AT&T extends olive branch, will let all iPad orders before June 7 get $30 unlimited data plan
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 4th 2010 2:36PM
posted June 4th 2010 2:36PM
posted June 4th 2010 2:36PM
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@TomSawyer
lmao at you trying to be Pc. I dont have an iPad, actually just played with one and signed up a client for the $30 plan yesterday. Its a cool device but gets REAL heavy after a few minutes in my opinion (off topic, I know). I would totaly get a "real" ipad with osx but an iphone OS I rather stick with the iPhone. AAAND if I can when I upgrade to the next iPhone I would totaly stick to the $30 plan. JUST in case I go over it. :)
@Cptnpicard
I still dont have a problem with ATT but totaly see what your saying, its kind of blah that they do this if you concider the fact that unlimited was $20 just tw years ago for the iPhone...
@Cptnpicard
Check their stock price since january 2007 versus apple since then. They are not maximizing profits like you think.
@Sepirioth
Yea and that iPhone wasn't 3G, it was EDGE. Two gigs at EDGE speed? I have better things to do with my life.
@Doczaius
they didnt make me switch till I got the 3GS actually. Maybe I just lucked out?
@TomSawyer People like you need to understand that whether I use 1 gig or 10 gigs of data, it's what was promised and promoted to people who payed the premium for the 3G model. Your argument would be valid if AT&T and Apple were HONEST about the terms UP FRONT and not retroactively screw people.
The unlimited plan with 900 peak minutes on sprint with insurance with the htc evo is $106.99 without taxes. That's not cheap at all. They all have marketing scams. My tmobile is $100 a month for everything including taxes. Granted, the phone selection is poor.
Engadget, has anyone asked Apple or AT&T what happens to the people that bought iPad's and were sold as a selling point that they could pick up and drop unlimited as they need it? Are they now saying we have to take the 30 dollar plan now and keep it or we lose that options?
What's the difference from that and a contract? This is bait and switch for them to tell us one thing and a month after the 3g devices come out they totally change the pricing and Apple is silent on the whole matter.
I think its time for some FCC involvement.
@Synergi
maybe i missed it, but AFAIK, the iPad is still contract-free. The only change is the the new $15 / $25 plans.
@Synergi
ok i didn't fully read your post (cardinal sin, i know, i'm sorry). But you're still making a bigger deal over this than need be. In what world is 2gb not enough for the vast majority of consumers? Where are you watching GB upon GB of streaming video without wifi being available?
@Synergi I think there's definitely reason to be upset. I don't know that there's any legal grounds for complaint, though, as buyers specifically were *not* getting a contract. I guess that's the risk of a contract-free service - not only aren't you signing a contract, neither are they!
@TomSawyer On my iPhone, in the past 6 months, I've not gone higher then something like 468 MB. Having said that, the iPad has things like streamed netflix and I imagine that could lead to some serious data usage. So far the iPhone hasn't gotten the Netflix client. I'm anxious for that to show up, though, as I'll definitely be making full use of it, including on the train and bus. For that reason I'm going to stick with my unlimited data plan until I can determine how much data I end up using per month.
@TomSawyer
Tom for a iPhone sure 2GB is enough for many. On the iPad with streaming Netflix and ABC, not so much.
I don't have a problem if they revamped pricing say after a year..but 30 days? Yes its still contract free but to keep unlimited you have to keep it ongoing. That might as well be a contract. Drop service a month you are now defaulted to the 2G plan.
@crunc Yes... Netflix is where I think it might matter. But like someone said... maybe most of the watching will be at a Wi-Fi location, if you're lucky.
@TomSawyer Just because YOU don't use a lot of data doesn't mean someone else wouldn't! I could easily see using the iPad on a business trip and have some down time to watch a netflix movie or abc programing in my hotel room every night for a week. That's well over 2 Gigs of data and I don't care what so called experts argue about how streaming doesn't eat up a lot of bandwidth - it's just a bs argument, it DOES.
Screw ATT switched myself and wife to Sprint and now ill be saving $20 per month with unlimited text and.data for both lines. I can't wait until they lose the iPhone so that millions of their long suffering customers can drop them like they dropped my calls.
I just called AT&T about this, because I've been trying to find a way to get my dad one of the 3g models before the 7th, and they told me that unless apple officially announces this its not true because on their end they are being told that any ipads activated after the 7th have to choose from their new data plans.
