iPad 2 Launch Details: Data Plans for Verizon and AT&T, Online Ordering, Stand in Lin

[Fragglepunkrock]

I hate Rules!

Why do they have to impose both a data limit and a time limit? If I'm careful and use mostly wireless networks, why can't I just buy a gig and use it as slowly as I want?
Just giving a flat rate for data without an arbitrary expiration date seems fair, doesn't it?
It isn't a dairy product!

 

[JoshBoy]

They (AT&T and Verizon) are both ripping off people with these data cost.

Why Apple did not add a World GSM/CDMA chip to the iPad 2 is beyond me, it would have been a true win for us consumers in the US, Canada and other CDMA regions.

The iPad is data hungry device. Realistically, a single two hour during off peak hours will take ~600 MB of data and ~400 MB on peak hours. Add to this basic web stuff, like checking email, the occasional YouTube video, streaming radio (iHeart, Pandora, ect...) and you are looking at 6 - 10 GB per month when not on Wi-Fi. Steve Jobs was right when he introduced the original iPad 3G last year; the unlimited plan they were offering (for 41 days) was an outstanding deal.

HOLY CRAP dude, how much porn do you consume? 10gig a month on a mobile device???? I'm sorry but you must either be holding it wrong or doing it wrong!!!

My iphone has 2gig a month on it and I am a heavy user and just go past 1gig. I then have wifi at home that it jumps on to. I can not understand how you could seriously use 10gig per month on it unless you were on the thing 24/7?

From someone looking from the outside with the US issues they have had around congestion I feel those issues were there because the data was not controlled well at the start, now they have learnt and are progressing the right way. Its all about give and take.

 

[cyberdogl2]

It would be unkind to mention the 15% flat tax system....!

haha, also if you're a californian verizon customer your phone/ipad will work in new york.

if you're in hong kong try going to shanghai and using data.

$6.50 is a good price yea but the farthest you'll be going is from causeway bay to upper upper mainland side. just saying more towers need to be put up here in america.

 

[blevins321]

Sprint!

This charges are rediculous, especially with how much data the iPad uses. I know it costs $60 a month, but Sprint is offering UNLIMITED 4G data (and 5GB 3G data included) with their equivalent of a MiFi hotspot. 4G happens to be available in my area too, so this is definitely a consideration to me

Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless

 

[gugy]

I am ordering mine online.
I just can't handle the lines and mayhem of these launch day frenzy at retail stores. I would feel like such a dork standing in that line for a gadget.

 

[spetzco]

haha, also if you're a californian verizon customer your phone/ipad will work in new york.

if you're in hong kong try going to shanghai and using data.

$6.50 is a good price yea but the farthest you'll be going is from causeway bay to upper upper mainland side. just saying more towers need to be put up here in america.

....did I mention the 15% flat tax...??

 

[dagamer34]

To a businessman, $130 is little to pay to know you can activate 3G whenever you need it. It's tough to find mifi's that don't require contract (Virgin Mobile is the one I use). Personally, when I travel on business I carry devices from multiple networks (virgin mobile mi-fi - uses the sprint network, AT&T iPhone, and soon a verizon iPad) - that way one or the other will work (last time I was in western PA on business, neither the virgin mobile or at&t iphone was able to get a signal when I needed it).

It's easy to get a MiFi without a contract, you just have to pay full price for the device.

 

[AppDeveloper]

...
Buying a 3G version is probably the worst vendor lock-in I've ever seen because after you've paid $130, you then get the privilege of paying expensive data plan prices. And if you never use the 3G, you've paid $130 for nothing! And if you get another iPad, you have to pay another $130.

Well, this $130 also includes GPS chip, which you can use without data plan (off maps application etc.). I use it many times so I am glad that I have bought 3G version although I have never activated 3G data plan on it yet. iPad can be nice GPS navigation system... and you have still option to use 3G data plan if happens the price will change in the future.

 

[marksman]

Since I have an iphone with AT&T doesn't even make sense to get the 3g iPad.

