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Checking AT&T iPhone Data Usage History
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Or maybe some of us like saving $5 a month without any change in what we get.
If being a 'true fan' means wasting money then no, I guess I'm not one.
Same here. I have only used over 1GB in a month two or three times since I first bought my original iPhone up through today on my 3GS. Over the last 5 months, I have averaged around 400MB/mo. I'll take my $5 back in exchange for the 2GB plan.
EDIT: If this somehow makes me a "fanboy" then so be it. I don't see a problem taking back $5 a month considering I hardly need "unlimited" cellular data. Besides, the writing has been on the wall for a while now that carriers are going to have to move to a different pricing structure for data, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
COMPARING Verizon vs. AT&T
FOR INDIVIDUAL PLANS IN THE UNITED STATES:
VERIZON:
Unlimited Talk = $70 a month
Unlimited Text = $20 a month
25 MB Data = $10 a month <--- this is a joke data plan since most will be forced to go for 5 GB plan.
5 GB Data = $30 a month
Tethering = $30 a month
Data over 5 GB = $0.05 per MB
-----
AT&T:
Unlimited Talk = $70 a month
Unlimited Text = $20 a month
200 MB Data = $15 a month <--- 68 % of users
2 GB Data = $25 a month <--- 98 % of users user less than 2 GB
3 GB Data = $35 a month
Tethering = $20 a month
Data over 3 GB = $0.05 per MB ??? or is this $10 per 1 GB until you reach 5 GB, then you pay $0.05 per MB?
-----
For 98 % of users who use < 2 GB a month, AT&T is $5 less a month than Verizon. This saves $60 a year.
For users who use up to 3 GB a month, AT&T is $5 more than Verizon. This costs $60 more a year.
For the less than 2% of users who use more than 3 GB a month, AT&T is much more expensive than Verizon.
FOR INDIVIDUAL PLANS IN THE UNITED STATES:
VERIZON:
Unlimited Talk = $70 a month
Unlimited Text = $20 a month
25 MB Data = $10 a month <--- this is a joke data plan since most will be forced to go for 5 GB plan.
5 GB Data = $30 a month
Tethering = $30 a month
Data over 5 GB = $0.05 per MB
-----
AT&T:
Unlimited Talk = $70 a month
Unlimited Text = $20 a month
200 MB Data = $15 a month <--- 68 % of users
2 GB Data = $25 a month <--- 98 % of users user less than 2 GB
3 GB Data = $35 a month
Tethering = $20 a month
Data over 3 GB = $0.05 per MB ??? or is this $10 per 1 GB until you reach 5 GB, then you pay $0.05 per MB?
-----
For 98 % of users who use < 2 GB a month, AT&T is $5 less a month than Verizon. This saves $60 a year.
For users who use up to 3 GB a month, AT&T is $5 more than Verizon. This costs $60 more a year.
For the less than 2% of users who use more than 3 GB a month, AT&T is much more expensive than Verizon.
Dear Apple Fanboy:
You can kiss Apple and ATT's a&^ on your own time. I have been using Apple devices since the mid 80's so I'm a "fanboy" too. The difference is I see this how it is. Steve Jobs has become a greedy man and doesn't care about the customers anymore. As for AT&T they have never been able to handle the data usage on their network, and they know it will only get worse with the 4G. So what do they do, instead of improving the phones so calls don't drop every second they decide to charge more - which is what this really does - and sheist their customers instead of improving their shoddy network. Stop being an apologist. Devil's advocates piss me off so much. There is nothing to defend herre.
You can kiss Apple and ATT's a&^ on your own time. I have been using Apple devices since the mid 80's so I'm a "fanboy" too. The difference is I see this how it is. Steve Jobs has become a greedy man and doesn't care about the customers anymore. As for AT&T they have never been able to handle the data usage on their network, and they know it will only get worse with the 4G. So what do they do, instead of improving the phones so calls don't drop every second they decide to charge more - which is what this really does - and sheist their customers instead of improving their shoddy network. Stop being an apologist. Devil's advocates piss me off so much. There is nothing to defend herre.
2GB should be more than enough for us, have to decide if it's worth saving $10 more by consciously limiting usage (by the way, you can view more than 6 months at a time, ours goes back to october it seems)
What we need is "rollover data"!
personally, I think this is completely fair on AT&T's part. If you use more data you should pay for it, $25 vs $30 unlimited is about the perfect dollar amount to make people think about limiting their usage, and for those of us who rarely go over 150MB, the $15 plan is something we've been waiting for. Then again, I think fat people should pay more for airplane tickets if I have to pay to check my bag!
What we need is "rollover data"!
personally, I think this is completely fair on AT&T's part. If you use more data you should pay for it, $25 vs $30 unlimited is about the perfect dollar amount to make people think about limiting their usage, and for those of us who rarely go over 150MB, the $15 plan is something we've been waiting for. Then again, I think fat people should pay more for airplane tickets if I have to pay to check my bag!
Attachments
Thanks for the tip,
So I can just call them and ask to be moved to the 3g iPhone plan? This doesn't extend my contract by doing this?
The highest I've went in the last 6 months is 1.7gb and that was may where I was tethering my iPad everyday at work. Before that the highest I went was like 600mb. I'm glad I'm grandfathered in tho just incase I ever go over by a little. But this is good news since I'm adding a line to get the new iPhone and giving my 3GS to my gf on the old line. Shell never use 2gb so I'm gonna start her out on the $15 plan and see if i can get away with it.
