iPhone data plans to surface before launch day

Another day, another rash of iPhone rumblings for the fanatics. As we sit just over a week away from the launch, a piece in USA Today gave way to the fact that Apple's forthcoming handset is to thank for "2,000 extra sales people" joining AT&T's force -- some of which will actually remain long-term to assist with the barrage of new customers. Additionally, it was (unsurprisingly) noted that larger markets would get a greater quantity of phones, but those who can't snag one immediately can place "mail orders" that should be shipped out "in three to five days." Most interesting, however, is the conversation surrounding the elusive data plans; initially, it was insinuated that customers would be forced to wait until the 29th in order to learn about the potential option(s), but a followup over at iLounge allowed AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel to clear things up. He stated that folks would know the details "before the 29th," and while we've no idea what kind of price premium you may face, he also claimed that it wouldn't "be anything exotic." Of course, you'll hand over just about anything it asks in order to take one home, right?

[Via AppleInsider]
Read - USA Today iPhone details
Read - iLounge followup

[paloooz @ Jun 21st 2007 4:59PM]

I will not get one if it costs more than $85/mo.

[Owen V @ Jun 21st 2007 4:59PM]

it can't be that exotic in the first place with only EDGE data

[humpty @ Jun 21st 2007 5:01PM]

$100/month data/voice plans... no wonder Americans are in so much debt.

[Jeremy K. @ Jun 21st 2007 5:25PM]

You kidding me? Ever went to England? Our mobile phone plans are pennies in comparison.

[ssuk @ Jun 21st 2007 5:39PM]

If I recall correctly, we're about 7 years ahead of America in Mobile/Cellular phone technology. So yeah, they're paying prices we may have faced 7 years ago.

[Victor @ Jun 21st 2007 7:49PM]

This is where the Europeans mostly have it wrong. UMTS and HSDPA in its current iterations owe quite a bit to Qualcomm. The 3G chips in your phone? If it's HSDPA, it's Qualcomm. If it's CDMA (in the US and parts of asia, like Japan and Korea), it's probably EV-DO and it's qualcomm. The hottest handsets? RIM (Blackberry)? Canadian Motorola? US LG and Samsung? Korea?

Plus last I checked, you can swing much better deals. I had unlimited HSDPA data, 500 minutes peak, unlimited off peak time for 50 dollars on a corporate discount w/ a free HTC Hermes and Samsung Blackjack (SGH-i607) on cingular. Do europeans have unlimited offpeak times? I think mostly not.

[Chrisphillers @ Jun 21st 2007 7:04PM]

@Victor

Where you have it wrong is your so called hottest handsets arent so hot in Europe (apart of course from the omnipresent blackberry of course!) SE And Nokia are the most popular, LG/Samsung/Motorola are the with the dogs here.

In addtion I am on 35 web and walk flex plan, thats with a £50 N95, unlimited HSDPA and a fixed rate throughout the day with too many minutes I am able to use. Rather cheap and rather a good deal. Voda and Orange both have unlimited off peak deals also.

[Victor @ Jun 21st 2007 8:01PM]

Okay....I have to admit I'm not privvy to what's hot in europe right. But, the last time i was in europe last year on business, I was suprised at the lack of push email, data centric devices, and faster-than UMTS coverage (in the US, I've found EV-DO coverage in unbelievably rural areas, and HSDPA was decently covered and launched in the US).

Plus, i did look up UK plans; and the prices of the service still makes the US look like a downright steal. True we have to pay for incoming calls, but the overall cost-for-cost calls in the US is lower than Europe.

[Mile @ Jun 21st 2007 5:04PM]

An "iPhone"? Like an iPod with a phone built in? Sounds interesting.

[paloooz @ Jun 21st 2007 5:43PM]

Why are you people ranking this troll high?

Read his other posts, the dudes practically blowing Steve Ballmer with every word he types.

[Bob @ Jun 21st 2007 6:29PM]

paloooz buddy...why do you give a crap?

[Zeus the God @ Jun 21st 2007 7:15PM]

Because paloooz is a troll himself. He wants the rankings to make himself feel better.

[carlo @ Jun 21st 2007 5:10PM]

A few of us have come up with some ballpark figures, and have agreed that for about 75 you will get 100 texts, 450 minutes, and unlimited data IFF they keep data down to smartphone pricing instead of PDA pricing.

If PDA, expect to pay >$90.

[nojok3 @ Jun 21st 2007 6:12PM]

These prices are terrible, I'm glad I am using a phone that basically has every iPhone option on a $30 UL data/messaging plan with 500 minutes. Treo 755p for life haha

[coffee @ Jun 21st 2007 5:14PM]

brand new salespeople with a brand new product?

epic.

