Great day for the Evo 4G and Sprint

[phantomevo77]

Thank god I am ending my contract with them tomorrow and only paying $120 ETF, screw the new ATT bullshit they are doing... HELLO AND WELCOME BACK SPRINT!!!

 

[ab500]

This isn't about what we can do now or how much data we use now, it's about the future of mobile broadband.

You have to see the trend, look what cellular providers did to the traditional land line, completely obliterated it. The same will happen to high-speed internet connections in a matter of time.

This kind of data capping kills innovation, absolutely. I wrote a small article sharing my thoughts here: AT&T Takes a Step Backwards - Go, Forward .

We're never going to see innovation with crap like this coming down the pipes. You don't need consumers paranoid to open Pandora for fear of $10 overage fees.

The future will involve more bandwidth, not less of it.

 

[SprintFun]

Very good article ab.

 

[Nem_Zero]

This is still 100% complete and unadulterated fail. I wonder how their four man trapezoid table meetings go...

ATT3: "Thanks for coming to the meeting guys. I know it's early and we're all just getting in. Today's meeting starts at 10:08 am. What are we discussing today?"

ATT2: "Hmm.. we need to figure out a way to assure our customers we're thinking about them. Be sure to come up with a very strong 'hustling backwards' concept."

ATT1: "I know what we'll do! We'll create a committee to create a committee to think about how to properly handle our customers."

ATT3: "That's a great idea... but we're going to need customer feedback We need to include them to make sure they feel appreciated in our process."

ATT4: "How about we tweak our end customer contracts and raise the price to leave to tell them how much we love them and want them to stay!? Better yet! Let's charge them to-.."

ATT2: "Whoa whoa! Save that for the committee's committee! You're doing too much! It's like 10:15..Let's go grab lunch at the karaoke spot. Good work today guys."

ATT4: "Schweet, ..I'll bust out my iPhone's T-Pain app and get my Bobby Brown on. King of R&D!"

Smh

 

[carmendiva]

This is still 100% complete and unadulterated fail. I wonder how their four man trapezoid table meetings go...

ATT3: "Thanks for coming to the meeting guys. I know it's early and we're all just getting in. Today's meeting starts at 10:08 am. What are we discussing today?"

ATT2: "Hmm.. we need to figure out a way to assure our customers we're thinking about them. Be sure to come up with a very strong 'hustling backwards' concept."

ATT1: "I know what we'll do! We'll create a committee to create a committee to think about how to properly handle our customers."

ATT3: "That's a great idea... but we're going to need customer feedback We need to include them to make sure they feel appreciated in our process."

ATT4: "How about we tweak our end customer contracts and raise the price to leave to tell them how much we love them and want them to stay!? Better yet! Let's charge them to-.."

ATT2: "Whoa whoa! Save that for the committee's committee! You're doing too much! It's like 10:15..Let's go grab lunch at the karaoke spot. Good work today guys."

ATT4: "Schweet, ..I'll bust out my iPhone's T-Pain app and get my Bobby Brown on. King of R&D!"

Smh

lol my first morning laugh

 

[Fonseca]

Geez .... the new iPhone is different because AT&T said "Current AT&T subscribers will be allowed to keep the unlimited plan, even if they renew their contracts. But all new subscribers will have to choose one of the two new plans". They didn't state that on the original to 3G change. Helllllo ...... anyone home?

It wouldn't shock me if the new iPhone is treated differently. Kind of like the EVO and SERO. You cannot use an EVO on the SERO plan, you have to get an EVO specific plan. Perhaps AT&T will let people renew their contract once with the iPhone, but when the next iPhone comes around, they'll get them. And like I said, I wouldn't be shocked if every phone BUT the iPhone will be allowed to have a contract renewal.

 

[IOWA]

"What do you mean the evo is mine?"

"You represent me now. What you think, ima let you roll in a hyundai?"

- fast and the furious: tokyo drift


This quote applies in so many ways lmfao....

Tapatalk. Samsung Moment. Yep.

 

[evotitans]

The iPhone always gets treated differently. I am willing to bet that the next iPhone will force people to get one of the new plans if you want to get it subsidized, even if something like the backflip doesn't. But that's my personal opinion.

This is something that I highly think will happen. AT&T is not stupid, you wouldnt be making all these changes in ETF and Plans unless you have it for something to roll out.

Why all of a sudden now??? June 7th of all days...when the new iPhone is possibly annouced?

Its a perfect plan...first there is no way that the new iPhone, w/ its higher specs is going to cost AT&T the same unit price as say a 3Gs. Guess what happens when the higher cost happens? AT&T applies the new iPhone to the new Data plans.

