What, you thought that the new upgraded and improved version of the iPhone would seriously be $200 dollars cheaper (in other words subsidized because you know that the device cost more than that to make) and would be treated differently then any other subsidized phone? At&t is going back to business as usual with this version of the iPhone, with the exception of allowing for an early upgraded discount price no questions asked for signing a new two year agreement, which is not allowed with any other phone except in extenuating circumstances (and that is across all U.S. carriers). At&t is also subsidizing this phone more than any other phone they have ever carried ($400 is nothing to scoff at by any means). This is the main reason for the price hike in the data and messaging plans that you have seen over the previous iPhone, and to be fair the only reason that the data plan was less on the old iPhone was because at&t was not subsidizing it as they did traditionally on other smart phones that they charged $30 on for unlimited web and no text included. Although the cost of running in 3G is also a factor, to be more accurate 3G networks cost less to run per kb/min because they are more spectrally efficient (they can handle more info in the same amount of air space), they just happen to get a lot more usage on the data side due to the faster access and greater willingness to adopt for that purpose.
And lets look at the messaging. This is pretty straight forward, the family messaging covers the family, it is not listed as iPhone family messaging just family messaging. Do you really need at&t to hold your hand and illustrate every detail in pictures to understand what they have laid out perfectly clearly in writing? Hmmm.
Finally, in regards to the complicated qualifications for the upgrade discount eligibly, the qualifications only become complicated if at&t decides to allow you to upgrade early because you are good customer, or make you wait because you are a deadbeat and don?t pay your bill (doesn?t seem that complicated to me). Standard upgrades are allowed at 20 months, which is 4 months before the 2 year contract ends. The customer can loose this right by not paying their bill regularly, (and it has to happen more than once). If the customer is a big spender then at&t will sometimes give consideration to that and allow for an earlier eligibility. (if you spent upwards of $2,000 a year for air wouldn?t you like some kind of consideration for that yourself?).
Nobody is perfect, but Apple and at&t have come out with a world class device combined with the fasted mobile web access available in the U.S. which is tied for the best coverage nationwide (according to Telefia which is an independent testing company. Sprint and T-Mobile don?t even come close). Remember too that these are publicly traded companies and they are legally bound to work in the best interest of the stock holders as well. As far as I can see both companies have done an amazing job of balancing between the task of pleasing the customer as well as their stock holders. There is always room for improvement, but this looks like a step in the right direction.
And lets look at the messaging. This is pretty straight forward, the family messaging covers the family, it is not listed as iPhone family messaging just family messaging. Do you really need at&t to hold your hand and illustrate every detail in pictures to understand what they have laid out perfectly clearly in writing? Hmmm.
Finally, in regards to the complicated qualifications for the upgrade discount eligibly, the qualifications only become complicated if at&t decides to allow you to upgrade early because you are good customer, or make you wait because you are a deadbeat and don?t pay your bill (doesn?t seem that complicated to me). Standard upgrades are allowed at 20 months, which is 4 months before the 2 year contract ends. The customer can loose this right by not paying their bill regularly, (and it has to happen more than once). If the customer is a big spender then at&t will sometimes give consideration to that and allow for an earlier eligibility. (if you spent upwards of $2,000 a year for air wouldn?t you like some kind of consideration for that yourself?).
Nobody is perfect, but Apple and at&t have come out with a world class device combined with the fasted mobile web access available in the U.S. which is tied for the best coverage nationwide (according to Telefia which is an independent testing company. Sprint and T-Mobile don?t even come close). Remember too that these are publicly traded companies and they are legally bound to work in the best interest of the stock holders as well. As far as I can see both companies have done an amazing job of balancing between the task of pleasing the customer as well as their stock holders. There is always room for improvement, but this looks like a step in the right direction.
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