Sprint contract up - time to buy an iPhone, but....

[rotlex]

OK, my Sprint contract is finally up, and I'm out of the "pay a fee to leave" portion. I'm all set to pickup an iPhone, and switch to ATT, but, I'm startingto have 2nd thoughts. Not about the iPhone, but regarding the cost of ATT's service. Just a question to anyone in the know if you will.

I currently have two lines. One for myself, one for my wife with Sprint. I currently own a Treo 700, her, a Razr. My current Sprint plan gives me 2000 anytime minutes, unlimited data, e-mail, text etc., all for a grand total of around $115 a month including taxes and fees.

Now, if I'm reading it right, a family plan with those types of minutes, or even dumbing down to 1400 with the rollover, is going to run be at least $150 per month PRE taxes and fees? Am I looking at this right? I just read over there web site this morning, and frankly, I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts on making this move, which kind of sucks, as I've been really wanting an iPhone for the past year.

Am I missing something, or is ATT that much more expensive for service?

 

[HDJulie]

I'm no expert but my guess is you are probably close to right. If that seems expensive, check out the prices for the same services on T-Mobile, Verizon, & Alltel. If they are closer to the AT&T price, then Sprint is trying to hang on to customers (also check out whether you can get the same plan you have from Sprint now if you were a new customer today) & if they are not close to the AT&T price then yes, AT&T is just expensive. I haven't looked so I don't know the answer.

 

[kintoro]

You are reading it right and if you want texting it will be a bit more. I am paying about $167 vs. the $120 I was paying on Sprint for service similar to yours. I sometimes wonder why I decided to switch and pay so much more but the improved usability of the device often overshadows the billing, of course I have not received my first bill

 

[markgamber]

I had Sprint before bailing for AT&T and, personally, I'd stay with Sprint for a while if I were you. Here's why:

First and foremost yes, your bill will be significantly higher. iPhone data is DOUBLE the cost of Sprint data. The voice plans aren't too far off but they are more expensive and then throw texting on top of it. You're going to pay significantly more.

Second, the iPhone simply isn't ready for prime time and neither is AT&T. It doesn't take much looking around this site to get the idea that dropped calls and slow data are epidemic. From where I'm typing this right now, I get, on average, 350 kbps with the iPhone. From the same spot using my old Sprint Touch I got 900+ kbps. Hell, even my AT&T Tilt gets about 400 kbps. So not only is AT&T dog slow, but the iPhone is slow, also.

Finally, you're not in contract so there's no rush to do anything. I was in something of a rush because I'm a developer and wanted to write iPhone code. And that's all I use it for, there's no sim in my iPhone. If that wasn't the case, I'm 100% sure I would have returned the phone in a week, tops, and stayed with Sprint until Oct or Nov. Hopefully by then AT&T and Apple will have gotten it together enough that it could be used as a full time phone. Along the same lines, there aren't any really good apps for it yet so you're not missing anything there, either. Again, hopefully by mid to late fall there will be something...anything...there that does something useful.

 

[Arran]

You are reading it right and if you want texting it will be a bit more. I am paying about $167 vs. the $120 I was paying on Sprint for service similar to yours. I sometimes wonder why I decided to switch and pay so much more but the improved usability of the device often overshadows the billing, of course I have not received my first bill

Agree the improved usability is worth it. I had unlimited data on two Sprint lines, but hardly used it on my Windows Mobile device. My wife used it even less on her Samsung "media-enabled" phone. It was just too slow and clunky.

Our iPhones, OTOH, are used a lot. They replace our Macs to a large extent.

BTW if you do switch, make sure you port your numbers to AT&T near the end of you Sprint billing cycle. I was dumb: Mine just fell into a new Sprint billing cycle, and I wound-up paying both bills for a 3 week overlap. (Sprint doesn't pro-rata when you're waving bye-bye. Hardy surprising.) Probably best if you don't leave it to the very last day though - just in case your port is delayed and falls into the next Sprint billing cycle.

 

[rotlex]

Mmm, thanks for the replies on this. This is a tough one then. Dying for an iPhone and the improved usability\functionalilty with my Mac, but need to really think this through I guess, as monthly, I'm probably looking at upwards of $60 more, which is quite a bit over the course of a year!

Thanks again all.

 

[diabolic]

Second, the iPhone simply isn't ready for prime time and neither is AT&T.

This couldn't be further from the truth. There are several million people that would disagree with you.

 

[JPIndustrie]

This couldn't be further from the truth. There are several million people that would disagree with you.

Exactly.

