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Original iPad 3G Customers Begin Receiving Claim Forms for Apple/AT&T Data Plan Settlement
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Short version: Apple used the no-contract unlimited data as a feature to sell the 3G iPad which customers then relied on when they bought one. A month after the 3G model went on sale ATT pulled the unlimited plan. Had Apple not used the plan as a feature then it's liability would be more tenuous. But Apple was not exactly a passive bystander here.
Quit talking about what you don't know. Class counsel can ask for $50 million, then a judge will carefully evaluate the fee petition to determine whether the novelty of the claim, time expended, and relief provided warrants it. Federal judges are not rubber stamps on these. Neither are Republican state Attorney Generals who will object to outrageous fee petitions in a heartbeat.
settlement payments usually take a very long time, I would look for it sometime in the next year
WTH? From the FAQ
From the FAQ on the settlement page.
So the 5 people who originally sued get a whopping $1,000 while the lawyers get $1.75 million? As usual, it's the lawyers who win in these things.
From the FAQ on the settlement page.
17. How will the lawyers be paid?
Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys' fees and expenses of up to $1,750,000, and will also request service awards in the amount of $1,000 each for the five Class Representatives to compensate them for their efforts in this case.
Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys' fees and expenses of up to $1,750,000, and will also request service awards in the amount of $1,000 each for the five Class Representatives to compensate them for their efforts in this case.
So the 5 people who originally sued get a whopping $1,000 while the lawyers get $1.75 million? As usual, it's the lawyers who win in these things.
Yeah, I just deleted it unread as the header resembled spam. Guess I'll have to dig it out of the bin...
I received an email about this, just that I can't find my iPad 1 original serial number. The one I currently have is a second replacement from AppleCare.
So for those people who weren't able to activate their iPad 3G in time, now get a $20 discount 4 years later on the 5GB data instead of getting unlimited? Hmmm. How many people are there that this could have happened to? And how many people would still be bitter about it 4 years later?
Apple offered the iPad in conjunction with the carrier. There's no question that without the ATT deal, the iPad would have flopped. Since Apple had the resources, opportunity, and business need to work out the details with ATT, this was a failure of omission on their part. They are certainly partially culpable.
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Except when the case loses; in which the lawyers are out of pocket the hundreds of thousands of dollars they put up.
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You are right, $40 is nothing in the long run. Which is the why you, and other individuals, wouldn't sue, as you suggest they should. So Apple, ATT, and other corporations could happily just renege on their commitments to consumers, now and in the future, as no one is going to bother to sue for $40.
You have little power. Corporations have a lot of power. Why would you want to reduce what you have?
Other people have mentioned the opt out, so I won't bother repeating that here. But that is a good response to your comment as well.
"Unlimited data" was a key selling point for breaking down psychological barriers right at the start. Since nobody knew how much data would actually be used, and people get queasy about signing up for a service where they're always wondering "am I going over my limit?", removing all fears of usage limits gave people the mental ease in buying the product. Soon after, it became clear that most would use about 2GB/mo or less, so a cap based on known usage would be more tolerable; the load from extreme users (>10GB/wk-ish) is obviously problematic, so a cap became necessary.
So yeah, iPad would have flopped if most people had no clue what their usage would be but were faced with a cap. Capping the limit shortly after introduction sucked, but given usage vs bandwidth realities nobody should be surprised.
No. You are not eligible for the AT&T offer anyways. You get the $40 because Apple told you in commercials that AT&T will always offer an unlimited data plan but they actually don't. You are one of the lucky ones that got it. Be happy and keep using it.
Oh, and the one that posted that if you have the unlimited data plan, you cannot get the AT&T settlement - yea makes sense. I pay $29.99/month for UNLIMITED - why in the world would I switch to a 5GB/month plan that costs one cent more?
Edit: I think the really awful part here is that the "deal" in the settlement from AT&T is that you actually still have a worse plan that what they offered before. You still pay more - even if only one cent - and they still don't grandfather you into their unlimited plan.
One thing for sure - I took the unlimited plan over to my iPad 2 from my iPad One and I will keep using it until I don't use an iPad anymore.
This settlement is ridiculous. One of the main reasons I bought the Original iPad 3G was the promise of an unlimited data plan that I could turn on and off anytime. That feature was taken away a month later. If I stopped paying or did not renew the next month, I would lose that unlimited plan forever. So, I've been paying every month since then, whether or not I used it, because I don't want to lose it.
I would have preferred that AT&T bring back the unlimited data plan only for us original subscribers and let us turn it on and off at will, as promoted back then. A $40 voucher seems like an insult to me.
I would have preferred that AT&T bring back the unlimited data plan only for us original subscribers and let us turn it on and off at will, as promoted back then. A $40 voucher seems like an insult to me.
I tried to keep it as long as I could - i'd love to have it now. But, I had to give it up when I was able to get home internet again (coming off a rough divorce).
I was not happy about having to keep it so I wouldn't lose it. I did buy the iPad because of the enticing plan and the ability to start and stop it for the $30/mo unlimited. Prior to that announcement I had no plans to go cellular.
I'm still using that same iPad, but have a $10 tmo edge sim in there so that I can have some data while out and about. Some spots I go are more useable than others.
My next iPad will not be with ATT - it was there chance to earn me as a customer... and they didn't pull it off.
I was not happy about having to keep it so I wouldn't lose it. I did buy the iPad because of the enticing plan and the ability to start and stop it for the $30/mo unlimited. Prior to that announcement I had no plans to go cellular.
I'm still using that same iPad, but have a $10 tmo edge sim in there so that I can have some data while out and about. Some spots I go are more useable than others.
My next iPad will not be with ATT - it was there chance to earn me as a customer... and they didn't pull it off.
That's tricking brilliant. Good job on being paid boys.
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SWEEET! Just in time for the iPad Pro.
Thanks for explaining, still seems nuts I mean has it been prooved Apple was decietful or this was planned by them and it's not all just ATT ?
Have ATT had to pay any compensation as if people signed up to a contract with unlimited data surely they had a case there.
I really cant get my head around US laws haha
I used nearly 250 gigs one month this summer on my unlimited plan. I would fall asleep each night watching Hulu and it would run all night. Anyway, I'm not going to fool with this lawsuit. I don't own the original iPad, and I'm really happy with my service (which is now unlimited 4G LTE for $29.95/month).
Well let me go ahead and question that. Cellular data is an important option to have, but it's a huge stretch to say that without a cellular option, the ipad would have failed. According to this article, only about 10% of tablet sales have cellular data anyway, so at best sales might have been 10% lower, although likely many of the cellular users would still buy a wifi model if it were the only option.
http://gigaom.com/2012/03/20/sorry-carriers-9-out-of-10-tablets-sold-are-wi-fi/