Then what? Wouldnt the previous subscribers have to move to the new Data plans for the new iPhone....oh and since you would be renewing that contract there, now applies the new ETF.

Im just saying iPhone users should not be shock if/when this happens.

Regardless AT&T is shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[SprintFun]

MacRumors is reporting that AT&T is saying existing iPhone customers can keep their data plans even when the next iPhone comes out, so looks like I was wrong.

Still screwing over new people - seems like this is something that won't show its head for a while though.

 

[Synthetickiller]

I'm leaving AT&T as well, for 2 reasons:

1. My iPhone is over rated, slow, locked down and useless without a jail break. I can use up to and over 2gb a month, especially if I tether it. Now if I wanted a 4G iphone, I'd have to pay more, actually get a worse plan (eventually, they'd sucker me into a new plan b/c it's a new top tier phone). It costs too much, period.

2. My signal in New Orleans sucks. I'd say a 45 minute conversation drops 2 to 6 times during the call. Their service is horrible in my area and people with Sprint, who I know, don't lose signal or calls, period. AT&T charges too much for service that works half the time.

The fact that Apple releases a product and expects you to buy it every year to get stupid upgrades that can be done on current hardware pisses me off. That coupled w/ AT&Ts poor customer support & lousy service has driven me to eat the $125 end contract fee (BS that all providers do) and switch to Sprint.

 

[Wrxdrunkie]

That is incorrect. The new ETF is for ANYONE (new or existing customers) who buys a Smartphone from AT&T starting now. The new DATA PLANS are only for NEW SUBSCRIBERS (or old subs getting data for the first time).

So much incorrect information is being disseminated.

Was I not clear? If you bought an iphone before June, your ETF is not increased. If you buy a new iphone now, your ETF is higher.

 

[nycbhh]

I don’t know why so many people are talking about how this new pricing is going to send people flying from AT&T when, for a good amount of people, this would now make their iPhone plans cheaper than if they were to move over to Sprint. Comparing the 450 minute Sprint to AT&T plans, here are some of the price points now available to iPhone Customers.

No messaging, 200 mb of data = $54.99
200 texts, 200 mb of data = $59.99
1500 texts, 200 mb of data = $69.99
200 texts, 2gb of data = $69.99
1500 texts, 2gb of data = $79.99

The lowest option for an EVO owner:

Sprint’s Everything Data plus $10 EVO charge = $79.99

Of course, that $79.99 does include a lot more, like unlimited texts, no data cap and USB tethering. But the point is that is the lowest option that Sprint is offering while AT&T is now offering a lot of lower options for those that don’t use that much data and/or don’t need a messaging package due to texting through Google Voice and other apps (or just not being texters at all - believe it or not there are still some people that are not into texting). Take my partner for instance. He rarely sends texts (and when he does it’s through Google Voice), rarely browses the internet, and basically just needs a data plan to send/receive the occasional email and use Google maps, so 250mb would be plenty for him. He’s staying with the iPhone and his plan will now be:

450 minutes = 49.99
200 mbs of data = $15
Total = $64.99

So we’re saving $15 by him not also getting an EVO and $15 off of his previous AT&T iPhone plan. And once I have root, he’ll even be able to tether off my hotspot every time we’re together (get your minds out of the gutter )

On the other hand, I have a feeling AT&T is betting iChat and front-facing camera on the new iPhone will push users to consume a lot more data then they did before. Luckily, my partner is still perfectly happy with his 3G.

 

[Shawnz]

I'm also a current AT&T customer bailing to Sprint / EVO 4G.

I see this as a desperate move on AT&T's part. I think they 'need' to run people off. Their network is choking on itself as it is. New iPhone models and their '6 new Andriod phones this summer' are NOT going to bode well for their infrastructure.

When it works, AT&T is great. When it goes to crap, your phone is a paper weight.

I'm looking forward to Sprint.

 

[DUBious]

all in all this is nothing but a bad move from ATT from a sales stand point. i sell 3 of the major carriers, when you tell a customer they have a "x" limit of data they can use it only confuses them and if they do get that service, their too scared to even take advantage of what their entitled. and now to give them two options is only gonna make it worse. it is so much easier for the customer to make their decision based on words like "unlimited".

 

[evotitans]

I see this as a desperate move on AT&T's part. I think they 'need' to run people off. Their network is choking on itself as it is. New iPhone models and their '6 new Andriod phones this summer' are NOT going to bode well for their infrastructure.

When it works, AT&T is great. When it goes to crap, your phone is a paper weight.

I'm looking forward to Sprint.