With their wifi plan now giving you 2 gigs for $20... It is cheaper to get 2 gigs a month for tethering / wifi than it is for iPad 3G which is $25 for 2 gigs.

Why do they have to impose both a data limit and a time limit? If I'm careful and use mostly wireless networks, why can't I just buy a gig and use it as slowly as I want?
Just giving a flat rate for data without an arbitrary expiration date seems fair, doesn't it?
It isn't a dairy product!

They could do that, but since they set their prices knowing the average person will use much less than their limit, to make the same money and cover their costs, they would have to charge signifficantly more for a full gig to be used.

If the average person uses 20% of their bandwidth in a month now, then to get the same value out of it by having you use it all up, they would have to raise prices up 500%. So if it is $20 now, they would have to charge you $100 for 1 gig you could use as slowly as you want. On top of that their revenue stream would be slower, so they would likely have to even charge more or still have expirations to keep the revenue stream moving.

 

[bossxii]

HOLY CRAP dude, how much porn do you consume? 10gig a month on a mobile device???? I'm sorry but you must either be holding it wrong or doing it wrong!!!

My iphone has 2gig a month on it and I am a heavy user and just go past 1gig. I then have wifi at home that it jumps on to. I can not understand how you could seriously use 10gig per month on it unless you were on the thing 24/7?

From someone looking from the outside with the US issues they have had around congestion I feel those issues were there because the data was not controlled well at the start, now they have learnt and are progressing the right way. Its all about give and take.

Slingplayer for iPad eats up 500mb or so an hour easy. Watch a few hours in the morning and you can go well over 10gigs a month. I will eat up near 20gigs this month due to the fact I will be streaming the NCAA tourney at work. Thankfully ATT doesn't throttle the connection so it great to have the freedom to stream all I want on my unlimited plan.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Building a single iPad version would have made the two carriers compete on pricing from one month to the next. Have a crappy internet connection? Switch to Verizon! Need more speed where there's signal? Switch to AT&T!

Buying a 3G version is probably the worst vendor lock-in I've ever seen because after you've paid $130, you then get the privilege of paying expensive data plan prices. And if you never use the 3G, you've paid $130 for nothing! And if you get another iPad, you have to pay another $130.

Nah, I'd rather just have a MiFi and separate the network from the device.

The big issue there is a lack of GPS in the iPad and having to keep two devices charged constantly. MiFi tends to have horrendous battery life.

 

[Full of Win]

HOLY CRAP dude, how much porn do you consume? 10gig a month on a mobile device???? I'm sorry but you must either be holding it wrong or doing it wrong!!!

My iphone has 2gig a month on it and I am a heavy user and just go past 1gig. I then have wifi at home that it jumps on to. I can not understand how you could seriously use 10gig per month on it unless you were on the thing 24/7?

From someone looking from the outside with the US issues they have had around congestion I feel those issues were there because the data was not controlled well at the start, now they have learnt and are progressing the right way. Its all about give and take.

I have the unlimited plans on both my iPad and iPhone. Depends on what I'm doing, but I can use 10 to 15 GB per week on the iPad. However 50% of that is data I burn without need for the sake of doing so. If I just used data that I needed, I would be at ~10 GB per month I think.

 

[dagamer34]

The big issue there is a lack of GPS in the iPad and having to keep two devices charged constantly. MiFi tends to have horrendous battery life.

I guess it's just different uses really. Any GPS-worthy apps are probably on the iPhone, which I'll always have in my pocket. And while the MiFi may have "bad" battery life, the battery is independent of the iPad, so I can charge/swap batteries as needed. Plus, at least for my use, I don't have to use it for 4 hours away from an AC plug.

But everyone's case is different. You may have to be the true road warrior who needs 6-7 hours of completely mobile Internet use.

 

[dagamer34]

I have the unlimited plans on both my iPad and iPhone. Depends on what I'm doing, but I can use 10 to 15 GB per week on the iPad. However 50% of that is data I burn without need for the sake of doing so. If I just used data that I needed, I would be at ~10 GB per month I think.

