[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Open Letter to Apple: Go Easy on the Fees here

[DTNick]

I'm not sure if Apple really has much to do with the service contract and fees--that's usually the carrier's domain. That said, I agree; more flexible plan options would be nice.

[AverageBob]

"I am a college student and money is usually tight. I admit I could probably raise funds to buy a new iPod, but the last thing I want is to pay $30 a month for it after that for data service."
How is Apple responsible for how much AT&T charges you for a data plan? By the way the $30 fee that AT&T charges is the same whether the phone is Windows Mobile or Blackberry or iPhone. You might legitimately complain about not being able to use Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile with your iPhone, but those companies charge as much or more for an unlimited data plan.
"I recently read you have been talking with Verizon Wireless about bringing a smaller and less expensive iPhone to its network. Less expensive is good, but what about those monthly data fees?"
Even if Apple got a device on Verizon's network, Apple cannot dictate what Verizon charges or are you implying that you should not be charged at all for using their network.
"Comcast is lucky I pay my $45 every month to have Internet access at home; don't expect I'll bend over and pay for access to the same Internet twice."
You do realize that Comcast is not AT&T or Verizon right? You paid Comcast to use their network but that network does not extend much outside your home. You pay AT&T or whoever to use their network which is in lots of places. I'm curious as to why are you singling out Apple? Can you use internet on a Blackberry without paying for that service? Or any Windows Mobile phone?

[Intrepid781]

No, you can't use them on a windows mobile or blackberry phone but what I think he was trying to convey there was that he doesn't need a mandatory data plan. And LOL on the app mention, cause, you know, theres an app for everything, right?

[lordmorgul]

Yes, some people would love a limited transfer data plan... but then again the plan being sold right now is actually a limited plan which is called 'unlimited' but which means nothing of the sort. No tethering means limited. As long as that is what they are selling, count me out.

[pwales]

How is it that you are thinking that you pay $30 a month for a data plan for an iPod touch? It's and iPod not an iPhone... I have a touch and I don't pay for a data plan, it's incapable of it. Is it possible you are misinformed about the itouch or did you mean iPhone in your article?

[cystarkman]

Well
1) there has been an app for MMS since before there were apps. So yes, there is an app for that and now there is no need for an app for that. (I also have felt it tedious since I CHOSE not to jailbreak but I also find it tedious being charged sending MMS to people when nearly no one does get them properly)
2) not sure if you use windows or OSX or Linux but dude if you think Apple is meant to rip your DVD's for you and end up in court with Real Networks, then you are just bone lazy. There is plenty of free software for ripping DVD's, I have a nice collection of cult classics sitting in iTunes and spent no money on software to do it.
3) if you can find an internet provider that charges once and lets you access it from anywhere share it with the world.
Being a cool university student writing PC World articles must leave you starving and barely able to afford your lofty position as a tech writer. One imagines the jibes your fellow PC World writers must stick you with as they use the latest cool gear on company internet.
I'd recommend you dump the $45 you pay Comcast and opt up for $30 a month and get Internet everywhere and not just your bedroom.

[mdg1019]

"I'd recommend you dump the $45 you pay Comcast and opt up for $30 a month and get Internet everywhere and not just your bedroom."
LOL Get real. 3G is pathetically slow compared to any real broadband connection. I would highly recommend to the author to not buy an iPhone. They're overpriced toys. They're not very good phones and they certainly aren't anything that resembles even an entry level computing experience. I have only one iPhone app that I use on a regular basis. It's a shopping list program. I've downloaded a lot of apps. Most have been free, but some I've paid for. From what I've read about the studies done, I like other iPhone users download apps and use them for a very brief period of time and then never open them again.
Bottomline, the iPhone is probably the most overhyped electronic device to ever hit the market.

[cystarkman]

@ mdg1019

Oh I forgot, you mob live in the USA with a "third world" mobile network barely out of the 90's. (cellular i think you quaintly call it)

Sorry, I should remember that after all the articles begging in the USA for the iPhone to be ported to the clapped out early 90's CDMA network. Yawn.

Your other off topic ramblings bagging your own phone are insightful I suppose.

As a humble suggestion, In the settings for your iPhone there is a novel feature called "WiFi". Now I'm not sure if you mob over there are up to this yet, but its a rather advanced form of "cellular", it might help you with the speed issues you mention on the antiquated version of 3G that is slowly being 'carted out' (we say 'rolled out' over here but that suggests some speed to the process).

Now you will need to find something called a wireless router, though you might find people understand 'hot spot' better.

Legend has it that you get "free" access (for your $30/mth) to WiFi with an iPhone in some of the more modern villages and hamlets spread through the USA.

I gotta tell you, watching YouTube videos load real time via 3G (not even full bars) while sitting on a bush toilet where no broadband is the first time from a technological perspective that I was glad I didn't live in the USA.

LOL, all jokes. At least you get decent rates, we get stiffed over here for our 'first world' access

[mdg1019]

"As a humble suggestion,
In the settings for your iPhone there is a novel feature called "WiFi"."

Really, gee, thanks for letting me know. I'm so glad there's somebody out there to enlighten us ignorant Americans. (Tha't sarcasm in case your too stupid to catch the clue.)

