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Apple and AT&T Announce iPhone Service Plans
daveschroeder writes "Apple and AT&T today announced service plans for iPhone, 4 days before its release in the US at 6pm local time on Friday, June 29. The plans are $59.99/mo for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes, and $99.99 for 1350 minutes, and all include unlimited data, 200 SMS messages, rollover minutes, and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. Any other standard AT&T service plan may also be used. A two year service plan is required, with a $175 cancellation fee if terminated early. In addition, activations are done via iTunes, so only the hardware is purchased in the store. Interestingly, activation of a contract via iTunes is required to enable the iPod/syncing functionality of the phone as well. (It will remain to be seen whether there are workarounds for this for those who only want the iPod functionality of iPhone, and whether the iPhone is easily unlockable for those who wish to try it on alternate carriers, and so on.)"
(It will remain to be seen whether there are workarounds for this for those who only want the iPod functionality of iPhone, and whether the iPhone is easily unlockable for those who wish to try it on alternate carriers, and so on.)
Apparently, Apple had to make AT&T make changes to the voicemail system to accommodate some nifty features, so if you switched carriers, you might lose voicemail.
Nope...The iPhone is exclusive to AT&Tingular for a "Multi year exclusive" So...unless someone finds a way to unlock it, the iPhone at AT&T are married for a minimum of 2 years in the USA...there has been speculation that it's a 5 year exclusive for the USA, but no one knows for sure yet.
:)
According to the article, you buy the phone from apple or AT&T unactivated...You then use iTunes to activate the phone and your plan. It seems Apple wanted total control over the unboxing and activation experience...they didn't want oily prepubescent AT&T sales reps get their greasy fingerprints all over someone's brand new iPhone
Actually, it's not quite that simple.
Here is who's carrying it:
- Apple retail stores
- Apple online store
- AT&T corporate stores (not corporate kiosks or resellers initially, but those may come in the future)
As to the other points:
Yes, it's always been generally said that iPhone would require a two year contract, but what was said at the keynote was that the agreement between Apple and AT&T was a "multi year exclusive", which has subsequently been revealed to be five years. Until today, it appeared that AT&T would be selling the phones with mandatory activation, whereas you could just walk out with a phone from the Apple store. So, a lot of people were hoping that the phone was hackable or easily unlockable, so as to use it with other carriers. If the iTunes activation thing is easily worked around AND the phone is unlockable in some way, then you might be able to move it to another carrier. The worst case scenario - assuming the phone is unlockable - is that you sign on with AT&T, have them unlock the phone after 90 days (assuming it's unlockable in this way), cancel the contract, and move to another carrier. Obviously, a lot of people are hoping they can just buy the hardware, unlock it somehow, and use it on the carrier of their choice. That may still be possible, but we really won't know until people start playing with these things.
That fact alone is almost worth the cost of the iPhone.
Also, they make it super easy to transfer an existing number. Bravo Apple!!
Also...check out http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation .html for a video on how to activate using iTunes...It would seem that this is the same for iPhones bought at AT&T stores and Apple Stores. So...lines should be quick...just go in, pay for the phone, and go home to activate... None of this activating a plan and taking 30 minutes to get going bull that normally comes with buying a cell phone...In, Pay, Out, Activate.
Lines should move fairly quickly.
Last phone I bought was a Treo 650, thnking that I will be using the applications. A year later I use my phone for " Making phone calls".
I currently pay $60 for 450 mins, unlimited data, and 1500 text messages for my Treo with Cingular. Thing is, I bought the Treo on eBay, and I swapped SIM cards from my old Motorola. So as far as Cingular is concerned, I'm still using that. They normally want to charge $40/month for unlimted data for Treos (as opposed to the $20 I'm currenly paying), which doesnt really make sense since unlimited dats is unlimited data.
With that in mind this isn't too bad of a deal. It's the same as what I'm paying though 200 text messages instead of 1500. I assume there will be iChat for the iPhone which will use the data plan, so that won't be so bad.
A sentence you'll never see on an Internet discussion board: "You know what? You're right."
I believe that's for the credit check they run on you. Thus, the proper anger should be about why the phone company needs to run a credit check on you and/or why a social security number is required to do so.
11 was a racehorse
12 was 12
1111 Race
12112
I get 750 minutes, free nights/weekends, unlimited data (EVDO), and insurance (if the phone dies or starts acting weird, I get a new one at no charge) for $68.00/month from Sprint, and the HTC 6700 will do just about everything the iPhone does, is easily hackable, can be safely overclocked, has a wide variety of compatible software, has an easy to develop for platform (Windows Mobile), and it will even run linux.
And Apple/AT&T want the general public to pay HOW much for WHAT again?
I can't wait to laugh at my friend's iPhone when he gets it.
Did anyone else notice this screenshot in the video?
http://bayimg.com/LAcLFaabd
It shows an iPhone with 75GB of storage. Earlier in the video they show the storage as 8GB.
Any speculation as to a hard drive version becoming available sometime soon?
