iTether App Pulled From App Store

[realmike15]

Some of you act like $15 is every last cent you have in the world. And while I realize that is true for far far too many people in the world these days, I find it hard to believe it's true for people with a $1000+ Mac, a $300 iPhone and a $80/month carrier contract.

In fact, most of you probably spend $6 for a cup of coffee at least twice a week. Get over yourselves.

Mark

If you're naive enough to fork out money for anything, without questioning the cost justifcation associated with that product... have fun pissing away your money, that's all I can say.

Some of us care to know we aren't being ripped off or wasting our money. And in the case of Data Plans a separate Tether Plan is a rip-off... no matter how you present it.

 

[jlblodgett]

No where in my post did I say any carriers are currently offering free tethering, perhaps you should re-read my post.

What I did suggest is this...
If Apple says they're adding a native Tethering App for the iPhone, and AT&T/Verizon complains or tries to block it in any way. Plenty of other companies would be willing to pick up any lost contracts AT&T loses from trying to block such a feature. Apple sets the precedence and tells the carriers to get on board, or make way for carriers who are willing. They've already in a way done this with text messaging under iOS 5.

Do you honestly think any of the carriers who currently have the iPhone want to risk losing it? I'll bet you all the money I have, the iPhone and it's standard Voice/Data plans bring in more money than any optional Tether Data Plan, 10 fold! The numbers aren't even close.

But what carriers are going to step in and replace AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint?

Are there legitimate carriers out there who could replace the big 3?

 

[Poopsie]

Something that i have not read in this thread, that I want to confirm works, is using AT&T wifi hot spots on your laptop. I connected to one near my house hear with my iPhone, then USB connected to my MBA, and it worked great. I used Speedtest to verify that I was not on 3G and I was not. So, even if you don't use it for 3G, you can still get your moneys worth out of it.

 

[Willis Chung]

Mac App Crashing

Anybody else experiencing the Mac Application continuously crashing when it says connected and the browser opens up a blank page?

 

[realmike15]

But what carriers are going to step in and replace AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint?

Are there legitimate carriers out there who could replace the big 3?

Your scenario assumes that all 3 would drop the iPhone over such a feature.

In all honesty, I don't see that happening.

 

[Dhelsdon]

What makes this app better then bluetooth tethering from an iPhone.. I don't see it's point.

 

[iWizzard]

What makes this app better then bluetooth tethering from an iPhone.. I don't see it's point.

Nothing it i the same thing as the built in feture but more limited. The only advantage is that works in 3rd world countries.

 

[realmike15]

Anybody else experiencing the Mac Application continuously crashing when it says connected and the browser opens up a blank page?

I was having that happen too, haven't quite nailed down the issue yet though.
I closed everything except Safari and things seemed to get a bit more stable.

 

[ericinboston]

No where in my post did I say any carriers are currently offering free tethering, perhaps you should re-read my post.

I read it fine the first time. Let me quote your entire paragraph:

Send all wireless providers an e-mail, letting them know in the next iOS update there will be a native Tethering App added. They can continue to throttle the top 5% of users, and wireless carriers that don't, can adopt that practice if they deem it necessary to avoid abuse by certain users. Let them know if they are unhappy with this decision, there are plenty of other mobile carriers who would be willing to pick up the lost customer contracts.

You are stating that Apple will release its own Tethering app (just like Apple released its own iMessage recently)...this app will negate the reason to have Tethering added for a fee by the carrier. You then end your paragraph by stating that if the carriers are unhappy with the decision (to include a free app from Apple) that there are carriers out there that will happily take iPhone customers and provide free tethering/acceptance of the Apple app...which in turn attempts to force the current carriers to offer free tethering. You are also implying that other carriers CURRENTLY do provide free tethering...otherwise why would Apple make such a bold email blast to their current carriers? Apple's not going to go on some rant saying "you better offer this for free or else we'll send Company X your business" if Company X is not already offering it for free!