Dude, I'll agree that we have a second rate internet infracture in this country, but I'll take my wonderful country over whereever you're from any day.

[dawaco]

I can relate to this. The current quid pro quo the cable/internet/mobile fatcats believe in are helping to break the "great unwashed". As an individual, I spend much too much of my blue-collar cash on second rate connectivity and service.
Have a question - Just why do you have to have TWO separate plans for ONE device anyway? Why do you need a voice plan and a data plan? ONE device ONE plan! And for all this hype the service providers try to create over the "newest" or the "latest" mousetrap, why don't they concentrate on providing first class service?
Justed venting out.

[stapenella]

It's easy to rely heavily on WiFi when your country is the size of an average State

[mdg1019]

"Have a question - Just
why do you have to have TWO separate plans for ONE device anyway?"

Good question. With AT&T you have the basic voice plan, then you go from there. Everything else is an extra add on. By the time you get adding all of the extras onto your service it get extremely expensive. Really sucks, but if you want an iPhone, there's no other option. Some of the other wireless companies have all-in-one plans, but in the end they really don't seem to be any cheaper than what AT&T charges. Please note, I really haven't done any price comparisons in about a year. So that may have changed. I'm locked into AT&T till December. At that time, I'm going to dump my iPhone and if I can find a better deal elsewhere AT&T too. I was a very satisfied customer with Cingular, but since AT&T bought them out, the service has gotten more expensive and crappier. Their customer service people are extremely rude and it takes forever to get even the simplest of problems fixed.

[AverageBob]

My point is that he is griping at Apple for things that AT&T controls. Apple might have some influence over AT&T, but how much the plans is and whether the the plan is mandatory is controlled by AT&T not Apple. Again you might gripe at Apple for giving exclusivity to AT&T but gripes about AT&T's pricing and control and lack options of data plans should be directed at AT&T. I suspect AT&T made the plan mandatory because they subsidize the iPhone like they do with all other phones and want to recoup their subsidy. Why do you think you can get free phones from any wireless company? They lock you into a 2 year contract and make their money back over that period. The gripe isn't honest.



If the author didn't want a mandatory plan, he has 2 choices. (1) He can buy the unsubsidized, unlocked iPhone for $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB) from AT&T. (2) If he doesn't want the phone functionality, the iPod touch has all the functionality of the iPhone minus the phone (and thus the data plan). The iPod touch does have wireless. (3) Get another smartphone. But I suspect this is a case of the author wanting everything his way.

[PhotosyntheticApplePi]

I agree. I would love an iPhone with no data plan. Just an iPod Touch with basic cell phone abilities built in.

[mpheadley]

Detour:
I'm mostly interested in this quote:
"my iPod, like the two before it, mysteriously started acting quirky as soon as you released a new model."
I've never heard this before. How many other people have experienced this?

[mdg1019]

mpheadley said:

Detour:

I'm mostly interested in this quote:

"my iPod, like the two before it, mysteriously started acting quirky as soon as you released a new model."

I've never heard this before. How many other people have experienced this?

All three of my iPods I've owned could be considered quirky. One totally died after about 18 months of use. The other two have problems working in both high and low temperature settings. I'm not talking about extremely high or low temperatures either. I really don't think it has anything to do with a new release, but as unscrupulous as most large businesses are nowadays, who knows.

[mpheadley]

My wife has a touch, and with a buch of accessories that we bought off craigslist really cheap we got a broken 3rd or 4th I dunno generation audio ipod that is pretty much dead. My wife messed with it because we do get the apple logo to appear on the screen and there are numerous things on the web you can try to get it back to life, but no go.

Hopefully Apple is not making these things shoddy on purpose so they will fail after a year or two and you go out and buy a new one. And I really hope that they are making the touch with quality capacitors and stuff!

[ivorycruncher]

Okay, I'll agree with the basis of the gripe in this article, but not the direction it's aimed. Apple has nothing to do with the price charged for the data service plan. That's all AT&T. And honestly, it's nothing new. You said you were on Verizon. Verizon Wireless REQUIRES you to buy a $30/month data service plan with ANY smart phone they currently sell. And if you want to be able to tether your smart phone to a laptop for full mobile internet, that will cost you an extra $15/month on Verizon. The iPhone, should they be so lucky to get one, would fall into that same category.
That said, I agree that the rates are outrageous. Unlimited data shouldn't cost any more than $20 a month at most, in my opinion, partly because due to the nature of the devices, there's no way you can get the whole browsing experience on a mobile device, like you could on a PC. Mobile carriers either need to start charging reasonable fees, or get their networks into the 21st century. At the very least, you should be able to buy a smart phone without a data plan. With WiFi coverage expanding more and more, you often don't need the data plan, but that's probably why carriers are locking you into the data plans, because they wouldn't make any money otherwise because you'd be using WiFi most of the time.

[rem736]

here we go again. another reporter who doesn't know what he's talking about. first, it's an ipod that he mentioned, which is not tied to any carrier (it's not a phone). and if he actually meant the iphone, he's blaming apple for what the carrier charges for a data plan. apple has nothing to do with it.