However I still don't approve of AT&T never have. Their always up to something shady. I really feel for the 3G iPad customers they got screwed big time. Apple should be pissed. People bought the iPad on the promise data would be unlimited and less then a month in that's being taken away.
However I still don't approve of AT&T never have. Their always up to something shady. I really feel for the 3G iPad customers they got screwed big time. Apple should be pissed. People bought the iPad on the promise data would be unlimited and less then a month in that's being taken away.
Now is a good time to sell AAPL as growth will suffer. This is terrible news.
Almost all of the comments here are regarding how this affects iPhone usage. This new pricing also applies to the ipad which uses way more data than the phone. The future us mobile computing and we just took a step backwards.
ATT says 98% use less than 2GB but they are hush on ipad usage. That's what this is really about.
Again.... This new pricing is about mobile computing not smart phones. Once they saw the ipad was selling like hotcakes they changed the plan. Only a month, a month!!! after Jobs touted the great deal for 29.99.
Almost all of the comments here are regarding how this affects iPhone usage. This new pricing also applies to the ipad which uses way more data than the phone. The future us mobile computing and we just took a step backwards.
ATT says 98% use less than 2GB but they are hush on ipad usage. That's what this is really about.
Again.... This new pricing is about mobile computing not smart phones. Once they saw the ipad was selling like hotcakes they changed the plan. Only a month, a month!!! after Jobs touted the great deal for 29.99.
I for one am glad to have a cheaper option
I am pleased that the monthly fee will drop. Maybe in the future, we'll use more than 2 gigs of data a month, but that is not the case now, and I prefer to spend less to get more than I need, than to spend more and not have a current use for it.
I am pleased that the monthly fee will drop. Maybe in the future, we'll use more than 2 gigs of data a month, but that is not the case now, and I prefer to spend less to get more than I need, than to spend more and not have a current use for it.
Bummer
Without trying too hard I average 3.5GB/month. The new plans would correspond to a significant increase for me ($15). These days plan costs should be going down, not up. Clearly it's evidence that Apple devices are taxing AT&T's lame 3G network, but still, it's painful evidence that more competition is needed. We only have four carriers (and I'm doing T-mobile a favor by counting them in as they're practically dead) and they're all incompatible at the hardware level. Their stronghold position has enabled them to put the screws on MVNOs and effectively destroy their ability to compete (so they all got acquired)
What's really needed is for the FCC to require all operators to use compatible equipment and allow free roaming so that coverage can be combined, and you can use any terminal on any network. Then we'll start seeing improved coverage, lower prices and real competition. Until then, if you have an iPhone or an iPad 3G and you're not happy with AT&T, where are you going to go?
Without trying too hard I average 3.5GB/month. The new plans would correspond to a significant increase for me ($15). These days plan costs should be going down, not up. Clearly it's evidence that Apple devices are taxing AT&T's lame 3G network, but still, it's painful evidence that more competition is needed. We only have four carriers (and I'm doing T-mobile a favor by counting them in as they're practically dead) and they're all incompatible at the hardware level. Their stronghold position has enabled them to put the screws on MVNOs and effectively destroy their ability to compete (so they all got acquired)
What's really needed is for the FCC to require all operators to use compatible equipment and allow free roaming so that coverage can be combined, and you can use any terminal on any network. Then we'll start seeing improved coverage, lower prices and real competition. Until then, if you have an iPhone or an iPad 3G and you're not happy with AT&T, where are you going to go?
AT&T also provides a data usage calculator here:
http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/index.html
http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/index.html
What are you going to do, go to Verizon?
AT&T for 98 % of users is cheaper than Verizon for the same service.
Realize that by the end of the year, AT&T will have a much faster bandwidth on all of their cellular network. This will make it equivalent to Verizon in coverage (or faster in the major cities).
I think you are probably overestimating the average iPhone user. 2GB is a lot of twittering/facebooking/email checking/regular web surfing
If you've REALLY been using Apple devices sinc the mid 80's then you'd know that they're cheaper than ever. Apple never had ANYTHING like a $499 iPad in the past.
And even the Macs are cheaper. The 1998 Powerbook G3 started at over $3,000 in today's money. Now you can buy laptops starting at $999.
You are crazy if you can't tell that Apple products have gotten cheaper.
The only one with 4G is Sprint. But then Sprint has a much smaller coverage area. And 4G uses twice the battery power for very little gain in actual speed.
Verizon's 4G experiment is only available in limited areas. Otherwise it is still 3G throughout the U.S.
And by the end of the year, AT&T will double its bandwidth throughout its service area, thus surpassing Verizon in many of the larger cities and elsewhere.
Note that AT&T's rates are actually less expensive for 98 % of people than Verizon. AND, you get data and voice simultaneously on AT&T, which you can't do on Verizon.
The most data I've used in one month over the past three years of owning an iPhone is 400MB, so I'll gladly take the $5 reduction in my monthly bill.
My wife tends to use right around 200MB a month... I'd be tempted to drop her to the $15 plan, but will likely just keep her on the 2GB plan just in case.
Overall monthly savings == $10 == me happy.
My wife tends to use right around 200MB a month... I'd be tempted to drop her to the $15 plan, but will likely just keep her on the 2GB plan just in case.
Overall monthly savings == $10 == me happy.
So how does it affect you if you'll be grandfathered in again?
This isn't a SJ decision, you can't put this on him. This is an AT&T decision. I'm sure Apple isn't happy about it, but this paves the way for them to be on other carriers.
So when do we start seeing these threads: AT&T accidentally switched me to one of the new plans and now can't switch me back! Help!