ATT and IPHONE hate current users

[TheForce]

Per Scott's referenced article: ( washington post . com )

...they do things like delay the roll out of features that the rest of the world is getting because they have other providers. And they do things like block the Sling player app from streaming over 3G on just the iPhone, while it works fine on other phones.

I believe this is inaccurate. According to a public statement made by the CEO of ATT wireless, ATT restricts any video streaming through their network regardless of the phone or even laptop that is video from rebroadcast signals such as television. It permits You Tube Google video etc as well as ATT PPV services. This restriction includes sling applications over ATT network. IT is not strictly an iphone ban. The reason he gave for this restriction is that ATT has an inadequate service to handle high bandwidth traffic. I heard this statement made to Clark Howard Radio show as a response to CH's scathing review of ATT service and attitude.


BTW- one month ago I bought an iphone for my son-in-law. He is enjoying it but personally, I see I paid $199 for a $99 phone now. At least I didn't pay $299 which is what ATT wanted just two weeks earlier.

I will continue to follow the iphone saga since I do have an intere$t in the companies involved as well as my wife may be a candidate for a Verizon version of the iphone. Her company may be forcing her away from Blackberry soon. She hates BB and is now admiring the iphone.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No the article is correct. Other streaming apps like ORB (which lets you stream Television from your home PC) is allowed and working fine.

In addition other phone types such as Windows Mobile and Blackberry have their own Sling applications and all work fine on the AT&T network.

 

[uncrules]

The iPhoneBlog.com has an official statement from AT&T on MMS and tethering. I don't use MMS on my current phone and wouldn't use tethering either so to me it isn't a big deal. But I can understand why people would use it and are mad at the delay.

AT&T Responds: iPhone 3.0 MMS and Tethering | The iPhone Blog

Regarding MMS:

We absolutely will offer MMS on iPhone 3G S in late summer once we complete some system upgrades that will ensure our customers have the best experience with MMS. These upgrades are unrelated to our 3G network. When MMS is ready, we will let customers know.

Regarding offering a tethering plan:

We plan to offer one but we don’t have an announcement to make at this time.

Joe Chandler
Executive Director
AT&T Corporate Communications

 

[TheForce]

I found the Clark Howard show interview with Mark Segle of ATT radio broadcast as a podcast_


Give a listen


He skirts around the issue pretty well but does state that the "ATT ban is any that redirects a television broadcast. " It just happens that sling is the biggest and most popular so they do target it. To ATT it is not just an iphone ban but any using wireless services. It wouldn't make much sense for ATT to negatively target iphone owners and favor BB owners, Scott.

 

[uncrules]

I found this on MacRumors.com that seems to suggest the subsidy issue may be more of an Apple thing than an AT&T thing, or at least not just an AT&T thing as people in other countries are running into the same thing.

Contract and Subsidy Issues for iPhone Users Looking to Upgrade to iPhone 3G S - Mac Rumors

With the announcement of the iPhone 3G S yesterday, many current iPhone users have been looking to upgrade to the new model. Unfortunately, many users have been surprised and disappointed to find that their carriers are requiring that existing iPhone customers under contract are unable to immediately upgrade at the $199/$299 price point offered to "qualifying" customers.

It appears that many of these users had expected to be "qualified" for the lowest pricing despite being currently locked into a multi-year contract, as carriers such as AT&T permitted original iPhone users to upgrade to the iPhone 3G at the qualified price despite still being under their original two-year contracts. The key difference between last year's situation and this year's is that the original iPhone was unsubsidized by AT&T, and thus the carrier had no upfront subsidy to recoup through the two-year contracts its customers were on.

Customers on iPhone 3G contracts, however, received initial subsidies of several hundred dollars, meaning that carriers will require those customers to fulfill most or all of their contracts prior to qualifying for full subsidized pricing on upgraded models. This policy is not unique to AT&T, as upfront carrier subsidies quickly became the basis of Apple's iPhone business model throughout the world. As TechRadar notes, UK carrier O2 has also been receiving complaints from customers unable to qualify for fully subsidized pricing.

Speaking to Steve Alder, General Manager of Devices for O2 UK, he pointed out that it simply wasn't viable to let O2's iPhone customers upgrade early:

"Having subsidised much (or all - depending on tariff) of the price of a customer's iPhone 3G, we simply cannot justify invalidating that contract and subsidise a second device for the same customer.

"Much as we understand the desire of many customers to have the latest version, this would be a loss making deal for O2 and would be a distinct set of business terms for iPhone customers that don't apply to our other customers."

Confusion remains, however, over just what requirements are necessary in order for existing customers to qualify for subsidized pricing for a given carrier. Carriers typically permit users to qualify for partial or full subsidized pricing on handset upgrades several months prior to the expiration of their existing contracts in exchange for the customer locking in for an additional multi-year contract.

