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Possible iPhone Data Plan Pricing?

I was 90% ready to buy an iphone but those rates could be a deal breaker for me. I currently pay $15 a month for Sprint EVDO. I think it would be hard to justify paying $30-$40 more for slower service.

Also, I don't see how AT&T can justify a date plan that's more expensive than their current smartphone plans which are $19.99 a month. $34.99 - $44.99 is more in line with their blackberry plans which offers push email. The iPhone is largely pull email which is not ideal for a mobile device.
 
mac 2005 said:
What I don't understand from all of these comments is why someone would buy an iPhone and not have a data plan. Are these posters saying they'd buy a "mobile Internet device" and use it only as a telephony-based iPod? :confused:
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What I don't understand is why Jobs and Company created one device that's "a Phone, a Video iPod and an Internet Communication Device"? It's not the first time Apple produced something "cool" that didn't go over as well as they thought with the masses.

One may want the "cool" factor of an Apple branded phone but not necessarily want to utilize ALL it's offerings. Some, like me, just want a phone/video iPod combo. But Apple didn't make that model. Nor did they make just a touchscreen phone for those that want just an Apple phone. Maybe those models will come later?

"Are these posters saying they'd buy a "mobile Internet device" and use it only as a telephony-based iPod?" - were these posters given a choice in what they could buy?
 
Pricing in line with the competition

I know a lot of you are using old plans with old pricing that is technically no longer available, but that's not a real comparison. The question is this: if I were to sign up right now for a basic voice plan + unlimited data *as a new customer* for each carrier, how much would I pay? I looked at the 4 major carriers:

[Note: Edited pricing]

T-Mobile: 1000 minutes (non-rollolver) + Unlimited Data & email = $60

Sprint: 450 minutes (non-rollover) + Unlimited Data = $55

Verizon: 450 minutes (non-rollover) + unlimited data = $80

At&T: 450 minutes (rollover) + unlimited data = $80

So Sprint and T-Mobile are the lower price tier at roughly $ (accounting for Sprint having the worst deal in terms of voice minutes). The rollover of At&T will balance out the minutes difference between T-Mobile for most people. Yes, you are limited to EDGE with the iPhone, but people seem to neglect that 3G coverage is fairly rare in the US. There are plenty of people who simply CAN'T use 3G, whether the phone has it or not.

So AT&T is right in line with Verizon (slightly better given the rollover), and $20 more a month than T-Mobile or Sprint.

So the iPhone *itself* doesn't seem to have any crazy data costs... just the normal associated with the carrier. If you have issue with the cost of data for the iPhone you have issue with the cost of data with *all* AT&T phones. Being that they have a fairly solid customer base, I don't think it's been too big an issue.
 
tttexxan said:
I can see your point then if your going to have WIFI all the time....At my place of work no wifi at the moment so will use the data plan if needed...If Im out and about probably will have to use the data minutes instead of wifi...

Dont get me wrong I would Love for it to be cheaper but come to realize with cingular this is just the way it is...Get ready to bend over.
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I totally agree with this guy, i am a cingular customer, and i continuously have to fork over extra moola each month to my pops for my data plan, which is supposed to be unlimited, but is really only 2000 txt messages a month for 19.99+ taxes, which is really like 23 bucks. fortunately im on the family plan, so hopefully it wont be too bad. However, as a college student, i'm always near Wi-Fi at the TX A&M campus, but hopefully this phone will allow for a vpn client, or else i'm screwed...

Htown Baby... Yankees 4 Life
 
well we'll see but those plans sound expensive to me.
Right now, I have a voice family plan that's $85 a month Verizon.
If I am spending $1200 for 2 phones and on top of that more than $120p/month on a AT&T plan that gives me a crappy reception in San Diego, then I am not sure if I am jumping on the iPhone bandwagon. I love the iPhone, but I guess I rather wait for the iPod 6g and keep my Verizon.:(
 
AT&T isn't paying Apple a subsidy for the phone prices. That means that they could offer lower rates and still be on par with profit margins on other phones.

A $99 all-in-one package would be a great "new" idea. Unlimited calls, unlimited data, unlimited txt messages. That sounds too dreamy but AT&T needs to have made some sacrifice in all of this. Right now, they are barely paying anything for extreme marketing. There has to be a SWEET deal for the consumer that made Verizon pass it up (maybe Apple wanted half of the voice revenues!)
 
Existing Plans...

Well, currently the data plans at at&t are a mess. Depending on the device (and what you want to do with it!) you have a vastly different price for the same terms. PDA connect (unlimited access) is $40/mo, SmartPhone (unlimited access) is $20/mo, SmartPhone (5MB limit) is $10/mo, and basic access (1MB) is $5/mo. Of course, this doesn't include any text messaging - that'll be an extra $5, $10, or $20/mo depending on usage levels. Oh, and if they find out you're, for example, using a smartphone unlimited plan and using their 3G network on your laptop through your phone, they have the right to summarily kick you to the highest price point and fine you to boot.

That said, I would fully expect at&t to rape everyone to the tune of $35/mo with 200 text/mms messages, and $45 for unlimited everything, and force anyone buying an iPhone to pay these rates.

Oh, and as for the no 3G problem - that's simply because at&t needs to upgrade their cell sites to handle the flood of data use. All these iPhones would simply overwhelm the 3G sites that at&t put out there for cheap. they're having to scramble to update the existing sites to support the "out-of-order voicemail" capabilities of the iPhone. And you expect them to add bandwidth too? Ha!