For the remainder of your more current posting,

There is a huge, HUGE difference in Apple introducing an iMessage app that allows someone to send a 1KB message for free from an iPhone to an iPhone (yes, I know it can do other iDevices) compared to Tethering.

1)It's 1KB of traffic (per text) versus tens of MBytes if not Gigabytes a week tethering. Go to any non-text-only website today and it's at least 1MB in size. 1MB = 1024KB My camera produces roughly 4MB pictures on average. If I were to upload 100 of those to Shutterfly (like I do every few days), that's 400MB simply for uploading. It would take a long time on tethering and would likely also annoy the carriers that it's 400MB worth of UPLOAD instead of DOWNLOAD.

2)iMessage can only send to other iDevices

The carriers don't care about losing money off texts flying back and forth between iDevices. Sure, it's some money their losing but it's not like Apple released an iMessage for the Droid and every other phone on the planet thus taking 100% of all text messages the carriers distribute.

Text messaging rates have been the biggest gravy for carriers since texting was invented.

 

[jlblodgett]

Your scenario assumes that all 3 would drop the iPhone over such a feature.

In all honesty, I don't see that happening.

Probably not, but if you're going to bluff you've got to be prepared in case someone calls you on it.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint hold a pretty big market share (the three combined for 68% of the total USA cellular market last year), and have the ability to absorb the incredible cost Apple makes them bear BECAUSE they are able to offer hefty data plans, tethering plans, etc.

T-mobile is either going under or getting purchased.
I can't see US Cellular or Cricket or Virgin Mobile or Boost coming in and filling such a void.

 

[kolax]

How do you use handy light to tether your iPad?

Try: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/979551/

I read that people had it working someway or other using HandyLight. I don't own an iPad so can't test it..

 

[ericinboston]

Probably not, but if you're going to bluff you've got to be prepared in case someone calls you on it.

Yup!

 

[realmike15]

I read it fine the first time. Let me quote your entire paragraph:


You are stating that Apple will release its own Tethering app (just like Apple released its own iMessage recently)...this app will negate the reason to have Tethering added for a fee by the carrier. You then end your paragraph by stating that if the carriers are unhappy with the decision (to include a free app from Apple) that there are carriers out there that will happily take iPhone customers and provide free tethering/acceptance of the Apple app...which in turn attempts to force the current carriers to offer free tethering.

Allow me to quote you, since you seem to have forgotten what you said.

You said:

Please let us know what mobile carriers are offering tethering for free. That's what you're stating.

I responded by telling you

No where in my post did I say any carriers are currently offering free tethering, perhaps you should re-read my post.

Hope that clears up your confusion.

----------

Probably not, but if you're going to bluff you've got to be prepared in case someone calls you on it.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint hold a pretty big market share (the three combined for 68% of the total USA cellular market last year), and have the ability to absorb the incredible cost Apple makes them bear BECAUSE they are able to offer hefty data plans, tethering plans, etc.

T-mobile is either going under or getting purchased.
I can't see US Cellular or Cricket or Virgin Mobile or Boost coming in and filling such a void.

I think you under estimate the demand for the iPhone. The backlash from customers would be immense if they couldn't get the iPhone from the major carriers. Apple holds the cards in the mobile phone business, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all just a pathway to the customer... nothing more.

 

[southernpaws]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

So for everyone that got it and spent $15, what happens when Apple changes something and the app no longer works. You just lost $15. Thats the only reason I didn't download it.

Keeping in mind that they will most likely not engage the kill switch, because they never have in the past, the app will likely work for several generations until the hardware can no longer support it. So you passed on the chance to have tethering for the next 2 to 4 years, in order to save $15.

 

[ericinboston]

Hope that clears up your confusion./QUOTE]

You quoted me while I was editing.

Anyway, no need to get all snippy about it...you didn't have to reply in bold, italics, underline screaming that you didn't state something...you could have said something to the effect (in normal text) "no, what I meant was _______"

 

[wiz329]

----------------------------------------

Ok, we have the app now on our iphones. Our iphones apps are being synchronized via iCloud but the app is not on iCloud so that app is not being synchronized. So if we change phones for whatever reason, phone goes defective, upgrade to another etc... we lose the app. True?