Even if it does sound like an illogical solution, it might be what AT&T's network needs. I think they are crippled in trying to improve their 3G Network....sure it might be labeled as the fastest, but how much does that rely on the moon and stars aligning for you to get a perfect 3G signal?

I am more curious about Steve Job's quote about how it would be great for the iPhone to be on two networks. What if that is true, and there is already a model set for release?

 

[companyman]

This is pricing for the future.

Right now, like ATT said, 2GB and over is probably not the norm for smart phone users. 3 years from now? Hah..just wait. Add in tethered devices to the mix..what do you think data usage is going to look like? It's only going to grow by leaps and bounds every year. We are right at the edge of a data explosion. Hence the pricing change.

ATT is there to make money. They WILL make money off of this long term. They are giving up short term financial gains for long term ones. Verizon is probably going to follow suit soon as well. Smart move for them, potentially bad move for consumers.

 

[twospirits]

Very good article ab.

I agree.

"What do you mean the evo is mine?"

"You represent me now. What you think, ima let you roll in a hyundai?"
- fast and the furious: tokyo drift

This quote applies in so many ways lmfao....

Tapatalk. Samsung Moment. Yep.

haha, another Hyundai jab. It won't be so funny when you get hit with my ban stick which btw is made by Hyundai Industries.

TS out

 

[IOWA]

I don’t know why so many people are talking about how this new pricing is going to send people flying from AT&T when, for a good amount of people, this would now make their iPhone plans cheaper than if they were to move over to Sprint. Comparing the 450 minute Sprint to AT&T plans, here are some of the price points now available to iPhone Customers.

No messaging, 200 mb of data = $54.99
200 texts, 200 mb of data = $59.99
1500 texts, 200 mb of data = $69.99
200 texts, 2gb of data = $69.99
1500 texts, 2gb of data = $79.99

The lowest option for an EVO owner:

Sprint’s Everything Data plus $10 EVO charge = $79.99

Of course, that $79.99 does include a lot more, like unlimited texts, no data cap and USB tethering. But the point is that is the lowest option that Sprint is offering while AT&T is now offering a lot of lower options for those that don’t use that much data and/or don’t need a messaging package due to texting through Google Voice and other apps (or just not being texters at all - believe it or not there are still some people that are not into texting). Take my partner for instance. He rarely sends texts (and when he does it’s through Google Voice), rarely browses the internet, and basically just needs a data plan to send/receive the occasional email and use Google maps, so 250mb would be plenty for him. He’s staying with the iPhone and his plan will now be:

450 minutes = 49.99
200 mbs of data = $15
Total = $64.99

So we’re saving $15 by him not also getting an EVO and $15 off of his previous AT&T iPhone plan. And once I have root, he’ll even be able to tether off my hotspot every time we’re together (get your minds out of the gutter )

On the other hand, I have a feeling AT&T is betting iChat and front-facing camera on the new iPhone will push users to consume a lot more data then they did before. Luckily, my partner is still perfectly happy with his 3G.

Problem here is, your talking old generation. I'm pulling this out of my rear here, but id be willing to bet at least 90% of people in my generation use text/data quite a bit, and this would affect them. The next generation, it is probably a higher percentage. Att isn't looking towards the future here. They are living in the past, and that's just not good business sense.

Not to mention cheap prepaid unlimited calling/text plans for light users. Most dumbphone users will be on prepaid, and probably with a shift of the smartphone segment to prepaid in the not so distant future as well.

Tapatalk. Samsung Moment. Yep.

 

[Tan Stewie]

I am dumping AT&T at 8:30 on Friday morning. (Thank you for the early appointment, Best Buy.) I liked them the first 2 years, but their service has gone down hill over the past year. Signal strength and data footprint seems to have worsened in the same areas. I have family and friends on Sprint and they are very happy. With the Evo, I expect I will be too!

 

[samstod]

Here's how this works. AT&T is going to lose a bit of money in the short term on this plan. The people who use barely any data will cost them $15, and the ones that use a normal amount will cost them $5. This is fine for them - they are setting themselves up for the long term.

We used to have pay as you go Internet in the US. When the companies started to fight over subscribers (and the telecos dropped per-minute charges for local calls), everyone moved to unlimited plans. Now, you can't charge people a data or time rate for internet without them flipping out and moving to a new provider. Every internet company is stuck doing unlimited, and has to charge for speed upgrades. $20 for 768k, $29 for 2 meg, $39 for 5 meg, etc. It's the only way to get more money out of their service, but they can still 'lose money' on subscribers who download a lot of movies and games.