//don't ask, just buy

[carlo @ Jun 21st 2007 5:14PM]

Oh, and don't forget a charge for enhanced voicemail! (maybe 4.99 to 5.99)

[Mile @ Jun 21st 2007 5:20PM]

What's enhanced voice mail?

[carlo @ Jun 21st 2007 5:27PM]

Visual voicemail requires special equipment, far as I know. That ain't usually free.

[ShortFuse @ Jun 21st 2007 6:25PM]

@D. Rich

AT&T/Apple are waiting till the last second to release the details so people on the fence can make an inpulse buy. In other words, they'll see the product/plan, and think it's not so bad, won't give it time to weight out all the factors, and buy one launch day

[pork_musket @ Jun 21st 2007 5:22PM]

$2000 in 24 easy installments, with a $600 downpayment. Wow.

[Mike @ Jun 21st 2007 5:22PM]

So I live in Boston right, and Cingular/AT&T totally sucks here and everyone avoids them like the plague. So what happens then? We get an iPhone that doesn't even work?

awesome.

[Mile @ Jun 21st 2007 5:25PM]

Nevermind - I googled it.

[ZombieInvasion @ Jun 21st 2007 5:38PM]

What's an iPhone?

[Maff @ Jun 21st 2007 5:49PM]

this belongs on engadget mobile in my opinion!

[Mr. B @ Jun 21st 2007 8:36PM]

Fine idea! Alot of us readers don't care about the iPhone, those that do go the iMobile site. I assume the contests are to drive more views for the iMobile site... everybody wins.

[CharlieX @ Jun 21st 2007 5:51PM]

"...anything exotic..."

uh huh. cingular/at&t's current plans, especially when you add data service, are a mess. Plans, sub plans, specialty plans,
tertiary plans. employees sometimes get confused when they're trying to sell you serice. and you KNOW they're going to charge a premium for visual voicemail....

I'd say about $60-80 a month.... they can't charge the usual $40 a month for unlimited data, because without 3G you just won't be/won't have the patience to pull that much data compared to the rest of us.

[john @ Jun 21st 2007 5:56PM]

Does anybody know if you can buy an Apple Phone unlocked at the apple store and use it on T-mobile?

[Joeliver @ Jun 21st 2007 5:59PM]

I spoke with a Cingular.. *ahem* AT&T representative here in Texas a couple weeks ago, and he said that they're going to be offering a special unlimited data plan just for the iPhone for $39.99. He also said that if you want the discounts offered at the time you sign up for a two-year contract with them, you HAVE to purchase the data plan alongside your voice plan..

Naturally, I asked him if you could just sign up for both to get the discount, then cancel the data plan - I'd just be using WiFi anyway. He said that you could probably do that, but you'll most likely "have to keep the data plan for at least 3-6 months because it takes at least that long for the rebate to come back to you."

Sorry, but $39.99/mo. for EDGE is just not cool with me.. especially after dropping $500 on a phone.. and $130 on a bluetooth headset.

[shon Dempsey @ Jun 21st 2007 5:59PM]

@john- nope. you cant. sorry.

[shon Dempsey @ Jun 21st 2007 6:01PM]

at&t reps know jack about iPhone details. they know just as much as anyone who reads engadget.

[raulr @ Jun 21st 2007 6:05PM]

@John

The sim card is embedded in the phone (a side effect of the non-removeable battery) so you can't even swap out sims if you wanted to.

[Neal @ Jun 21st 2007 6:15PM]

I thought this too, but apparently, in a previous article here on Engadget recently (in the last couple of days) there was a quote from someone at AT&T who said if you cannot get the iPhone initially, you can "order it through the iLounge and put the SIM in it when it arrives via mail." If you can get to the SIM, how can you not get to the battery?

[jack @ Jun 21st 2007 6:19PM]

you're wrong.

http://images.apple.com/iphone/gallery/images/gallery1_hires20070621.jpg

the sim tray is clearly at the top of the unit.

[carlo @ Jun 21st 2007 6:57PM]

According to most sources, the sim is not embedded and there is a sim tray in the top of the phone. This was noted in [blo]Jobs' big speech about the bloody thing as he's going around the phone pointing out the hardware features.

Of course, we're never sure and that's a dealbreaker for me, but we'll see.

[Robert Seidman @ Jun 21st 2007 6:07PM]

as long as the wifi is free...

[Constable Odo @ Jun 21st 2007 6:11PM]

No way the plan is going to be only $40 for unlimited. $60 to $80 is certainly more likely. Hey, you get an iPhone and pay the piper. It's gonna cost me even more now that I have to purchase a Mercedes to fit my iPhone image.

You people that are complaining about becoming an iPhone addict better start earning more money. At least $75,000 a year to fit into the iPhone owners club. Especially, if you have to be using it every moment of the day to let everyone know you got an iPhone.

