iPhone 4G speculation and rumors (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by mattCR



I'm getting excited about this change. It seems to save me $120/yr from original expectations, and might even save me $360/yr!!! That's really serious money on such a plan. I won't know for a month or two, but for a user like me, AT&T might have made life less expensive! That's just crazy!

 

[DaveF]

http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2010/06/new-att-data-plans-milk-data-gluttons-lower-costs-for-most.ars

Furthermore, Bloom noted that you can go online and switch plans as needed, in some cases applying DataPro pricing proactively for the billing period to help you avoid overage fees. For those that need occasional high data use and/or tethering, the option is effectively there—it just requires some manual management on your part to switch plans back and forth.

What I wanted to hear.

 

[DaveF]

Data usage from Ars


Ars Technica editors generally use less than 200 MB/mo. Ars readership survey reports:

40% < 200 MB

45% 200MB to 2GB

15% > 2 GB

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by DaveF

The problem is that you aren't considering the actual phone in the equation. Just last night I had a whole week of missed phone calls dump into my 'magical' visual voicemail mailboxes. The phone itself BLOWS on AT&T. The phone is the worst part of the iPhone.


If I stay on AT&T for now I am definitely moving my iPhone to the $15 data rate and keeping the iPad at the $30. That's $45 a month. But if I switched over to verizon I'd get a phone that works reliably AND fast and reliable 3g for all my tethered devices including iPad AND a laptop for about the same price if not just a little more. Plus I'd have a whole new platform to play with, and as much as I've been dubious of Android (despite using a TON of Google apps on the desktop) they really caught up feature wise with 2.2. Now I know they aren't in the same ballpark with UI/UX but that's why I have an iPad =)


If the phone part of it wasn't all that important to me I'd be considering going to Sprint for this 4g monster they are launching tomorrow. But that seems like an even bigger crapshoot to me.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

Since there's no tethering on AT&T iPhones anyway, it's only an improvement to the situation, no?


This might be Verizon's response back: continued free tethering on Android devices.

Yes there is iPhone tethering now -- that's part of the AT&T announcement.

Here is a good summary of the AT&T changes:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/02/more-details-on-atandts-data-plan-changes-for-iphone-and-ipad/


Verizon charges $60 per month for PC data -- they'll introduce free Android tethering when elephants fly.


Speaking of Verizon -- their spokesdroid officially said no Verizon iPhone on the horizon.

I'm debating with myself whether I should grandfather myself on the unlimited iPad 3G before that ship sales.

 

[Sam Posten]

Gruber wraps up the highs and lows of this quite well:

http://daringfireball.net/2010/06/good_and_bad_regarding_att_data_plans


He only compares it to a Mifi tho. What he doesn't look at is the iPad owner who also has / needs a phone, which is pretty much everyone. I'd like to see a similar analysis of pros and cons on the iPhone 2gb plan + tethering + iPad vs. Sprint 4G/Android tethered to the iPad.


That writeup completely talked me out of considering a standalone mifi tho...

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten


The problem is that you aren't considering the actual phone in the equation. Just last night I had a whole week of missed phone calls dump into my 'magical' visual voicemail mailboxes. The phone itself BLOWS on AT&T. The phone is the worst part of the iPhone.

I can only respond to what you're saying, not to what you're thinking What you mean is that, even if AT&T gave you free, infinite data usage, you'd still switch because your service is so poor. That's fair; just not what you wrote

But from a data usage view, AT&T looks to be reducing your phone bill. No reason to complain about that.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Ted Todorov

Quote:

Yes there is iPhone tethering now -- that's part of the AT&T announcement.

We're in violent agreement.


Matt said the new tethering plan was lousy because it was pricey. I said it's an improvement because there was no (official) tethering before. This now gives you tethering, and pricey tethering is better than none at all

 

[Sam Posten]

Originally Posted by DaveF

I can only respond to what you're saying, not to what you're thinking What you mean is that, even if AT&T gave you free, infinite data usage, you'd still switch because your service is so poor. That's fair; just not what you wrote

But from a data usage view, AT&T looks to be reducing your phone bill. No reason to complain about that.

Gotcha. But if I stay with AT&T it would be pretty much a wash because I will enable tethering.


Current: $30 iPhone, $30 iPad. No tethering and lousy phone reception.

Future: $15 iphone, $25 iPad, use tethering roughly 6 months a year (or more) so lets call it half priced at $10 a month, so $50 a month plus all overage charges, which would add up FAST on the $15 plan, or I'd be stuck moving to twin $25s all year because of the hassle factor. Or I could even keep paying $30 unlimited.

 

[DaveF]

If you're tethering, doesn't it go from:

$30 (iPhone) + $30 (iPad)

to

$25 (iPhone) + $20 (tethering)

for a $15/mo saving (assuming no overage charges)?


And if you have a wifi-only iPad, $129 savings, it's effectively:


$26/mo cheaper than before for a 12-mo period.


If you can tether at will, only 6-mo per year, then you save $60 over 12 months, netting


$31/mo effective savings over your current situation.


Not trying to argue; but you're doing higher calculus than me on this pricing, and it seems like your savings could be substantial on this new plan. Of course, if you simply dislike AT&T, you can switch to Verizon, get an HTC Incredible, use it for free tethering, save a bundle, and have more technologies to play with.

 

[Sam Posten]

I think that's what I meant but I can't even keep track any more

 

[TonyD]

I won't be getting an ipad any time soon. If i did have one I

I'd be doing nearly if not all my surfing on it, so I wonder what the price tier will be and how much

 

[DaveF]

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/04/apple-disallows-iphone-to-ipad-tethering/


Can't use iPhone tethering for iPad internet access. (That's just mean.)


Sam, time to redo your calculations

 

[Ted Todorov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/04/apple-disallows-iphone-to-ipad-tethering/


Can't use iPhone tethering for iPad internet access. (That's just mean.)


Sam, time to redo your calculations

Not really anything new in that article. If you still can't tether in September, after the iPad gets upgraded to 4.0, that will mean something.

 

[DaveF]

Ah. I didn't understand that nuance.

 

[Sam Posten]

Yeah I guess all of my calcs have been predicated upon iPhone tethering being like a mifi situation...

 

[Nelson Au]

Anyone want to try to guess what date Steve Jobs will announce availability of the new iPhone?


Unless I missed something, I'm guessing it's either going to be available right away on Monday, or a week after the announcement, like the 12th or 14th of June.

 

[Ted Todorov]

Friday or next Friday. Some Friday in June.

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

Anyone want to try to guess what date Steve Jobs will announce availability of the new iPhone?


Unless I missed something, I'm guessing it's either going to be available right away on Monday, or a week after the announcement, like the 12th or 14th of June.

 

[DaveF]

SquareTrade assumes there will be a 64GB iPhone. Not that they know anything, but it's amusing.

 

[Sam Posten]

Predict away!


http://technologizer.com/2010/06/04/apple-wwdc-2010-come-predict-with-me/