How Not to Announce New iPhone Data Plans

[Guest]

AT&T’s recent announcement of changed pricing for its data plans caused enormous outrage and it almost seems like AT&T did not see this one coming.


How Not to Announce New iPhone Data Plans : Read more

 

[polly the parrot]

Sounds like someone just doesn't want to make their network decent.

 

[borisof007]

"AT&T is the last service I would choose to do that."

And it's exactly why I have a Droid on Verizon

 

[bhaberle]

Thank you...

 

[nforce4max]

AT&T the greedy BP (Blind Profit) of the telecoms industry.

 

[dochood]

I just downgraded myself and my son from the "unlimited" plan to the 200 MB per month plan. I have used 800 MB on my phone over the last year and a half, with my peak month being at 85 MB. I use WiFi much more than 3G, which seems awfully slow, anyway. I don't see the need to pay $360 per year for service we aren't using.

 

[afforess]

I don't think there is anything wrong with pay-as-you go for internet bandwidth plans... In general. If ATT had offered the 2gb plan for $15, and a 10-15G one for $25, I doubt we would have as much outrage. Offer sensible price points at sensible bandwidths, and we'll be happy. Try to shortchange us...

 

[builderbobftw]

"But don’t tell me that your service now allows me to take everything I do on my desktop into the mobile world"

Not realy.

Mobile platforms remain very limited in thier functoinality. YOu can't type out fast enough, or comfertablly, and you can't do anything that requires CPU or GPU intensiveness.

 

[cadder]

AT&T must be real happy with the new netflix app announced today. How much bandwidth does one movie use? (Since that same movie in low def. would come to you on a 6GB DVD, that might be a clue.) Now step up to HD video and the bandwidth usage goes way up.

 

[captainnemojr]

Well put. AT&T's network = fail. Basically, they can't handle all the bandwidth people are using or soon will be, so rather than upgrade the network, they just charge more for less and keep the same crappy service. Sad when it's investors > customers when it should be the other way around.

 

[thestrangebrew]

I always go over these thresholds every month as I like to watch vids and check out various forums. I read the option for ipad owners to keep their unlimited plans but is this an option for 3g users as well?

 

[AMW1011]

Both Sprint and Verizon have been tested to have FAR better coverage and reliability, and both average faster 3G speeds than ATT. Sprint is also pulling out the 4G goodness.

So why does anyone buy a smartphone from ATT?

I'm not about to go gaming online with my $1500 gaming rig if I had 56k dial-up!

 

[sinsear]

Can't wait 'till 4G is out and a 2gig plan will be eaten up in under a week....

 

[kinggraves]

I wouldn't even mind if they increased the fees, if those fees were going towards improving their network for the future. I just don't really like my money going towards the multimillion dollar bonuses the CEOs write for themselves. If they had been good enough execs to deserve it, they would've foreseen the continually increasing demands on their networks.
It's not going to matter much if your phone can stream HD if they can't support everyone using it.

 

[husker]

[citation][nom]dochood[/nom]I just downgraded myself and my son from the "unlimited" plan to the 200 MB per month plan. I have used 800 MB on my phone over the last year and a half, with my peak month being at 85 MB. I use WiFi much more than 3G, which seems awfully slow, anyway. I don't see the need to pay $360 per year for service we aren't using.[/citation]
Make sure that you also sign up for the added service where you can cap the MB your son uses to ensure he doesn't go over to 200MB limit. That service is yet another $5 or $10 a month.

 

[matt_b]

It's not often you witness a Captain trying to sink his ship. I am an AT&T customer and am actually rather happy with them in my area. I can however relate to those affected and just seeing the changes makes me aggravated even though I don't have an iPhone/data plan. In a world of competitiveness, these guys really are not looking in the right direction and haven't been for several years now!

 

[jacobdrj]

I think iPhone owners have been quite forgiving (perhaps in part due to their ignorance). Almost every feature expected to come through jailbreaking did come eventually (for the most part).

I think if AT$T decided to advertise that they were taking these new bandwidth plans and promising to use that money to invest in a better implementation of 3G and/or a new 4G network, I think iPhone customers would be happy to play along.

Smart phones, IMHO are still in their infancy, and infrastructure is a big part of why that is.

 

[ananke]

It seems Sprint + EVO; Sprint + WiMax are the only feasable data centric paths...I personally believe that Verizon + iPhone will bring tiered pricing too.

 

[captainnochords]

Hopefully this will fail and provide an example for why this model should not be applied to broadband internet either.

 

[RADIO_ACTIVE]

I think I may go over the 2gig limit lol! Who knows when my iphone stats were last reset but I have 31 gigs of data usage lol. I have only had the iphone since last August. Damn my bill will probably be higher!

 

[hoofhearted]

Since when do you have to pay for tethering?

 

[kelemvor4]

[citation][nom]afforess[/nom]I don't think there is anything wrong with pay-as-you go for internet bandwidth plans... In general. If ATT had offered the 2gb plan for $15, and a 10-15G one for $25, I doubt we would have as much outrage. Offer sensible price points at sensible bandwidths, and we'll be happy. Try to shortchange us...[/citation]
Pay as you go plans are great as long as they still offer a choice of unlimited like every other carrier. This is a step backwards.

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]dochood[/nom]I just downgraded myself and my son from the "unlimited" plan to the 200 MB per month plan. I have used 800 MB on my phone over the last year and a half, with my peak month being at 85 MB. I use WiFi much more than 3G, which seems awfully slow, anyway. I don't see the need to pay $360 per year for service we aren't using.[/citation]
Im up here in Canada.. not AT&T....a couple months back i reduced my 5gig plan to 500MB as well. seems in the three years i had the iphone i only exceeded 500mb once... they arnt going to call you up and say "HEY, go with less MB per month idiot".

service providers made it seem like you need unlimited data pland but it was simply incorrect... unless you download via torrents or teather i just dont see how you can exceed 1 gig a month.

 

[soulfringe]

I used to have ATT for land line and dsl. And then one day, they decided that my 6m/608k dsl should be $80 instead of the $50 I had been forking out for the dsl alone for the past few years. They told me I had been receiving a promo price. I told them bullshit. They said "We can lower the price $10 a month" and I said "You can reduce my servers and price down to ZERO" and went with cable. Never looked back.

 

[Sashmo99]

I am left wondering how many people 'could' actually benefit from this pricing structure.

If ATT's claim that the 200MB can plan can support all that activity is true, there would be a large population out there that could actually be saving significant money.

Ultimately though, most of that population falls under the "GB, what does Great Britain have to do with this?" demographic and you can be damn sure that ATT won't be doing a thing about it.

Interestingly (regardless of the above), if ATT actually reached out to it's low-data users and informed them that they could and should be saving money, we'd all be signing a different tune. ATT might even come out as the heros for a change.

More so, they could actually cash in on their "one-size fits all = bad" campaign. But they won't. This is the same old "let's make money with over-usage fees" dressed up in new clothes: data plans. And, even the "GB = what?" demographic is smart enough to figure out they are getting F&!KED as soon as they see their monthly bill.