliable enough (i.e. reception) and I cannot have 3 phones scattered through the house where I can pick up one as I can with my land-line.

The value just is not there.

No data plan - I'm in. If a data plan is required I'll stick with my basic phone service and continue to bring my laptop (a Mac) with me when I am going away for a few days.

This isn't a matter of cost - it's a matter of value. The value just is not there with a mandatory data plan.

 

[cube]

I stand corrected.

However, Vodafone has a 25% stake on Swisscom Mobile. The rest being, as you said, owned by the governemnt run Swisscom. Vodafone does have a say though.

Swisscom Mobile is just "a part" of Swisscom. The Swiss goverment owns 54.8% of Swisscom.
Swisscom bought back the 25% of Swisscom Mobile owned by Vodafone.
Now Swisscom Mobile is entirely owned by Swisscom again.

 

[1984]

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

Sounds like something an AT&T employee would say.

 

[1984]

"asked to have unlimited packages"....

That is the nice corporate, customer service way of saying you will have an unlimited package or you won't have an iPhone.

Then I won't have an iPhone. It's as simple as that.

 

[LxTxNx]

Sounds like something an AT&T employee would say.

LoL true...I would say that.

We want to make some money!

 

[PoitNarf]

I'm surprised I haven't really seen anyone pick up on the first part of the article:

"The season begins Wednesday when Apple boss Steve Jobs is expected to talk up the device at a Wall Street Journal tech conference in California."

Steve is indeed scheduled to speak at D5: http://d.wsj.com/index.html

I think there's a pretty good change we're finally going to learn the release date this Wednesday.

 

[50548]

Swisscom I say!! haha

Probably true, although Swisscom is far from having the best plans in CH...it's much more expensive and as reliable as Sunrise (Orange being much smaller)...it will be a pity, since I won't change carriers anytime soon, in the same way that I will stick to Cablecom as far as Internet is concerned.

 

[Rocketman]

Don't forget that ATT has to pay Apple it's cut from the monthly bill. Something that NO cell phone company has every had to do. That is pay a monthly commission to the handset manufacturer. But then again there has never been an iPhone before. June should be a very interesting month.

Any guesses as to how much Apple gets a month? $1, $2, $3 ???

In the ballpark of 10%. The unlimited plans will cost less than ever before but indeed will be a mandatory part of purchasing an iPhone (initially). Call it an early adopter tax. I understand they NEED to do that to moderate demand well in excess of plans.

Rocketman

 

[speck2001]

Unlimited Data Plans on AT&T

I just recently bought by Samsung Blackjack from Cingular/AT&T. They forced me to get a $44.99/month unlimited PDA data plan. I have since discovered that this is bogus, because the BJ is not a PDA but a smartphone, and I'm eligible for the $19.99/month data plan (but I'll lose push email capability). So, if the Apple iPhone is a PDA device, the required data plan will probably be $44.99/month.

 

[bossass]

if you can afford $500 on a phone, you can afford a expensive plan.

i dont think this will be as mainstream as they think.

That's not true at all. That's like saying if you can afford an HDTV you can afford $150 cable. But maybe I just want an HDTV to watch movies, umm?

And why do I want to pay for something I don't really care about or I wouldn't really use that much? The iPhone has a lot of great features, beyond surfing the web on a data plan. If they are going to railroad me into a data plan, I'm out.

 

[EagerDragon]

I agree with this, but the voting links should work in the first place.

It would get rid of all the "I don't care posts". Besides sometimes you can look at a news and find that it is neither negative nor positive to you. Why force a vote to a positive or negative when a neutral (I don't care) would do.
It may also get rid of the "Who the hell voted negative?" posts.

 

[queshy]

Data plans in Canada are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. The cheapest data plan is like the rolls-royce of cell phone plans! If/when the iPhone comes here, I won't buy one unless I can do so without purchasing a data plan. To me, if it has wifi, I can get my email where I need it.

 

[Kelemor]

450 minutes = 39.99 plus about 4 to 8 bucks in taxes
PDA DATA = 39.99 w/1500 text messages
Visual Voice Mail = 4.99 month
Wif Bolt on = 19.99 month
7 to 7 8.99 month
Voice Connect = 4.99 month

so, for the average user your looking at about lets see here


$120 to 140 bucks a month.... not bad for 450 minutes ayyyyy

450 mins okie
PDA data nope...this is a smartphone
http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service//cell-phone-plans/smartphone-connect-plans.jsp
price 19.99
Visual voice mail=free
Built in wi-fi on phone=free
7 to 7=a waste of money use your roll over minutes=free
Voice connect=umms select your call from the menu=free

39.99 + 19.99 + 12.00 (taxes)= 71.98 a month

but we'll say they up it to 29.99 for internet

81.98

still alot cheaper then your math.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I don't mind buying a data plan in principle, but I *DO* mind paying top dollar for one that only supports the archiaic speed that Cingular EDGE offers. When the iPhone is HDSPA compatible I'll take another look.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

450 minutes = 39.99 plus about 4 to 8 bucks in taxes
PDA DATA = 39.99 w/1500 text messages
Visual Voice Mail = 4.99 month
Wif Bolt on = 19.99 month
7 to 7 8.99 month
Voice Connect = 4.99 month

so, for the average user your looking at about lets see here


$120 to 140 bucks a month.... not bad for 450 minutes ayyyyy

Except my Sprint TREO 700p w/ EV-DO speed cost me 1/3 of that a month for the same minutes and unlimited data.

