Slashdot Mirror
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.
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.
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 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
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?
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.
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.