But AT&T iPhone 3G customers, for example, appear to be receiving varying information about when they will be eligible for subsidized pricing on the iPhone 3G S. One MacRumors forum member reports that an AT&T representative claims that this discrepancy stems from whether the customer purchased an original iPhone prior to purchasing an iPhone 3G, in which case the customer would qualify for subsidized pricing on the iPhone 3G S only 12 months after signing their iPhone 3G contract instead of the 18 months required for customers who had only purchased an iPhone 3G. A number of other forum members, however, claim that the pricing offers they are receiving do not reflect this supposed set of rules.

Because it remains unclear exactly how much of their contracts iPhone 3G users will need to fulfill before becoming eligible for subsidized pricing on the iPhone 3G S, customers looking to upgrade should anticipate additional clarification on this process from their carriers.

I was able to preorder a black 32 gb 3Gs today for $299 even though I got my Moto Q9H last May. My wife who got a Palm Centro last may would have to pay $499 for the 32 gb if she got a new iPhone today, but she isn't. If she gets one she will wait until she is eligible in January 2010. Her phone must've been more subsidized than mine.

 

[tcpipageek]

I wonder what the street price of a used 3G (or original) iPhone will be in another month?

A friend of mine actually just sold his 8GB 3G to a guy for like $150 only a month ago...sounds like if that guy had waited he could've gotten a brand new one for cheaper...I wonder how many other people are in the same boat?

It's great for my friend tho haha!

 

[Lkr]

This is a serious post because I am not sure at this point. Right now I am on a family plan with only minutes and 4 phones that were $200 before rebates and savings. Payment is just above $100 with AT&T. Right now, I would REALLY like to get the iPhone, but either way I will have to wait a month or two. In that time, if the original 3G iPhone is still selling for $99, would I be able to add a separate line(completely off the family plan) and get it at that price? Would it be possible to do the same thing with the iPhone 3G S?

 

[JAG72]

This is a serious post because I am not sure at this point. Right now I am on a family plan with only minutes and 4 phones that were $200 before rebates and savings. Payment is just above $100 with AT&T. Right now, I would REALLY like to get the iPhone, but either way I will have to wait a month or two. In that time, if the original 3G iPhone is still selling for $99, would I be able to add a separate line(completely off the family plan) and get it at that price? Would it be possible to do the same thing with the iPhone 3G S?

Why would you want to add an additional line off of the family plan. You could add another line on your family plan to add the iPhone if you wanted to. It would be much cheaper then adding another plan just for the iPhone.

 

[DetFan]

Why would you want to add an additional line off of the family plan. You could add another line on your family plan to add the iPhone if you wanted to. It would be much cheaper then adding another plan just for the iPhone.

Yep, What he said

 

[Lkr]

Why would you want to add an additional line off of the family plan. You could add another line on your family plan to add the iPhone if you wanted to. It would be much cheaper then adding another plan just for the iPhone.

Wouldn't it be more since I would likely add unlimited text to the iPhone, but then have to add it for the whole family plan?

 

[DetFan]

Unlomited texting on the family plan is 30 bucks period..You do not have to add texting to the iphone plan if you put it on your family plan that already has the family messaging..Just the data plan for the phone itself.

 

[Lkr]

Unlomited texting on the family plan is 30 bucks period..You do not have to add texting to the iphone plan if you put it on your family plan that already has the family messaging..Just the data plan for the phone itself.

There is nothing but minutes on the family plan right now. If I get an iPhone, I am planning to add texting and data(I don't do texting right now because I don't have a QWERTY keyboard or touch screen). If I add it, I will only be adding $60 to the bill then, which is not bad(at least compared to adding a line). But would I be eligible for that $99 iPhone 3G? Or would I be paying $200-300 for the 3G?

 

[DetFan]

If you are adding a line yes...99 bucks

 

[Lkr]

In that same sense, I could get the 3G S too without paying the large price? I thought since I was already an AT&T customer, I would have to pay to upgrade the line. Now I have options

 

[Pepper]

If you don't text now, why start. Use email instead.

 

[Lkr]

If you don't text now, why start. Use email instead.

The only reason I do not text(or e-mail for that matter) on my phone right now is because of the keypad. If I had a keyboard I would gladly make use of unlimited texting

 

[JAG72]

Wouldn't it be more since I would likely add unlimited text to the iPhone, but then have to add it for the whole family plan?

You can also just have the texting plan on the iphone instead of the entire family plan.

 

[Neutron]

The family unlimited text plan is $20 a month for us.

 

[navychop]

I recently upgraded to the iPhone on my 3 phone family plan. They added $30 to my bill for unlimited data on the iPhone.

No muss, no fuss, no other charges.

 

[thowe21]

The family unlimited text plan is $20 a month for us.

Wish I had your plan.