40GB/month is the reason why carriers are going to be moving away from unlimited data...

 

[Kadin]

I have to believe that Apple certainly wants the free advertising and they'll also save money on all the 'Free Shipping'. I have to imagine that this cost can add up to quite a bit...

 

[weenie]

Sigh. I want to live in HK!!

Yeh, ask him about the price for housing there

 

[Cinch]

Cable is raking it in

Meanwhile the cable companies are charging $55 per month for unlimited access which meets your need 99% of the time. Remember 90% of all iPads sold are WiFi only.

I am for this. Mobile carriers for some reason cannot compete with this.

 

[Full of Win]

40GB/month is the reason why carriers are going to be moving away from unlimited data...

Which is why it's the duty of those with unlimited data to use it to it's maximum. This way, they will increase capacity sooner and return to the unlimited plans from before when they have built up the capacity to do so. Once they do, then we can reduce usage to something less.

 

[scrapple]

question..

i just jailbroke my 3gs, and i got the mywi 4 app installed (demo mode).

I am grandfathered unlimited 3g data plan...

so i can use my iphone with mywi and not get charged any more from at$t?

 

[shartypants]

I'll be in line as well, just wondering when to show up... I'm sure there will be some diehards there early in the morning, maybe I'll be one of them...

 

[scrapple]

so walmart will have these on the 11th?

 

[min_t]

They (AT&T and Verizon) are both ripping off people with these data cost.

Why Apple did not add a World GSM/CDMA chip to the iPad 2 is beyond me, it would have been a true win for us consumers in the US, Canada and other CDMA regions.

The iPad is data hungry device. Realistically, a single two hour during off peak hours will take ~600 MB of data and ~400 MB on peak hours. Add to this basic web stuff, like checking email, the occasional YouTube video, streaming radio (iHeart, Pandora, ect...) and you are looking at 6 - 10 GB per month when not on Wi-Fi. Steve Jobs was right when he introduced the original iPad 3G last year; the unlimited plan they were offering (for 41 days) was an outstanding deal.

How would a hybrid phone help with the service plans? ATT and VZN are the gov't backed monopolies for GSM and CDMA, respectively. Having a hybrid wireless chip is not going to change that. What we need is for Apple to make the damn products available for Sprint and T-Mo, as well. It seems likely that ATT and VZN are paying Apple extra cash to make sure that it doesn't happen.

 

[Full of Win]

question..

i just jailbroke my 3gs, and i got the mywi 4 app installed (demo mode).

I am grandfathered unlimited 3g data plan...

so i can use my iphone with mywi and not get charged any more from at$t?

Yes, but the phone data plans come with a 5GB soft cap for data usage in the TOS. If you can stay under the soft cap, and they do not find out, sure. With that being said, many people go over the 5GB soft cap on the plan you have w/o action from ATT.

 

[ryuok]

Hong Kong?

Someone mentioned the $6.50 unlimited plan for iPad in Hong Kong, to which I'd like to add that Hong Kong is a tiny place. Charging anything above that is just ridiculous since you won't be using it anyway. It takes less than 35 minutes to drive from basically anywhere to anywhere within Hong Kong.

Outside the tiny HK, where you really needed the data, you get charged crazy roaming charges.

 

[Blorzoga]

I think this must be a first first apple in that they need to create 18 different versions of the iPad. Talk about a supply chain logistical nightmare!! Luckly Apple has Tim Cook and tons of experience to get this thing right. You know they are going for Android's jugular with this onslaught. I mean this is an 18 man army ready for battle and ready to conquer.

3 White Verizon
3 Black Verizon
3 White ATT
3 Black ATT
3 Black Wifi only
3 White Wifi only

= 18 total devices.

From a business standpoint I'd understock the 16gb and upsell the 32gb. Fatter margin.

btw. i'm keeping my unlimited ATT. Locked that bad boy in and not letting it go.

I don't know of any other apple products with that many versions of what is pretty much the same device.

Just wondering...can you transfer your unlmited to you ipad2 just by swapping the sim?