I've told several of my Verizon friends who have Palm Pre's to forget about the 3G version and just use the mobile hotspot on the Pre to give the iPad internet access. Why waste the money?
As it stands, I refuse to buy the first gen iPad. I will wait for the 2nd or 3rd gen.
I predict that AT&T will eventually drop the tethering fee and allow people to use tethering for free, the way it should be in the first place.
@AiRSK I hope so, as with the fee I won't be using this feature in OS 4.0. Truth be told, though, I'm not sure I'd use it anyway because I don't currently have a laptop!
Links or it never happened.
Sweet! They get to pay for data they can't use!
I was thinking about signing with AT&T, but the Evo 4G is so beastly.
@NewYorkerKid
And we all know AT&T is not.
Why do I need an Ipad again?
That is lame if they are holding off on shipping them because I just ordered mine the 2nd and it says I will get it on the 21st. Unacceptable Apple.
Too little. Too salty.
per their facebook ipad owners activated before june 7th will still be able to start and stop the unlimited plan at will http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/ATT?v=wall&story_fbid=402179198908
Great news! Now I get unlimited crap for 3G instead of getting unlimited fantastic 4G!
ATT I will never ever buy a phone or service from you, even if the new iPhone was the best thing in the world. If it made pizzas and produced gold nuggets from it's single button hole I still would not use your service. You are the WORST service provider in the history of service providers. Good day to you. I SAID GOODAY!
In my uniformed opinion, your connectivity experience depends more on where you are. In Atlanta, AT&T has very good service. They also let some of the prepaids piggyback on their towers.
Im an AT&T employee and they overcharged me for 8 months ($750), promising to fix the issue and refund my money. Well, it's been 1 year, my manager has been involved and they don't even return his calls. Everything is one big clusterfuck.
When my contract is up I am abandoning ship and giving my money to one of our competitors (Verizon or Sprint).
I hope my boss' boss doesn't read this. :)
@butcherchop You lie... 750 is a nothing adjustment for AT&T.. If you really did work for AT&T then your local director would have adjusted you long ago... I've seen adjustment range in the tens of thousands of dollars and they never bat an eye lash about it... They simply memo in the customer rules and "rethinking possible" as part of there reasoning and that's it... Don't pretend to work for a company just to try and make them look bad.. It just makes u look pathetic
@DiggaX
Yeah, because you're all knowing. You know who lies and who doesnt. You must be management. If you are, you know everyone hates you right? lol. Im kidding about that...not everybody hates you.
Id get my id badge and take a picture of it with my middle finger posing next to it for you, but Sportscenter is on.
Quit defending a company that doesn't give a damn about you and is driven solely by $$$ and numbers.
Support your local Union. :)
I have the Samsung Moment and I easily eat up 3 gigabytes a month of data on my phone. I watch alot of Youtube, Bangbros, Pornhub, and I also stream Lastfm to my phone. I dont know how the average atat customers use less then 2gigabytes while most of its users own the iphone. A good thing I have Sprint. Very reliable and I get evdo in most places if not 1x evdo which I also get 5 miles off the coast of NYC while fishing.
the iphone is just going to be a fad just like the motorola Razr. I wonder when everyone jumps off of atat and the iphone, what phone will the average stupid consumer will use and claim it to to the greatest thing since baked bread?
Hi, just to let you know how much you get screwed by your mobile providers in the States, I have to tell you that I pay 25€ (~30$) for a 5 GB data plan, which I can use on my iPhone, iPad and tether to my MacBook. This is on O2 Germany.
Adding 10€(12$) for 100min call and 100sms, I pay 35€ alltogether. There are countries in Europe where this is even cheaper to get.
Good thing, I just bought mine. Hallelujiah for unlimited data. Now to come up with that 30/mo...
I think AT&T increased their ETF because:
1) They didn't want folks to bail on data plan price hikes
2) They didn't want folks to bail to Evo-Sprint
3) They didn't want folks to bail on future Verizon-iPhone
i want to know who on here actually uses over 2gb data a month?
