Ok again, noted. So let me more specific then. For the group of devices which AT&T classifies as data-or-smartphones, and which are designed primarily as 3G devices, is the data plan not $30 across the board? This has been my understanding for some time now. Am I wrong?
The some truth in there I'm sure. Nevertheless, it has been emphasized many times by blogs and news sites, since the announcement of the 3G iPhone dataplan pricing that in fact the $30 charge is no more than other 3G phones. To me, it seems like - especially with the addition of VVM - they could easily charge more for it. My point here is that if the iPhone is really costing AT&T so much more than any other 3G smartphone, then why is it no more in monthly costs than those other phones for me, the end user?
So am I still wrong now? Funny how your tone has changed after several other people have basically said the same thing I've said all along.
You can buy any phone today that supports 3G and use it on AT&T's 3G network with unlimited data for $15/mo.
AT&T has historically had 3 different data plan classes...which are smartphone, PDA and BB.
Smartphones are usually Windows Mobile type devices without a touchscreen,etc. and the data for those has usually been $20/mo (like iPhone v1).
PDA devices are things that have touchscreens and are more power-user type mobiles which usually cost $30-$40/mo for data.
BB devices are obviously Blackberry devices which cost from $30-$45 a month with $30 for personal and $45 for corporate (similar to iPhone 3G).
However what you are not understanding at all is with the BB monthly cost you are getting provisioning to Blackberry's network and Blackberry's BIS server for push email. On the corporate side, you get provisioned for Blackberry's BES connectivity for corporate email. So you are paying more for more functionality/features.
For PDAs, you pay more but connect via a separate APN called isp.cingular as opposed to wap.cingular. What does this do? It assigns you a internet facing IP address so you can receive incoming traffic, run server side software on the device, more serious networking stuff.
Having said all that, the iPhone 3G $30/mo data plan IS NO different than the iPhone $20/mo plan. You still get unlimited data (3G or not), you LOSE 200 SMS and you still get visual voicemail. They both use the wap.cingular APN which assigns IPs internal to AT&T's network behind a firewall - not accessible via internet. You don't get anything extra from a technical or functional perspective for your $10+ more a month.
Following that logic, if you don't care about Visual Voicemail, you could use the $15/mo MediaNet plan on an iPhone or iPhone 3G and it will work PERFECTLY with full 3G as well. The $15/mo Medianet plan will NOT work on a Blackberry device so it's not an option. It can work on Smartphone and PDA devices, depending on what you want to do, and many people do this.
So to wrap it up, AT&T is charging iPhone users $10+ more a month for data for no other reason than to recoup their subsidy in the iPhone. If they could provide the same service for $20 or less to iPhone v1 and every 3G capable
handset (except BBs) then why is the iPhone 3G any different?!?!