[CharlieX @ Jun 21st 2007 6:46PM]

AT&T unlimited data is $40 right now. Why in the hell would they charge $60-80?

[Brad @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:59AM]

You are wrong. AT&T charges $20 a month for 2G data, only 3G is $40 a month.

[wabguard-email @ Jun 21st 2007 6:24PM]

How can cable and phone companies haggle with high speed data for 25-50 a month while we settle for 50+ for data on a phone with HALF the bandwidth.

When your cell bill comes close a car payment, I think cell service is too expensive.

Thank GOODNESS for the SERO Plan on Sprint!

[Neal @ Jun 21st 2007 7:05PM]

I don't know what broadband you have at home, but I have 12Mbps down for $46 a month. EDGE is not even CLOSE to half of that speed. More like 1/10th on a good day, and I don't see data costing $4.60 for the iPhone anytime soon.

[wabguard-email @ Jun 21st 2007 9:31PM]

It wasn't a literal comparison, just to illustrate how little bandwidth you get for 50+ on cell carriers, while home you get LOTS MORE for the money. Doesn't seem right does it? :)

Cell Bill = Car Payment WTF?!

[Bloobie @ Jun 21st 2007 7:13PM]

All of the iPhone users? How can a group that does not even exist be so upset about a data plan, or be "screwed" by AT&T? BTW, nice way of advertising your own site.

[Zeus the God @ Jun 21st 2007 7:20PM]

Who the fuck cares? This is an old product (features wise). The only things new on it are the touchscreen (just another thing to get fucked up) and Mobile YouTube... I mean who the FUCK is going to watch YouTube videos on their fucking phone?! Seriously, you must have absolutely NO life if you're going to do that.

I can smell all the new car accidents now... "Well, the driver was apparently watching "Muffins" on YouTube. He then lost control and smashed his car into a pile of babies, a cage filled with endangered monkeys, and killed the president."

Oh, and heres "Muffins." http://youtube.com/watch?v=u-4LWE5SsNQ

[Neptune5 @ Jun 21st 2007 7:22PM]

@ raulr lol when has a sim card ever been in bedded into a mobile phone , what if you lock the sim then forget your password and fry the card ? lol i think they would rather you buy a new sim for 25$ rather than giving you a new phone because of a fried the sim, the whole point of the sim is to be swappable and all gsm mobile phones are unlockable by nature,

because the manufacturer does not put a lock on the phone , when the service provider gets them the subsidy lock is added along with their logos and presets in the phone, when you put in a different sim (T-Mobile) it will ask you for the subsidy lock code which AT&T has for all their phones and are willing to unlock by request over the phone,we'll see what happens a few days after launch.

iplan on buying two 8GB Models, one for me and one for Ebay, i have $2500 saved up to get all the accessories and everything iphone for both.

EBay auction starting $1999.99

[Jake @ Jun 21st 2007 7:32PM]

I watch YouTube videos on my touchscreen Treo 700p.

[crescentdavid @ Jun 21st 2007 8:00PM]

I'm seeing an initial $1900-plus first year price tag (including tax & monthly fees). Like all the customers lining up to support $500 and $600 personal entertainment telephone devices from Apple's global corporation, I'm supporting the long-term, no-break, premium surcharge services AT&T will be "offering," because it really is all about maximizing corporate profits. And this is looking to be a major, major cash cow for both corporations. I'd like to thank everyone who supports this worthy endeavor. It' s a good thing for stockholders.

Randall Stephenson is one happy camper! http://electronista.macnn.com/content/0703/iphone-ctia3.jpg

[Neeko @ Jun 21st 2007 8:02PM]

damn THIS IS THE HYPE MACHINE OF ALL HYPE MACHINES..ATT AND APPLE are gonna throw a bomb shell at you all with these prices for DATA plans. thats why your not getting any word on prices. All these secrects about the product dont make me want it more, they make me more cautious about its features. Any company that doesnt inform the customer about there products basically doesnt CARE. AND IAM NOT SOME DUMB LEMMING WHOSE GONNA BUY THIS THING REGARDLESS OF HOW COOL IT LOOKS ON A COMMERCIAL. Id like to think iam a smarter consumer then that. To bad these companies dont.

[Magallanes @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:10AM]

In fact the Nokia-N serie is way better in almost every aspect (minus a stylus-touchscreen) and you can buy it now.

[muddyh2o @ Jun 21st 2007 9:23PM]

does anyone know if there's an email forwarded option? (like blackberry's desktop redirector or xpressmail?)

i'd buy it if they had that

[gray @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:03AM]

wow... Will it Deliver??? that's all I want to know.
Cingular and apple are really weeving a web of hype on this thing to a level I've never seen.
2000 extra employees? cingular is such crap! "We give the customers what we want, not what they want"