----------------------------------------

Just copy the app over to iTunes from your phone and do whatever you want from there.

And you've also got awesome national health care.
Europe is so much more progressive than America.
Everything is about corporations first here in America.
Hopefully someday things will change.

Which is why Europe and the euro is going bankrupt I'm sure.

Anybody else experiencing the Mac Application continuously crashing when it says connected and the browser opens up a blank page?

Reboot.

 

[chiefpavvy]

I think most of you are missing the real story here. It's pretty apparent to me that Apple knew full well what was going down here. The app was approved, yes; But, moreover, it sold god knows how many copies in the hours it was available. This is clearly a bargaining chip Apple is playing against the carriers. Maybe there's a big contract or some other business deal up for renewal or consideration. Apple wields an incredible amount of power with their App Store by virtue of the installed iOS base (not to mention the willingness of iOS users to BUY apps compared to Android et al). What Apple did here was give the carriers a taste of just how much power they wield and what they COULD allow...think along the lines of "We're the only thing standing between you and the pitchforks" and "Sure would be a shame if we started to allow such apps..."

 

[ericinboston]

A useless feature anyway....

LOVE the signature...mind if I plagiarize it a bit?

 

[chadley_chad]

Greedy ****ing bastard wankers!!!!

Just goes to show the carriers don't like users doing as they wish for the stuff they've ALREADY paid for. Orange in the UK have also upped their contract prices even for those in contract ... so come the time when my contract is up (with Orange), Orange can go **** themselves, as can all the carriers who wont let me tether to use the data I HAVE already paid for.

Wankers all of them!!!!!

 

[chiefpavvy]

Just goes to show the carriers don't like users doing as they wish for the stuff they've ALREADY paid for. Orange in the UK have also upped their contract prices even for those in contract ... so come the time when my contract is up (with Orange), Orange can go **** themselves, as can all the carriers who wont let me tether to use the data I HAVE already paid for.

Wankers all of them!!!!!

I agree, in principle. From the carriers perspective, they are doing everything possible to prevent being just a 'dumb pipe' -- same as the cable and phone monopolies here in the USA are doing. It won't work, of course, as eventually they will ALL be relegated to just a 'dumb pipe'. In the mean time, they're going to soak each and every user for every last penny. And continue to find new ways to monetize...the whole "value-added" crap.

At the end of the day, the customer is not the king, at least from their perspective. So long as people keep lining up to fork over $150 a month (or more) and say "Give me more, sir!" this kind of nonsense will continue.

 

[somebody else]

when?

Nope. Verizon briefly allowed it when the iPhone 4 was first announced on the carrier but now charges for it.

Really? I asked on day 1 and they said no, and that was before the personal hotspot was around.

 

[southernpaws]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I bought the app last night and downloaded the software for the computer.

But I didn't move the app into a different folder yet to "preserve" it. Is there something I can do to make sure I don't loose the app?

Tighten it up.

Why is it that the grammar police always believe they're above Wheaton's Law?

 

[MagicBoy]

Glad I got it before it was pulled.

Cheers for the heads up Arn!

 

[marksman]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I am worried about ATT looking specifically for tether.com requests and then deduces you must be tethering and bye-bye my unlimited data plan

No way. If this were to happen, it would be similar to our ISPs seeing us go to pirating websites and turning us over to the RIAA or something.

Assumption is the mother of all f-ups.

If the MPAA was also your ISP this analogy would make sense.

Tethering like this is against AT&T tos. It would be easy for them to check the authentication check and flag people as tethering. You see how AT&T is the victim and conduit here?

 

[ProVideo]

I paid and downloaded this on my iPhone last night in bed, but I didn't download the Mac application to go with it. Is that still available and will it still be available?

I'm trying to access their site, but it seems to be down. If the Mac application isn't available, then I'm guessing I just wasted $15. Hopefully it will be up on TPB or demonoid if worst comes to worst.