@trey992 I did using a Verizon Daypass plan for three weeks in one night their system charged me for 1.8 gigs of data on a night when my computer was TURNED OFF and they refused to correct it because their system showed data usage. So I told them to f off and sent it back because I no longer trusted them. Just because YOU don't use 2 GB of data doesn't mean its impossible and somehow everyone else are data hogs.
So your just making up news now? Extended the olive branch? Exactly what part of the press release made you think that you wouldn't have until the 7th anyways? It says "The new wireless data plans – including a new tethering option – will be available beginning June 7. "
The 2Gb plan costs $2.5 in India. At&T wants $25. Interesting.
AT & T Wireless exhaust their iPhone 3G stocks, 3GS is now cheaper and iPhone 4G is slated for a probable June release, read on my post :
http://www.worldshotcake.com/apple/at-t-wireless-dry-up-their-3g-inventory/
btw, this is not spam, take care.
AT&T + Apple = Unethical
Screw both of them, I'm done.
Think about this logically here.....they "claim" the "average" user (68%) use 40 - 80mb and that 7% use up to 2gb right? That means that 68% of AT&Ts customers will be saving $15 a month off their current bill. So humor me here....say that 68% is like.....a million customers....that means that AT&T is LOSING $15,000,000 a MONTH from these current contract, SHOULD they downgrade to the new plans. Now....7% will be pay $25 a month (in theory) because that is all the data they use....so using my fake scale...say that is 70.000 users (granted in reality these are much larger and different scales)....that would mean that AT&T is losing $350,000 from those customers because they are saving $5 a month on their new bill (SHOULD they switch over). So just using fake numbers, they are already out $15,350,000 trying to cut people from using data. Here is my point.....AT&T is a business right? Wouldn't they WANT to MAKE money? Sure they would. So why would AT&T be so kind as to lower the bills for their consumers when they are monopolizing the current market (yes yes...I know Verizon has millions of customers and I have Verizon myself...I am broadly talking about their exclusivity with the iPhone and how a lot of NEW smart phone users have popped up BECAUSE of the iPhone).....well it seems to mean that it's either COMPLETELY BS statistics, or things are about to get a lot better for phone. One thing I have learned in my life is that statistics lie and it depends on how much truth they wish to show you (look at buying a new car as an example). Secondly, I would bet you money that MOST people, including me, AVOID using their phone on a daily basis because the battery life is just HORRIBLE and you need these things to last all day of course. I'm willing to bet that these statistics aren't entirely accurate, that they CLEARLY see a huge trend towards bigger usage, and that these new phones will be able to do more and run on less energy. OTHERWISE....IF IN FACT....this data was accurate....AT&T is a complete FOOL to actually CHANGE their data plans and save the customers money...because they could be sucking up $30 a month from 71% of their users and AT&T would consider them as saps for actually paying so much for using so little data...you see?....that's why I don't believe that the average user uses so little...I think it's a cover story.
This is just an unbelievable screw job and bait and switch from AT&T. The whole point of iPad 3g was Unlimited data at an 'unbelievable" price with no contract. Not even a month after release they have completely changed the policy and oh yeah, they basically "lock" you into a contract if you want to keep that "unlimited" plan. What a load of bs. I'm so glad they were sold out of the 3G when I went to give the iPad another try.
Unfortunately, they are still pulling a bait and switch on current and future customers of the unlimited plan. We were promised that we could order our unlimited service on a month to month basis, therefore saving money when we are home on our wifi networks. So if, for example, my current unlimited plan ends on the 5th of the month, and I don't travel until the 25th, I could wait until then to order my next unlimited month of service, and use my iPad on my wifi network. However ATT is screwing people out of that option, which we were specifically promised by Steve Jobs himself when he announced the iPad. If this isn't one of the biggest bait and switch deals in history, I don't know what is. When are the lawyers gonna start getting involved with class actions so that we get reimbursed? Frankly it's enough for me to want to send my iPad back, or alternately, sell my iphone and utilize google voice and skype exclusively for my services.
Sorry for confusing it with the pole of screwage, just delayed a week or so. AT&T needs to start gaining some semblance of giving shit about its customers, NOW, or it will continue to lose customers. Hopefully apple will move multicarrier soon so that AT&T loses its only "we're worth something" argument.
WTF? BECAUSE OF this post i made sure to order the IPAD 3g before june 7....Now i just got it today in mail and i DO NOT have an option for unlimited internet...wtf is this?