If we get an iPhone hardware update this summer...

[SimpsonsFan007]

Do you think that the data plan pricing might change? I know that it changed when the phone went to 3G last year, but was that just because of the network upgrade, right? Do you think they'll increase the data plan with the hardware refresh this time?

My wife and I are going to get iPhones soon, and we're looking at waiting until the (alleged) new version of the phone this summer. But if there's going to be an increase in monthly cost, that might be a deal-breaker for us.

I understand that this is going to be speculation, but you guys (most of you at least) seem to know what you're talking about. Any thoughts?

 

[GoCubsGo]

Do you think that the data plan pricing might change? I know that it changed when the phone went to 3G last year, but was that just because of the network upgrade, right? Do you think they'll increase the data plan with the hardware refresh this time?

My wife and I are going to get iPhones soon, and we're looking at waiting until the (alleged) new version of the phone this summer. But if there's going to be an increase in monthly cost, that might be a deal-breaker for us.

I understand that this is going to be speculation, but you guys (most of you at least) seem to know what you're talking about. Any thoughts?

I doubt it will increase your plan. Your plan will still run on 3G and wifi where available. 3G is what cost you the additional $10 a month, not the OS software. But to take advantage of many apps out there today 3G was almost necessary (especially for location type apps). If AT&T decided that a release of OS 3.0 is somehow a ticket for them to increase the price of their data plan then I can say I would personally leave them. The iPhone is not all that and not enough for a data plan that costs more than $30.

 

[SimpsonsFan007]

Ok, that makes sense, and that is how I was regarding it as well.

Honestly, as a current Sprint customer, if AT&T decides that the data plan will increase with the new hardware, that will most likely mean that the wife and I go with the Palm Pre with the Everything plan (which already includes texting, thank you very much! ), since at that point it would be at least 20 bucks cheaper for us.

Thanks for the input, and I look forward to any others!

 

[SimpsonsFan007]

One other thought - My wife and I are not the kind of people who camp out for releases of things... Will we realistically even be able to get the new iPhone if/when it comes out? Will it just be constantly out of stock for months until demand gets under control again? That might make us pull the trigger earlier.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks so much for any and all replies.

 

[xyion1]

One other thought - My wife and I are not the kind of people who camp out for releases of things... Will we realistically even be able to get the new iPhone if/when it comes out? Will it just be constantly out of stock for months until demand gets under control again? That might make us pull the trigger earlier.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks so much for any and all replies.

I randomly went to an Apple store the day after the 2G iPhone was released, and was in and out in 3 minutes with my shiny new phone. What WILL kill everything is the tons of people trying to activate the phones via iTunes. It killed the 2G and 3G release weekends. If you wait 3-5 days after it comes out, you'll be golden.

Personally, I'm going to wait for a couple weeks to let the reviews/problems/issues shake out so I'm better informed before purchasing. The new iPhoneX most certainly wont be out of stock for months, unless there is freak supply shortage.

 

[Michael CM1]

There have been itty bitty rumors of AT&T offering tiers of data plans. However, I doubt we'll see that even though it would help me out a lot. I don't need 5 bloody GB of bandwidth a month.

 

[D-Jam]

From what I keep reading, AT&T's profits are hurting from the subsidization (taking $200 off the price of the phone with a 2-year contract) of the iPhones. They still have to pay Apple for those discounts.

With other carriers now offering iPhone copycats AND lowering their prices, it's becoming more clear to AT&T that they have to rethink how they've been charging iPhone users for service. Add to that companies like Boost Mobile and now CricKet diving into the mobile communications market.

My best suggestion is to combine SMS/MMS with the Data. So you pay for unlimited data you should get unlimited messaging. Many other carriers do that. Save people some money. One other suggestion was to offer a tiered set of data plans. So a user could pick a cheaper plan with less data usage.

In the end though, it's becoming more clear that AT&T's prices are a big reason why a lot of people are reluctant or unwilling to get an iPhone...or even why a handful as we see unlock their phones and go to other carriers.

it's clear AT&T must change if they want to compete, or when 2010 rolls around and that exclusivity contract ends...they'll get eaten alive when their competition offers cheaper iPhone service.

 

[Michael CM1]

From what I keep reading, AT&T's profits are hurting from the subsidization (taking $200 off the price of the phone with a 2-year contract) of the iPhones. They still have to pay Apple for those discounts.

With other carriers now offering iPhone copycats AND lowering their prices, it's becoming more clear to AT&T that they have to rethink how they've been charging iPhone users for service. Add to that companies like Boost Mobile and now CricKet diving into the mobile communications market.

My best suggestion is to combine SMS/MMS with the Data. So you pay for unlimited data you should get unlimited messaging. Many other carriers do that. Save people some money. One other suggestion was to offer a tiered set of data plans. So a user could pick a cheaper plan with less data usage.

In the end though, it's becoming more clear that AT&T's prices are a big reason why a lot of people are reluctant or unwilling to get an iPhone...or even why a handful as we see unlock their phones and go to other carriers.

it's clear AT&T must change if they want to compete, or when 2010 rolls around and that exclusivity contract ends...they'll get eaten alive when their competition offers cheaper iPhone service.

If AT&T were to offer some $10/month data plan for people who would occasionally use 3G for reading articles or checking e-mail, they would get a lot more subscribers who are turned off by that extra $30 price tag. They also make enough off people without texting plans to not play the poor pitiful telecom conglomerate.

 

[SimpsonsFan007]

Man, I would love it if they decided to roll SMS/MMS into the data plan when the new hardware comes out! That would make me a very happy panda.

Likelihood, not much. But still, that would be amazing.