Unlimited 3G actually unlimited? Can we use air video, netflix, ABC, etc?

[fs454]

I'm on the fence about selling my Wi Fi iPad and getting the 3G on friday. I know how awful AT&T is with using the network for anything remotely near demanding on iPhones, but how is this gonna work with the iPad, and all these heavyweight network apps?

Is there fine print or anything anywhere that says what we can and can't do? Are we going to be able to use Air Video and Netflix, among other stuff?

Thanks

 

[gibbz]

It is truly unlimited, per AT&T.

 

[antiprotest]

I saw somewhere that the AT&T CEO said that it is really unlimited.

Right now I assume this means the total monthly usage is truly unlimited, but I would still expect a per item limit (like the 20MB limit on the iphone) and something like Netflix to be blocked. Not sure. Just guessing.

 

[mikes63737]

So if this gets true unlimited 3G, does that mean the iPhone will get true unlimited 3G too?

AT&T should not be able to advertise a service as unlimited if there are ANY restrictions at all... including which apps you can use, and the 20 MB app rule. If it's unlimited, let me use it as much as and how I want!

 

[milhouse994]

The amount of data that you can use may be unlimited, but that doesn't mean that there won't be restrictions on which apps will work over 3G.

 

[bbtrinet]

AT&T should not be able to advertise a service as unlimited if there are ANY restrictions at all...

I agree in theory....

but the US Courts ruled years ago that terms like 'unlimited' can be interpreted as 'unlimited for the AVERAGE user'. I think it was in a case where there was an 'all you can eat' buffet. The restaurant would lose money when groups large people came in and sat all day and ate too much food, and all their profits. Lawyers ruled that 'all you can eat' was limited to 'normal people'. This carries over to the AT&T unlimited deals.

Stupid lawyers.

 

[Hmac]

As stated above, AT&T has pretty clearly stated, over and over, that this particular unlimited plan is truly unlimited.

However, note that the iPad data plan is a no-contract plan. Good for us because it doesn't lock us into a data contract. Good for them because if they eventually decide to cap this unlimited plan because of people end up using massive amounts of bandwidth, they can do so anytime and be on the hook for no more than one month's usage.

IOW...new contract, new rules every month.

 

[Scott-n-Houston]

I agree in theory....

but the US Courts ruled years ago that terms like 'unlimited' can be interpreted as 'unlimited for the AVERAGE user'. I think it was in a case where there was an 'all you can eat' buffet. The restaurant would lose money when groups large people came in and sat all day and ate too much food, and all their profits. Lawyers ruled that 'all you can eat' was limited to 'normal people'. This carries over to the AT&T unlimited deals.

Stupid lawyers.

AT&T is more stupider than even lawyers!

even if AT&T allowed Netflix or ABC. Does anyone in their right mind think it will work worth a flying flip? No way. AT&T is barely worth simple web surfing and email.

 

[Hmac]

even if AT&T allowed Netflix or ABC. Does anyone in their right mind think it will work worth a flying flip? No way. AT&T is barely worth simple web surfing and email.

I get 2 mbs download speed on an iPhone here. It will work great. Too bad about where you live, though.

 

[antiprotest]

AT&T is more stupider than even lawyers!

even if AT&T allowed Netflix or ABC. Does anyone in their right mind think it will work worth a flying flip? No way. AT&T is barely worth simple web surfing and email.

I used speedtest.net just now on my iphone and I got 13.55Mbps download (megaBITS) and 18.44Mbps upload (yes, upload was faster THIS time). I have gotten as fast as 22Mbps download. So AT&T works great for me.

 

[antiprotest]

As stated above, AT&T has pretty clearly stated, over and over, that this particular unlimited plan is truly unlimited.

However, note that the iPad data plan is a no-contract plan. Good for us because it doesn't lock us into a data contract. Good for them because if they eventually decide to cap this unlimited plan because of people end up using massive amounts of bandwidth, they can do so anytime and be on the hook for no more than one month's usage.