Free nights & weekends seem to be a staple among wireless plans...but I don't see any mention of it in the iPhone plans.
I have free nights & weekends with AT&T now (which start at 7pm, which usually costs $10/mo. extra, but they threw me a bone to apologize for some chronically lousy service a while back...normally they start at 9pm, I believe)...but since I rarely exceed 300 minutes/month, not having them isn't much of a deal-breaker for me.
However, I don't understand why they wouldn't include that feature in the iPhone plans...they're already including unlimited data use, why not just throw in some unlimited voice use during off hours, like they do with all their "normal" plans? Would that break the bank, or are they afraid all their anticipated new customers will overwhelm their systems?
Like I said, this doesn't affect me too much, but it does strike me as a big odd.
Just once I'd like someone to call me 'Sir' without adding 'You're making a scene.'
Sure, I am interested. This news indicates a minor step towards making the iPhone viable for me.
You will let us know when the iPhone is finally made available unlocked so that we can use it with any carrier of choice, and when plans are available with no time periods for those who buy the whole phone up front, and when Apple finally releases the codes to allow us to develop and deploy our own applications, right? Be sure to let your buddy Steve know that we are waiting.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
I have to second this one. Everyone was worried that it would take 30 minutes in the store to activate the phone. This way, you can do it at home. It also has some benefits in that it gets people used to using iTunes with the phone which obviously benefits Apple. This is a very slick product. Some people don't like slick and I can appreciate that, but I love slick.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
The very fact that its activated through iTunes means that even if you can unlock it to a different carrier it will then be completely unusable through standard iTunes. So meaning even if you can unlock it it won't be very useful for anything but a mobile phone. I'm guessing after the 5 year contract (Apples contract with AT&T not yours) other vendors will also appear in the iTunes activation. So in reality your 2 year contract is 5 years as it will be 5 years before you can use anything but AT&T.
I would be surprised if Apple didn't demand that AT&&T make unlimited data a manadory requirement to carrying the phone. Phone companies vary in price but every phone typically has data packages as secondary options. People who don't realize the data usage might be high refuse the purchase and pay for the kilobyte transfer or buy reduced programs, earning the carriers extra money for overages. Presuming that data transfer will be high on the iPhone, Apple thought to stem off complaints by removing the option.
For those of us (maybe it's just me now, I don't know) who don't use, and don't ever wish to use iTunes, that's actually not a bad thing.
I'll stick with Songbird, thank you very much.
Isn't that the same company that is stonewalling the investigations into illegal wiretaps of Americans?
Obama likes poor people so much, he wants to make more of them.
Has anyone read anywhere if you can use the iPhone as a generic internet source via bluetooth/802.11 for a laptop or something like that? If it has unlimited data, it'd be nice to be able to pair it up with my laptop and get on the net from a "real" computer if I need to while I'm on the road and can't find a wifi hotspot. (Note.. I currently don't have a fancy-pants cell phone with data capability, so I'm a bit out of the loop on this kind of thing and I'm not sure if that feature is "normal" or not on these kinds of smart phones...)
Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
I have read elsewhere that you can pay $20 a month to upgrade your voice plan to unlimited data for the iPhone.
If you consider that for the somewhat similar HTC devices, they want $40/month for PDA data, and Blackberry plans are similarly expensive, the AT&T plan is excellent, actually a bit cheaper than I had dared to hope. I'd hoped for a realistic base price of $65 with unlimited data and similar numbers of voice minutes, and I was really expecting $75. As it happens, they undercut my most optimistic thoughts by $6. Not bad, not bad at all.
D
So here's my problem with these pricing plans: they're basically unchanged from the commercial available plans available for any mobile phone.
That's a problem because in the US the service plans include a premium to recover the carrier's cost of subsidizing the handsets. (Which is also the ostensible reason there's an early termination fee.)
Only there's no subsidy on the iPhone. So our monthly plan rates should be lower, right?
Fortunately for AT&T no one seems to have noticed...
unlimited = limited read the fine print! Just like everyone else there is no free lunch: Prohibited and Permissible Uses: Data Service sessions may be conducted only for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) corporate intranet access (including access to corporate email, customer relationship management, sales force automation, and field service automation applications). Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using Services: (i) with server devices or with host computer applications, including, without limitation, Web camera posts or broadcasts, continuous jpeg file transfers, automatic data feeds, telemetry applications, automated functions or any other machine-to-machine applications; (ii) as substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections; (iii) for Voice over IP; (iv) in conjunction with WWAN or other applications or devices which aggregate usage from multiple sources prior to transmission; (V) Using the Services for any activity that adversely affects the ability of other people or systems to use either the Services or other parties' Internet-based resources including, but not limited to excessive consumption of network or system resources (whether intentional or unintentional) and "denial of service" (DoS) attacks against another network host or individual user; or (vi) Interference with or disruption of other network users, network services or network equipment. except for CONTENT formatted in accordance with AT&T's CONTENT standards, Unlimited plans cannot be used for uploading, downloading or streaming of video content (e.g. movies, TV), music or games. Furthermore, unlimited plans (except for DataConnect and Blackberry Tethered) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth® or any other wireless technology) to laptops, PCs, or other equipment for any purpose. Service is not intended to provide full-time connections, and the Service may be discontinued after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage. AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts its network or service levels and (ii) protect its network from harm, which may impact legitimate data flows. You may not send solicitations to AT&T subscribers without their consent. You may not use the Services other than as intended by AT&T and applicable law. Plans are for individual, non-commercial use only and are not for resale. Security: AT&T does not GUARANTEE SECURITY. Data encryption is available with some, but not all, Services sold by AT&T. If you use your device to access company e-mail or information, it is your responsibility to ensure your use complies with your company's internal IT and security procedures. Changes to the terms and conditions: These terms and conditions may be changed from time-to-time. AT&T will post the most current version of these terms and conditions on the MEdia Net web site (www.wireless.att.com/medianet) or other appropriate location. Please check these regularly to inform yourself about changes to the terms and conditions, policies, news, etc.
