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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.)"
If by "carrier of your choice" you mean T-Mobile, I'm sure it might be possible. Those are really the only two pervasive GSM carriers in the US. There are a few regional ones that are GSM, but the other big boys (Verizon, Spring, US Cellular etc) are all CDMA here. No matter how "unlocked" the phone gets, you won't be able to use it with those carriers. Also, EDGE will be EDGE regardless of who the carrier is.
My biggest gripe with the iPhone is that it's EDGE/GSM and it's with a carrier that has horrible coverage in areas that I frequent (rural Iowa). Also, it doesn't really "do" anything that my Treo 755 doesn't. I just recently bought the 755 after looking at what the iPhone was going to offer, and couldn't find one compelling reason to buy the iPhone over it. Granted, I don't listen to a whole lot of music on my phone, and I'm sure that might be handy (though with ptunes, the phone is certainly capable), but I can browse a useful web, listen to streaming internet radio, watch TV via the EVDO network and my slingbox, watch videos, get my e-mail with attachments, synch seamlessly with the exchange server at work (contacts, calendar and push e-mail) even over the VPN (using Movian), SSH, use it as a tethered modem via bluetooth for data, built-in google maps, decent camera (though by no means great) etc. Having come from the Kyocera 6035 in the past, I wasn't enthused with the thought of losing my keyboard.
Really there just isn't anything that the iPhone does that I want that I can't get in the 755, plus the 755 comes with EVDO. Not to mention it only cost me 275 bucks.
Now I'm not saying it's going to be a failure, I just don't see a compelling feature set over the existing bevy of smartphones. This might turn into the smartphone for the masses, but it's going to be because of marketing and slick packaging, not utility, practicality or price.
Actually VOIP works relatively well over 3G, but since the iPhone is only GSM/EDGE, there goes that possibility.