Posts like the above are from people who haven't had the experience with AT&T to judge. I've been with Cingular since Jan 2005, and experienced all the major changes such as the first 3G rollouts and the move to AT&T, and have to say AT&T/Cingular handled it beautifully. No major service issues or outages.

I was on Nextel before that, and I weathered through the Sprint merger. Now you want to compare how these 2 companies handle major changes?

AT&T's customer service blows. But not as much as Sprint's. Maybe you pay more per month vs. Sprint, but their prices are still better than Verizon's.

AT&T is experiencing service issues right now. That's not because of inherent company service/performance issues but simply because a bunch of noobs decided to buy a new 3G device and use it in droves. I know because I've had 3 3G Smartphone devices and have always achieved speeds as fast if not faster than Verizon's EVDO network. Just be patient.

And the prices? Well, you gotta pay to play. Sorry.

 

[mcdj]

This couldn't be further from the truth. There are several million people that would disagree with you.

Several million people also think American Gladiators is a good show and Olive Garden is good food.

Just sayin'.

 

[psywzrd]

Mmm, thanks for the replies on this. This is a tough one then. Dying for an iPhone and the improved usability\functionalilty with my Mac, but need to really think this through I guess, as monthly, I'm probably looking at upwards of $60 more, which is quite a bit over the course of a year!

Thanks again all.

Do you work for a company that gets a FAN discount with AT&T?

 

[DavidMc]

I was in the same situation. Both my wife and I had 500 min Sero plans so combine that was about 84 a month. Now the iphone alone will cost that much a month with the lowest plan and 5.00 text plan. For now I plan on keeping her on her Sprint plan. I do more email and internet then phone usage. The iphone is a sweet device but i am still trying to decide if paying that much per month is going to be worth it. I did play with an Instinct for about 2 weeks after release and it is just to bad that device wasn't built to match 75 percent of the hype that Sprint gave it. I am coming up on the halfway point of the 30 day return period...I still haven't made up my mind but I am leaning on returning it mostly due to poor coverage at my house. Sprint is a better choice for home, but home only so far. Good luck on your decision.

 

[rotlex]

Do you work for a company that gets a FAN discount with AT&T?

Yeah, I do, but I was under the assumption that iPhone plans would not be part of this. I know, I need to look into it first, but didn't want to get my hopes up.

 

[rich.smith]

Along the same lines, there aren't any really good apps for it yet so you're not missing anything there, either.

I find these apps pretty good:

Pandora
NetNewsWire
SportsTap
AOL Radio
Tuner
Now Playing
SimplifyMedia

Combine that with these built in capabilities and you have the most compelling phone on the market:

the best user interface
the best web browsing
excellent e-mail
excellent calendar and contacts applications
VPN support
the best media player (by a wide margin)
very nice visual voicemail
very useful mapping with GPS (which will soon be even better)
simple syncing

 

[rich.smith]

Several million people also think American Gladiators is a good show and Olive Garden is good food.

Just sayin'.

And for them, they are. It's pointless to try to convince someone that likes Olive Garden's food that they shouldn't be enjoying it. It's equally pointless to claim that it isn't good enough to be enjoyed.

 

[jalpert]

Nobody here is going to doubt AT&T is more expensive, but is it a better value? Sprint charges $15/mo for data and AT&T charges $30. I personally use my data on the iphone all the time, there isn't a single sprint phone that would make me even come close. I would rather spend $30 for .75 - 1gig a month in data than $15 for a fraction of that. (because the phones suck)

Also, for text messaging, $20 is steep, but with the iphone texting is so easy and organized I text a lot more. Again, I'd rather pay $20 for a phone that lets me text often than $5 or $10 for a phone I never text with because it's hard, slow, or clunky...

AT&T is more expensive, but might not be a bad VALUE depending on your situation...

 

[psywzrd]

Yeah, I do, but I was under the assumption that iPhone plans would not be part of this. I know, I need to look into it first, but didn't want to get my hopes up.

You know what happens when you assume, right. It's still going to cost you more than Sprint but the discount helps (and yes it will cover your service for the iphone as well). If you think 1500 texts will be enough for you and your wife, make sure you get the $8.99 text add-on (TMS4 is the feature code - there's an ongoing thread about this if you need more information). You can also get the 200 bonus minutes added as well (U200 is the code). It takes some persistence but you should be able to get those added.

Also, I came over from Sprint myself and gave up a ridiculously good SERO plan - 1250 minutes, 5pm Nights and Weekends, Pick 3, first incoming minute free, free phone as modem, etc. for about $55. It was tough to give that up but I came over for the iphone and even with all of the bugs and problems, it's been well worth it. I'm very confident that Apple will fix all of the iphone's problem and AT&T's coverage should continue to improve.