Comments on: $55 Extra for iPhone Tethering? I Don’t Think So, Nor Does AT&T

By: greenpipe1

greenpipe1 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:50:48 +0000

AT&T is ridiculous. I can’t wait for Apple to move the iPhone to another network. A very small percentage of iPhone users would ever really use/need tethering. Why punish those that use is periodically? With all of the wifi hotspots, I wouldn’t need tethering very often. Why would I be double billed for tethering?? The logic is way off and AT&T is going to take a hit if they decide to screw over their customers. Why do they hate iPhone customers so much? They make up a huge part of their business!

By: Kal

Kal — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:42:14 +0000

Here’s what gets me about the carriers’ thinking: The number one reason they say they limit (or charge through the nose for) tethering is because it has “a negative impact on the network.” Well, if the nets are THAT limited, they shouldn’t sign up one more new user until they can provide me with the “unlimited” service I’m already paying for. But, in fact, they’re offering new netbooks, mi-fis, USB cards, and other tools that will help new users use the bandwidth I’m already paying for. That tells me they have plenty of capacity, and the whole thing is a big fat $$$$ scam.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:17:38 +0000

It’s a lot easier to use up more data on a laptop than it is on a phone. I presume that’s what they are trying to limit.

By: EddieW

EddieW — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:38:01 +0000

Maybe my case is unique, but I found my Fuze and Advantage to each be much more expensive than my iPhone so far. For example, I’ve already added quite a few (almost 50) apps, games, and utilities to my iPhone. I’ve spent about $80 so far which is about the cost of only three or four of my WinMo apps. I’ve far surpassed the number of aps on my iPhone and have pretty much fully replicated my WinMo experience. As to the service costs, they are exatly as with WinMo. And for the devices themselves, I spent more for either the Advantage or Fuze than for my iPhone.

By: EddieW

EddieW — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:29:18 +0000

Interesting idea but I don’t see a tablet version of the Wind yet. My profs *really* frown on typing during class but writing on tablets is okay with them. I do like the idea of Leopard though. I was playing with an Air at the store the other day and the interface is nice. I’m still not ready to give up being a PC yet, though!

By: GoodThings2Life

GoodThings2Life — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:29:29 +0000

Doesn’t really matter if it’s $55 total or $55 extra, owning an iPhone is still more expensive than pretty much every solution available, and not by a trivial sum of cash.

By: Rick Huizinga

Rick Huizinga — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:18:16 +0000

If the data plan has a usage limit, then I agree that the user should be able to use the data in any manner they see fit.

The problem with the “unlimited data” model is that the carrier does not have sufficient bandwidth to provide unlimited data should many users decide to use it.

I would very much prefer if AT&T offered me the choice of either:
1) Unlimited data for use on the iPhone (without tethering) for $30, or
2) 1GB of data for use on the iPhone and/or tethering for $30

By: HG

HG — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:43:37 +0000

If the price holds out to be true, I don’t see to many users adding this extra to their plan. 30.00 would be max in my opinion. I would like to have 20.00 tethering that would be great. I have been using tethering for many years; use to have a verizon card but after tethering with BT was more easy then I just canceled the card. I do use the USB cable as well.

By: HG

HG — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:40:05 +0000

Eddie you could also pickup a MIS Wind and install Leopard on it, and you’ll have nice laptop to take notes and your iPhone.

By: inksim

inksim — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:21:21 +0000

Data is data however it is used. I don’t pay more or less for voice calls depending on the number I call as long as I stay in the allotted monthly limit. Why data should be different?

By: tabletenvy

tabletenvy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:47:28 +0000

It seems ludicrous to me that tethering for the iPhone should involve an extra surcharge.

I’m currently tethering in Canada on the Rogers network. It’s a marvelous asset in the field when making housecalls, because it allows me to access my electronic medical records via my tablet PC.

However, even with that added utility, the prospect of paying extra would give me pause for thought…

By: EddieW

EddieW — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:28:16 +0000

Nope, take that back, I would still need my tablet for school. Even though I can read the professor’s Blackboard documents and postings with my iPhone, I’d still need to take notes during class and the tablet is the perfect solution for me to do that.

Unless I get the Pulse Smartpen and take notes, then convert to text and save to my iPhone for reference. Hmmmm, sounds like an experiment coming on to me!!

By: EddieW

EddieW — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:27:00 +0000

When I was using my Advantage and Fuze before getting iPhone, I found that I was tethering a lot of the time to get stuff done (e-mail, websurfing, facebook, blog, twitter, etc.) because the WinMo interface was too clunky. Now that I’ve switched, I find that I rarely need to go back to a PC for anything. With iPhone, I can keep on top of my e-mail easily, I can update and keep track of facebook, I can update my blog wherever I am (and can even type long blogs by working a little bit saving it and working a little bit later), Tweetdeck is great for Twitter, and so on. Now if that keyboard would hurry up and come out for iPhone, I most likely wouldn’t need a PC at all…..

By: cybertactix

cybertactix — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:26:51 +0000

I’m a Windows Mobile user and a big fan of tethering, but the emergence of devices like Verizon’s MiFi and what may be a trend among carriers of tying SIM cards to specific devices has me thinking about whether the way of the future might be mobile hotspot and a phone with wifi but no 3G connectivity as an economical alternative to tethering.

By: tivoboy

tivoboy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:21:07 +0000

yes, I think it could be 50-55$ TOTAL for the unlimited data/tethering plan. That would make a lot more sense.