No Bundled Texts with iPhone 3g? AT&T prepares to rake customers over coals for new phone.
According to an article from GigaOM the CEO of AT&T Mobility snuck into an interview with Om Malik, that there would no longer be bundled text messages included with iPhone 3g minute plans:
OM: Has there been a change in the cost of data plans?
RDLV: The data plans are different on the 3G iPhone vs. the 2G iPhone. Consumers will pay $30 a month every month, while enterprises will pay $45 a month. This is what you pay us on other PDA devices such as BlackBerry Curve. The SMS messages are not bundled anymore, and you pay for what you want. Again, the prices are based on what you buy.
So let me get this straight AT&T. Not only are you charging me $30 for unlimited data now instead of $20, but you’re taking away the 200 SMS messages that were available previously. Talk about raking your new customers over the coals. I mean I’m aware that 3g data costs more, and that you’re now giving a subsidy on the phone, but when your lowest minute plan comes to around $39.95 and you are adding another $30 for data, adding up to a $70 bill, WITHOUT any texts, it’s a little on the ridiculous side.
Now I’m going to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on this one. My estimate was based on the current minute plans that we’re for iPhone version 1, just adding $10 for the additional 3g data. No official iPhone 3g minute plans have been released yet. But seriously, if anything, the prices are only going to go up. This unfortunately, will put off a lot of the people that the $199 price point of the iPhone attracted in the first place!
What are you thinking AT&T!? If anything, you should be giving a better deal to attract more customers!
I am seriously considering buying a new iPhone when they are released. The $199 price point is fantastic. So lets say I sign this 2 year contract for 900 minutes and 1000 texts a month (around the amount I usually use) That would probably be a $69.99 minute plan, plus $29.99 for the data, and another $14.99 for the texts. That’s a bill of WELL over $130 after taxes and fees. That makes me very much NOT want to purchase an iPhone, and I think the prospect of that will make a lot of people feel the same way. Especially considering that my similar plan on T-Mobile for my Windows Mobile phone costs me less than $100 per month.
I can only hope that AT&T will see the error of it’s ways, and put together a $99.99 totally unlimited iPhone plan, including unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data. Because, that’s about the only way I’ll be getting one now.
Good job on screwing the pooch after all AT&T. Good job.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I was planning on upgrading my current iPhone and my wife’s iphone to the 3G but charging extra for texts is the final straw. I was prepared to pay the extra for 3G service, and even though the difference is 10 dollars total, I can’t give in to this slap in the face. AT&T has ruined what could have been an amazing launch. I was one of the people who waited overnight for the original 600 dollar iphone, and I planned on doing the same for the 3G model. Now I will stay on my current contract which expires in a year, rather then signing 2 phones to a new 2 year contract. I feel like this is a gross slap in the face.