AT&T has figured out how to get people used to paying for data on their phones. They set the cap at something that most people don't go over (2 gigs) and most people will save some money. But they are now getting used to paying for the amount of data they use, not a flat fee. As phones start to tether more, streaming video, music, moving to higher and higher download speeds, people will be used to paying more for their usage. All of a sudden, steaming that MLB game will cost you $1 or more in usage costs. It's now a cost of doing business that people are okay with, instead of an extra fee. Kind of like making a 2 hour call at 1pm. You know its going to eat into your minutes, but if you have to, you have to. AT&T can promote people using as much internet as they want on their mobiles instead of trying to In the long run, AT&T will make more money. Expect others to follow suit.

Also, I'll take bets that when LTE comes to AT&T, existing customers will have the option of getting the LTE plan (with a somewhat more generous cap...say $25 for 5 gigs now), or keeping their unlimited 3G. If they do offer unlimited LTE, they can charge a SIGNIFICANTLY higher price. Say $90 a month, and throw in 'free' tethering.

 

[kayst]

I would welcome a tiered plan with reasonable limits and costs if they would just do one thing: when you exceed your plan limit, billing should automatically put you into the next tier for that month only, returning to your normal tier the next month. No excessive overage costs. In other words, charge based on a bracket of Gigs, based on what you used each month: 0-1G=x$, 1-3G=x$, 3-5G=x$, etc. That way, if you want to tether and use a lot of bandwidth you pay for it.

Having to guess ahead of time what you're going to be using, then paying exorbitantly if you go over or having to monitor yourself and manually change plans every month is not very customer-friendly.

 

[nycbhh]

Problem here is, your talking old generation. I'm pulling this out of my rear here, but id be willing to bet at least 90% of people in my generation use text/data quite a bit, and this would affect them.

Oh I totally agree with you. Everyone is going to be using more and more data as tech advances. I'm just addressing the notion that this new price plan is going to send people flying from AT&T right now. For many people, this new pricing structure can be a good deal. Until they start getting into video conferencing that is.

 

[woofermazing]

5 bucks says the new iPhone will be able to directly download songs from iTunes.

AT&T's network quality should improve though, since their customers will be paranoid about data and minute overages.

 

[Rigmaster]

Here's how this works. AT&T is going to lose a bit of money in the short term on this plan. The people who use barely any data will cost them $15, and the ones that use a normal amount will cost them $5. This is fine for them - they are setting themselves up for the long term.

We used to have pay as you go Internet in the US. When the companies started to fight over subscribers (and the telecos dropped per-minute charges for local calls), everyone moved to unlimited plans. Now, you can't charge people a data or time rate for internet without them flipping out and moving to a new provider. Every internet company is stuck doing unlimited, and has to charge for speed upgrades. $20 for 768k, $29 for 2 meg, $39 for 5 meg, etc. It's the only way to get more money out of their service, but they can still 'lose money' on subscribers who download a lot of movies and games.

AT&T has figured out how to get people used to paying for data on their phones. They set the cap at something that most people don't go over (2 gigs) and most people will save some money. But they are now getting used to paying for the amount of data they use, not a flat fee. As phones start to tether more, streaming video, music, moving to higher and higher download speeds, people will be used to paying more for their usage. All of a sudden, steaming that MLB game will cost you $1 or more in usage costs. It's now a cost of doing business that people are okay with, instead of an extra fee. Kind of like making a 2 hour call at 1pm. You know its going to eat into your minutes, but if you have to, you have to. AT&T can promote people using as much internet as they want on their mobiles instead of trying to In the long run, AT&T will make more money. Expect others to follow suit.

Also, I'll take bets that when LTE comes to AT&T, existing customers will have the option of getting the LTE plan (with a somewhat more generous cap...say $25 for 5 gigs now), or keeping their unlimited 3G. If they do offer unlimited LTE, they can charge a SIGNIFICANTLY higher price. Say $90 a month, and throw in 'free' tethering.

That's a pretty optimistic perspective, but I see your point. IMO though, metered pricing is a lot different than tiered. By the byte is never going to work for ATT or any other carrier no matter how it's sold.

Will people leave in droves - sure. And you can bet as people find out how low that cap is, they're not going to react well to first cap, second cap, third cap, and then each GB. They won't have 1-2 years to see if this works. They'll have a few months. These new plans are as much about knowing that the network is about to get taxed into inoperability again by the next iPhone and trying to get the heavy users to stop.

Those heavy users are profitable. Any of them not tied to iPhone or Berry are in play now. Trust me, this is BIG, BIG, trouble for ATT.

 

[binxer]

It's ludicrous that you have to pay $20 to tether for the 2GB data plan.... but you don't get any more data. If you're tethering everyday, it's pretty much a given you'll go over 2 GB. One of the dumbest things I've ever seen.