 

[MacFly123]

I just want someone to confirm that it has a vibrate function...

I'm almost positive Steve said something about silent mode.

 

[siurpeeman]

I'm almost positive Steve said something about silent mode.

silent mode doesn't imply vibrate. silent mode could be no ringer and no vibrate.

 

[Lepton]

I believe I'm paying Cingular about $50/month for 300 minutes plus unlimited data which is $20.

 

[ariza910]

Funny no one cares about the Google apps and widgets mentioned??

 

[CrackedButter]

It's a first generation product? What do you expect? lol. Plus, 3G isn't everywhere yet. As far as I've seen 3G is only in big cities like New York or Boston.

Or anywhere outside the US...

 

[sbrownla]

Definitely NOT a SmartPhone but a PDA Phone

450 mins okie
PDA data nope...this is a smartphone
http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service//cell-phone-plans/smartphone-connect-plans.jsp
price 19.99
Visual voice mail=free
Built in wi-fi on phone=free
7 to 7=a waste of money use your roll over minutes=free
Voice connect=umms select your call from the menu=free

39.99 + 19.99 + 12.00 (taxes)= 71.98 a month

but we'll say they up it to 29.99 for internet

81.98

still alot cheaper then your math.

Good luck with that calculation, but this phone is definitely NOT going to be considered a SmartPhone, but rather a PDA phone and will fall under the PDA plan which is currently 39.99 per month. Whether or not ATT is going to reduce it remains to be seen and we'll have to wait and see. An iPhone package would be a great iDea but we'll have to wait and see.

And if you think you're going to be able to just use WIFI, good luck to you, but do check the Cingular/ATT forums for people who "just tried to use WIFI" with their PDA/SmartPhones. ATT phones default to EDGE = overage. The only thing WiFi is going to be really neat for is to sync iTunes, or use iTV.

Having been with ATT and having had an unlimited data plan for a few years with both a PDA and a SmartPhone device, I'm happier to pay the 39.99 and not have to risk overages. For that, I am truly mobile and free to use *all* of the capabilities of my WiFi/EDGE capable devices.

 

[jbernie]

WTF? How does that make sense? If you're not using the cellular functions of the phone then why would the offline iPod features be disabled? That sounds bogus to me.

well if you want to pay $500 or so for a 4GB or 8GB ipod then more power to you, but to be honest, if you won't use the phone function you are paying a lot of money to appear cool yet look stupid for paying that money for very little functionality.

 

[EagerDragon]

Funny no one cares about the Google apps and widgets mentioned??

Maybe because I don't ever use any Google apps in my Mac, other than going there for maps and to search. But none of their apps.

When we see them on the phone they may add a lot to the experience, but until then, no interest.

If the phone was GPS enabled and could use Google Maps to give me directions that is one I would use.

 

[kcroy]

Innovative Company + Innovative Phone = Innovative Plan

I can't wait until the iPhone arrives. I can see Steve Jobs delivering his keynote at WWDC and re-introducing the iPhone. I am confident we haven't even caught a glimpse of how cool this phone is and what all it will be able to do. Steve gave us a sneak peek, when it is unveiled in less than a month, maybe some of the skeptics will finally understand why it was tagged as REVOLUTIONARY.

A lot of us are trying to apply old cellular plans to the iphone and I just don't think that is going to be the case. Look what Apple did with music, movies, television, etc on iTunes. They've got something new cooked up for the iPhone. The most innovative phone needs the most innovative plan.

Innovative Company + Innovative Phone = Innovative Cellular Plan


This is not simply a cool phone. The iPhone is going to be able to do more than be our iPod, phone, camera, calendar, email, web browser, (as if that isn't enough); the OS will be a dream. Finally a phone I can understand. But I just know there are secrets with the iPhone that will blow even the biggest of dreamers like myself away. One more time.... with Leopard, we will be able to connect our iPhone to our computer, Apple TV, iChat through the phone (a second camera just might be hidden in the front...don't be surprised by that one). Using Leopard we will be able to access movies, music, shows, etc off of our computer, thus eliminating storage on the phone. What about Google's aquistiton of YouTube....? Streaming television to your iPhone. Yep. How about iChating on your iPhone to your entire family in the living room via Apple TV ??? Can it happen? Will it happen. I cannot wait until WWDC.

 

[Kelemor]

Good luck with that calculation, but this phone is definitely NOT going to be considered a SmartPhone, but rather a PDA phone and will fall under the PDA plan which is currently 39.99 per month. Whether or not ATT is going to reduce it remains to be seen and we'll have to wait and see. An iPhone package would be a great iDea but we'll have to wait and see.

And if you think you're going to be able to just use WIFI, good luck to you, but do check the Cingular/ATT forums for people who "just tried to use WIFI" with their PDA/SmartPhones. ATT phones default to EDGE = overage. The only thing WiFi is going to be really neat for is to sync iTunes, or use iTV.

Having been with ATT and having had an unlimited data plan for a few years with both a PDA and a SmartPhone device, I'm happier to pay the 39.99 and not have to risk overages. For that, I am truly mobile and free to use *all* of the capabilities of my WiFi/EDGE capable devices.

actually having owned a 8125 from Cingular.....if you go in and play with the preference...you can set it to go to wifi first then look for edge afterwards. Also lucky this is APPLES PHONE not ATT's.....Jobs already said it will look for WIFI first then if it doesn't find it....it will go to the edge network.