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AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

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Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#91

Post by pyre »

rue wrote: post #88
pyre wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

T-Mobile and AT&T 3G services require different antennae (and possibly chips). You can use the same device to access their GSM networks and get onto Edge, but when it comes to 3G a device either supports one or the other. To my knowledge there are no phones (or devices) on the market that support both AT&T and T-Mobile in the same device.

You mean the band used is different? T-Mobile is, apparently, using WCDMA and AT&T seems to advertise WCDMA/HSPA. Are there other differences in addition to this?

IIRC, that's why there is a Nexus One for T-Mobile and a Nexus One for AT&T. You can use either to connect to GSM/Edge, but you need the carrier-specific model to connect to 3G. I believe it's a band issue, but I haven't read a whole lot on the topic.

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#93

Post by what »

muerdeme wrote: post #86
what wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not forget about magazine apps either. There was a recent submission about Wired's app being 500MB for one issue. If all of the magazine apps end up being the same size, you could only get 4 mags per month and nothing else.

You can't get 500MB downloads over 3G. The App Store forces you to wait for wifi.

Ah, wasn't aware of that.

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#94

Post by Derbasti »

jrwoodruff wrote: post #2

Barely a month and they kill this plan? This was a large part of the reason I decided to buy a 3G iPad. Isn't it past time for Apple to dump ATT?

Could anyone tell me the problem here? The iPad is not bound to AT&T, so just pop out your current SIM, get a new one from a different provider and you are good to go.

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#95

Post by cwp »

jmatt wrote: post #89
cwp wrote: post #84

Finally! I've been hoping AT&T would ditch the unlimited plans for a long time. Although it sounds good, unlimited plans are a real problem, because they distort the incentives for just about everybody. For users, there's no cost-benefit balance for using bandwidth, only benefit. This leads to inefficient use of what is, at the end of the day, a limited resource. For the carrier, there's every incentive to minimize t…

I remember all these same arguments circa 1989-1994 about internet access. You could pay hourly or per data. Needless to say... we all know how that ended up. And we all know how it's going to end up in the near future with telecoms. The same pricing scheme as high speed internet. You'll pay for reliability and minimum performance guarantees. Those that don't care about reliability or performance will have cheaper un…

The "unlimited" access that you have with high-speed internet isn't really unlimited. The limits are just measured differently. Whether it's 2GB/month or 30Mb/s, you're still limited to some amount of data over some amount of time. On top of that many (all?) ISPs will cut you off if you "abuse" you're "unlimited" dataplan.

The point here is that cellular bandwidth is scarce. Apple and Google jump through all sorts of hoops to use less of it, while still providing a good user experience. If consumers don't feel some of the pain of that it leads to real problems. I can tell you that I have much better service here in Canada, with tiered data plans, than AT&T customers do.

As for consumers putting up with it, we'll see. People never had problems understanding how long-distance worked. And charging by the minute seems to be working well for Skype.

Today it's hard to see how much data you've downloaded, but it doesn't have to be that way. I see two causes for this: 1) It's hard to present an itemized bill for data usage the way telecoms have traditionally done for calls. 2) There aren't many tools for monitoring and managing data usage because right now it doesn't matter. Everyone (int the US) has unlimited data plans, so why bother? But these are solvable problems.

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#96

Post by jonah »

fuzzythinker wrote: post #67
ajg1977 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is a prelude to AT&T losing their exclusivity then it's an odd move - the standard "unlimited data" cap on Verizon is 5GB. I'm not sure why AT&T would charge more for less compared to a competitor who was about to offer an alternative for their customers. I wonder when we'll see the famed Jobs reality distortion field try and sell us on 2GB being enough data for anyone. This also exposes the ridiculousness of…

My feeling is ATT plans to offer ~5GB at ~$35 later. They probably don't want to announce it now since it will immediately be visible that they are charging more for less data. I foresee a rush of ipad 3G purchases from now to June7.

Elsewhere it was noted that iPad orders are now being placed on hold until the 7th... :(

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#97

Post by Encosia »

jmatt wrote: post #89
cwp wrote: post #84

Finally! I've been hoping AT&T would ditch the unlimited plans for a long time. Although it sounds good, unlimited plans are a real problem, because they distort the incentives for just about everybody. For users, there's no cost-benefit balance for using bandwidth, only benefit. This leads to inefficient use of what is, at the end of the day, a limited resource. For the carrier, there's every incentive to minimize t…

I remember all these same arguments circa 1989-1994 about internet access. You could pay hourly or per data. Needless to say... we all know how that ended up. And we all know how it's going to end up in the near future with telecoms. The same pricing scheme as high speed internet. You'll pay for reliability and minimum performance guarantees. Those that don't care about reliability or performance will have cheaper un…

On the other hand, what if mobile data is more like "unlimited" web hosting than dial-up or long distance?

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#99

Post by ben1040 »

cwp wrote: post #95
jmatt wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember all these same arguments circa 1989-1994 about internet access. You could pay hourly or per data. Needless to say... we all know how that ended up. And we all know how it's going to end up in the near future with telecoms. The same pricing scheme as high speed internet. You'll pay for reliability and minimum performance guarantees. Those that don't care about reliability or performance will have cheaper un…

The "unlimited" access that you have with high-speed internet isn't really unlimited. The limits are just measured differently. Whether it's 2GB/month or 30Mb/s, you're still limited to some amount of data over some amount of time. On top of that many (all?) ISPs will cut you off if you "abuse" you're "unlimited" dataplan. The point here is that cellular bandwidth is scarce. Apple and Google jump through all sorts of…

As for consumers putting up with it, we'll see. People never had problems understanding how long-distance worked. And charging by the minute seems to be working well for Skype.

That's because a minute of usage for both Skype or long distance calling is easily quantifiable. If I talk on the phone for 10 minutes at a long distance rate of 10 cents a minute, easy, that's a buck.

Heck, it was easy 10 years ago when we had WAP phones that used circuit switched data, because a minute of browsing the web meant a minute of airtime.

But how do you tell an unsophisticated user that given the bit rate and duration of a video on Youtube or song on Pandora, he'll use X amount of data? What is the best way to explain how many web pages or Google maps driving directions they can access before he bumps into the limit? How much data is behind a Foursquare checkin?

Edit: ATT puts per-session data usage on detailed bills (meaning my data bill would be 30 pages long if printed), but its altogether useless at trying to match back to what you were doing when you generated those data usage records.

Re: AT&T Gives Up on the iPad 3G Unlimited Data Plan

#100

Post by dnsworks »

Reporter asking AT&T's CEO: What is it that you, AT&T, does?

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!

RAPE RAPE RAPE!

RAPE RAPE RUH RUH RAPE RUH RAPE RRrrrrrrrrrRAPE!"

Reporter: "What do you mean?"

AT&T CEO: "RAPE RAPE PROFIT RAPE RAPE RAPE PROFIT RAPE STEVE JOBS' BITCH RAPE RAPE RAPE PROFIT RAPE RAPE".

AT&T is just further proof that the Sherman Anti-Trust Laws have been a joke played against the public ever since Microsoft was given a light tap on their posterior as punishment for their crimes against the nation.

$15/month for 200MB is equivalent to paying $22,500/Mbps.

As a soon to be ex-at&t and iphone user, every single interaction with at&t and apple makes my anus hurt. But at least the call quality is second to none. Wait, is none really the word I mean to use?

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