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

mashable.com

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

#51

Post by [deleted] »

ajg1977 wrote: post #35
yanowitz wrote: post #16

I'd love to be a fly on the wall for the screaming matches between AT&T and Apple. This must be a prelude to AT&T losing exclusivity on the iPhone and punishing Apple for it. With all the data intensive iPad apps (e.g., Netflix) and the video conferencing coming in the next OS, this is a brutal move by AT&T. Factor in the dynamics of Android competition and we are in for some interesting telco moves in the coming mon…

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…

[deleted]

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

#52

Post by dave1619 »

gte910h wrote: post #10
mtinkerhess wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but one of the very appealing things about the iPad data plan is that you can start or stop service whenever you like. But now, if you stop your unlimited plan (or hadn't started it yet) the unlimited option ceases to be available to you.

Here is my FTC complaint. You too can file one! https://www.FTCComplaintAssistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=e... Apple computer advertised 2 different models of the iPad: one at $500 with wifi only Internet capability, and one with wifi and 3G coverage for $14.95 for 250 MB of data per month, or $30 a month for unlimited data (provided by AT&T) This 3G was a no contract plan, requiring no longterm committment from con…

Thanks for filing the complaint. I posted my disappointment with AT&T on our blog at http://gpapps.com .

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

#53

Post by gte910h »

jodrellblank wrote: post #5
gte910h wrote: post #3

The sign up any time you want unlimited plan is why I waited a month for the 3G to be available and why I paid a 130 dollar premium... This is completely untenable for apple to allow this to happen not even six months later. As a matter of fact, the announcement is VERY suspiciously timed exactly 1 month and 1day after the sale of the 3G ipads, making them unreturnable!!!

Existing iPad customers, who already have the $29.99 unlimited monthly plan can choose to keep it

Yes, the issue is most of us don't wish to use the unlimited plan every day of the year. We want to use it the 2 months we travel somewhere and don't want to worry about internet access. That's $360 a yr vs $60 a year.

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

#54

Post by buster »

stanleydrew wrote: post #38
buster wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet Steve would want to for a long time. But it's an exclusive deal, so AT&T has the upper hand here, i think. If the rumours are true, AT&T has a 5-year-exclusive contract with Apple. That's still a lot time left. Ironically, this exclusiveness is some sort of lock in (from at&t's side) and here it's widely considered harmful :) Meanwhile androids infiltrate all other major networks..

If things get bad enough, can't Apple buy out the rest of the contract ahead of time?

Nobody knows. I imagine that both Apple and AT&T have enough money to afford lawyers who make such contracts really painful when another party wants to dropout. This is usually the case for most such contracts. My guess is, that Steve is currently balancing the benefits and tradeoffs of dropping out of the contract. Will Apple have to pay too much? Or will Apple lose too much to Android while staying with AT&T?

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

#55

Post by gte910h »

stanleydrew wrote: post #38
buster wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet Steve would want to for a long time. But it's an exclusive deal, so AT&T has the upper hand here, i think. If the rumours are true, AT&T has a 5-year-exclusive contract with Apple. That's still a lot time left. Ironically, this exclusiveness is some sort of lock in (from at&t's side) and here it's widely considered harmful :) Meanwhile androids infiltrate all other major networks..

If things get bad enough, can't Apple buy out the rest of the contract ahead of time?

They can ignore it and pay damages if there is no cancellation clause. It is highly unlikely a court would enjoin them from doing some as pro consumer as opening their platform to another US provider.

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

#56

Post by [deleted] »

rmc wrote: post #22

While I sympathise with people who feel mislead, we all know there is no such thing as "unlimited data". No teleco can honestly provide "unlimited data", it's just not possible or econonically viable. It's common for telecos to actually have a hidden limit on their unlimited plan. At least now they are being (more) honest about what you get.

[deleted]

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

#57

Post by Legion »

jsz0 wrote: post #27

I hope Apple gets hit hard on this. Either they didn't sign a contract with AT&T and got blindsided, in which case they're guilting of creating a carrier-locked device that enabled this to happen, or they were fully aware of the upcoming changes and decided to misrepresent the product back in February. Would this have happened if the iPad was T-Mobile 3G compatible? I really doubt it.

It's especially egregious given that the presentation slide for the unveiling read: "BREAKTHROUGH DEAL WITH AT&T": http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/01/apple-...

So the "deal" was "epic bait-and-switch"?

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

#58

Post by nocman »

jonhohle wrote: post #48
rmc wrote: post #22

While I sympathise with people who feel mislead, we all know there is no such thing as "unlimited data". No teleco can honestly provide "unlimited data", it's just not possible or econonically viable. It's common for telecos to actually have a hidden limit on their unlimited plan. At least now they are being (more) honest about what you get.

Then perhaps they shouldn't have used that word.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58LpHBnvsI )

Seriously, though, this has irritated me since the days where dialup internet access was all a normal person could get. All these plans were "unlimited", but in the TOS they made it clear that if you tried to use the service too much, or tried to stay connected too long, you're account would be suspended or closed.

Something is either unlimited or it isn't. If there's a cap it isn't unlimited. I guess I might cut them some slack if they described it as "effectively unlimited" (meaning that there was more bandwidth than an everyday person could expect to use). Of course, on many services that have been labeled "unlimited", even that would be arguable.

Of course, I don't expect most people in advertising to be honest about anything (goods/services are usually described as a hundred times better than they could possibly be), but that doesn't mean I'm not still annoyed by it.

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

#60

Post by josefresco »

furtivefelon wrote: post #13

Well apple website still advertises unlimited plan: http://www.apple.com/ipad/3g/

So if I bought an iPad a few days ago am I grandfathered? Or does it need to be delivered and activated before I'm a 'customer'?

I feel like I was bamboozled. I bought something for a certain price, and by the time it arrives the terms have changed and suddenly I'm getting a lot less data for slightly less money.

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