Next release - What do you think about Steve pushing at&t to put out a new wideband network exclusively for iPhones? Maybe make the iPhone the only phone that would work on the 4G network? I guarantee that Steve is chomping at the bit to get iPhone access sped up. Things that make you go "hrmmmmmm".......
 
iShak said:
thats $1080 over 2 years ... and that would go on the contract you sign.

plus the data services are bound to become cheaper in coming years .. you need to consider that as well.
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I've had my Treo 650 for 2yrs/2mos and the data plans have not gone down in that period. It's a huge money maker for AT&T...I wouldn't go in hoping for a reduction. In fact, over 2 years later, my old voice plan is still better than anything they are offering right now...
 
wow almost 100 bucks a month after the huge taxes with the minimum voice plan of 39.99. Many people will probably have to pay around $120 since theyll need more minutes. I guess we wont be seeing many kids and college students with an iphone.
 
I tried this a couple of days ago, man...

Padriac said:
So please, somebody explain to me how At&t's plan is out of line with what is currently available.
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...but its pointless. I mean, people are talking about non-valid granfathered rates, Sprint's SERO plan (this is for employees only) and god knows what else they can sphincter as "normal"...

Its like a buddy of mine that would walk into a store and complain about the price of something because he could, or heard of someone who did, "buy it off a crackhead for $20."

At the end of the day, its a bunch of Sprint and Verizon customers (mostly Verizon) Pissing and Moaning because Apple wouldn't lock down and crap up their phone with VCast, kill the desktop connection, Install fricken BREW and let Verizon generally whore up the phone (like they do) to get it on their network.

Price parity be damned :)

And um, There is exactly one 3G Crackberry...no one seems to whine about those on EDGE...
HRM.
 
sbrownla said:
hahaha, yerrr funnnyyyyyy!!!

of course there's a credit check, silly, so for those who don't qualify you'll hafta pay a deposit of a couple hundred bucks.
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Cant you go get the phone at an apple store and just wait till you get money to activate the cingular account?
 
Makes Sense??

Why partner with a Communication/Telecom company at all?

What is the advantage that Apple is getting from this partnership? They are getting to share part of ATnT's revenue, I assume. But they will earn much more from the songs/movies that people will download from iTunes and/or accessories just like the iPod.

ATnT hasn't reduced the price of the device. The end consumer sees no benefit from this alliance and Apple might be wary of that.

Additionally, the only 'exclusive' service one might come up with from ATnT is the visual voicemail. But given the opportunity of a free cell phone market, the other telco's would have done the same.

Keeping the iPhone open would have had a LOT MORE people interested in the device, as that rules out any restriction on network and voice/data plans.

Any thoughts??:apple:
 
I think the iPlan is voice and data. It's simple, it's effective, it's the iPlan -- and it's only with the iPhone.
 
neven said:
If I'm reading this correctly, that would still make an iPhone voice+data plan about $100/mo. I'm not saying that's too much, but since I currently don't have a data plan at all, it would be quite a change in how much I budget for my phone use. Hmm.
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I am! 100 a month is for wall street level income dudes IMHO...Wow...
 
twoodcc said:
i don't know about this. so i have to tack on $35 to my already $50 after taxes? $85 a month?! :eek: maybe i won't be getting an iPhone after all.....
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What were you ballparking before this (voice+data)? It seems there a lot of people posting with cut rate and grandfather'd contracts that are great prices but not available for new people...

Its like me. I am grandfather'd for $15.95 for netflix each month where the same plan for others is like $21.00

Or if your rent is really low because you lived in part of town that has since seen rents skyrocket...

eventually you may choose to move or switch and of course things are going to cost more...
 
Yankees 4 Life said:
I totally agree with this guy, i am a cingular customer, and i continuously have to fork over extra moola each month to my pops for my data plan, which is supposed to be unlimited, but is really only 2000 txt messages a month for 19.99+ taxes, which is really like 23 bucks.
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Then you have the wrong plan, simple as that. The FIRST time your extra matched the next level plan, you were supposed to call them and let them know this. They would have switched you then and there...and if it was WAY over, probably gave you a partial credit.

I speak from experience here...anecdotal or not...but i'm sure if you called them they'd do it. The data plans are ala carte...even with shared family plans. I have a bunch of data, my wife has like some piddling text message thing.
 
Clive At Five said:
it's not only $1200 +tax for the hardware, but $60/mo for the cheapest family plan and $40/mo * 2 for two data plans. Over two years, that's $4560...
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If you both already have cell phones then you have to subtract the >$60/month you are currently spending on cell service.
 
I'm surprised at how many people are happy with this (if it's true).

I pay $10 a month for unlimited EVDO with Sprint.

I know there are people who can afford it, but for a mass market appeal, $35 for unlimited EDGE is too high IMO.
 
athanacius said:
They are getting to share part of ATnT's revenue, I assume. But they will earn much more from the songs/movies that people will download from iTunes and/or accessories just like the iPod.
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yes, they are going to share in the revenue. That's the whole point.

And it doesn't preclude Apple from still making money on the songs/movies/etc from iTunes. This way they get all three. iTunes Store revenue, their cut of the monthly service from AT&T, AND the revenue from the hardware sales itself.

And with all three streams, they can do a lot in the future to discount the phones and still make money. But Apple gets to control when the discounts happen and how much, not the phone companies. For Apple shareholders, this is a nice position to be in.

So those who are griping about not being able to afford one now will have their frustrations satisfied next year with discounted iPhones.
 
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