You can get directions to a restaurant or hotel, for example, and then dial the number to the place with a tap on the screen.
Several people have said practically this exact same thing to me when I ask about the iPhone. How many times are you driving around looking for a restuarant out of the blue, and upon finding one on your phone (while you're driving?) you need to call them? Uhm, 0 or 1 is the correct answer to this question. Ever. You almost always know where you're going to go eat before you're driving around. If you need directions somewhere, presumably you knew the name of the place before getting in the car. If you're calling for reservations, you're probably not on the way there. This all just seems a little like every other feature; it sounds "so cool" until you realize you'll never need it, or even want it.
You obviously don't live in a big city, like SF which is the example they used when showing this feature. On a Friday or Saturday night a group of us will meet somewhere, most likely a mass transit hub (wtf is this driving your talking about). Then we will argue for 10 minutes on what type of food we want, then we will start taking names of restaurants serving that type of food in the area. Now it would be great to use the Google maps features of "Thai" "San Francisco" "Cole Valley" and get a list of results. Then being able to call these results with a touch of a button to see if we need a reservation.
Of course your normal suburbanite need not worry about things like this, but then they are generally a lesser type of person anyway so it is fine by me.
I never understood that. A company can pull your credit without your SS#. I used to work in the mortgage industry. We just needed a name and an address to get a credit report. A SS# helped, but it wasn't necessary.
Depends. If you listen only to /. you'd think everyone in the world depends almost soley on SMS txt messaging. I guess it depends on your 'world', but, pretty much in my circle...it is very rarely used. I have friends that refuse to pay extra for it, and I myself really only 'discovered' it and the T9 functionality during the aftermath of Katrina, when voice was impossible to any phone in the 504 area code, but, text messaging would go through. I learned to use it then.
With the iPhone, I'd probably be doing the same thing...mostly either voice, or maybe email through my own servers....or picture mail which I do now (since with sprint vision, pic mail is 'free', so I send a pic and type text on it).
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
I'm sorry but as a long time Treo user, I'll have to call you on your crap.
The Treo was cool five years ago because it pioneered the idea of having a Palm PDA with a phone. It hasn't kept up, and Palm OS is creaky and needs a bullet in the head. Even Palm abandoned its own product to deliver a Windows Mobile version, which is actually less functional and more problematic.
I hope the iPhone results in Palm closing down. It really deserves the failure it earned by dumping trash on its own customers.
The Egregious Incompetence of Palm
Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Linux, and Symbian currently power the world's smartphones. How does each stack up against Apple's OS X in the iPhone? This article presents an overview of Palm. Palm's early products actually followed a trajectory strikingly similar to Apple's original Macintosh. Differences in the choices made at Palm provide an interesting glimpse into "what if" scenarios of a parallel universe.
Whenever I see the word Treo, I feel obliged to point out how terrible it is. The Treo is terrible at everything it does. It is very slow and crashes all the time. It's a terrible phone, it's a terrible pda, and god help anyone who thinks using it as a music player (pTunes...) is a good idea. I own a 700p. Even with the extended battery I can't get more than 24 hours of standby time. If I actually use the phone that goes to nothing really fast. Using the email client or the web browser will kill the battery in under an hour. As I've said numerous times in other places, a lot of people at my office have treo's ranging from the 650 to the 755 (all p's, don't know how much greener the grass is on the w side...) and they invariably hate them. Not saying the iPhone is the be-all-end-all, but I've yet to meet someone who really liked their smartphone. Addicted? Sure, that's why I still have this godforsaken thing, but there is no joy in using it. Smartphones today are like heroin. They become addictive almost immediately, and once you're hooked you need your fix just to stay alive, no matter how bad it is.
Frag 'em all...
Somewhat off-topic, but there's another interesting iPhone rumor/tidbit floating in the ether today: A ZDNet Blog claims that Apple will be announcing sometime this week that they've licensed the MS Exchange ActiveSync API... which would signal that the iPhone is almost definitely compatible with Exchange Servers. For folks whose IT departments are in love with that particular software stack, I'll bet that will be big news.