IOW...new contract, new rules every month.

I have only seen the AT&T quote "unlimited is unlimited," but the rest is people's inference of what this means. I think it is safe to say that this means there is no 5GB cap, but as for whether there is still the per item limit or if something like Netflix will work, I have seen no confirmation. But I will know in a few days when I get my 3G unit.

 

[sakanagai]

I have only seen the AT&T quote "unlimited is unlimited," but the rest is people's inference of what this means. I think it is safe to say that this means there is no 5GB cap, but as for whether there is still the per item limit or if something like Netflix will work, I have seen no confirmation. But I will know in a few days when I get my 3G unit.

I imagine a structure similar to the iPhone will be put in place with AT&T allowing an uncapped plan in exchange for limits on certain bandwidth hogging apps (like Skype used to be and Netflix). As long as the number of folks using excessive 3G data is relatively low, the unlimited should stick around for a while as is. If you remember, at the iPad keynote, folks were disappointed by the announcement that AT&T would be the sole data provider for the 3G version, only placated by the promise of the cheap, no-contract data plans. If the telecom were to change their plans, the public backlash may be enough to tempt Apple to seek another provider and relocate their cash-cow products. At least for the time being, AT&T has little choice but to play nice with whatever demands SJ makes.

On a side note, purely speculation mind you, I think that the largest consumption of 3G data on an iPad will be done on WiFi models tethered to a jailbroken iPhone. With utilities to treat 3G as wifi to circumvent such restrictions, no size limit to app downloads, streaming media apps, remote server clients, etc, potential for "bandwidth hogging" is great.

 

[Godzirra!]

Can someone just email steve jobs already so this can be cleared up?

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Knowing AT&T, or any other wireless carrier for that matter, I'm sure there is PLENTY of wiggle room in the whole "We really mean unlimited this time" statement.

I don't even know why the carriers bother with the word any longer...everyone knows it can be changed almost on a whim, applied indiscriminately to whatever packets of data they deem as 'acceptable use' and all sorts of legal asshattery.

For now, I'd define the term as "Use it until they scream at you."

 

[ZombiePete]

It's been confirmed that Netflix will work over AT&T 3G. Time will tell what else will or won't be blocked, but considering AT&T capitulating to allowing streaming TV back onto the network after a brief hiatus something tells me that when it comes to Apple that they're going to be less-picky about what people are doing, at least for a while.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

If the telecom were to change their plans, the public backlash may be enough to tempt Apple to seek another provider and relocate their cash-cow products. At least for the time being, AT&T has little choice but to play nice with whatever demands SJ makes.

I'm not so sure I agree. You've got a the majority of the US iPhone installed base on 1-2 year (remaining) contracts with ETF fee's making it difficult for many to switch. I've little doubt AT&T is playing nice...but the longer AT&T keeps the iPhone as an exclusive, the harder it gets for Apple to jump ship to another carrier as well.

 

[sakanagai]

I'm not so sure I agree. You've got a the majority of the US iPhone installed base on 1-2 year (remaining) contracts with ETF fee's making it difficult for many to switch. I've little doubt AT&T is playing nice...but the longer AT&T keeps the iPhone as an exclusive, the harder it gets for Apple to jump ship to another carrier as well.

I don't follow why Apple would have a harder time switching. With each hardware iteration, Apple can change communications hardware to support a different carrier. Depending on that carrier, the engineering required can be difficult (CDMA) or relatively simple (T-Mo). If a new iPhone comes out with a different carrier, in addition to anti-AT&T holdouts, anyone hoping to upgrade their hardware will switch once their contract expires. For instance, if this summer, the new iPhone were to be T-Mobile exclusive (not the case), all those who stuck by their iPhone 3G and could miss out on the more useful iPhone OS 4.0 features would readily make the switch. Depending on how much time someone has on their contract, the ETF may be less than the subsidy that new carrier puts on the new iPhone hardware, perhaps even presenting a greater savings than the "early upgrade" discounts provided to annual upgraders.