an iPhone owner wanting the iPad, but the price...

[DuluthMN]

Hey friends,
Forgive me if this has already been asked. I have a question that even the AT&T people didn't have an answer for. I've had an iPhone since Sept '08. I want to get the new iPad 3G+WiFi. Does anyone know if I can drop the data plan for the iPhone and transfer it to the iPad since I will no longer need the iPhone data plan, and just use the iPhone for voice calls?

Otherwise, doing the math, this thing will cost a fortune. If they expect iPhone owners to pony up money for two different data plans, then they should be giving the iPad away for free since they will be making tremendous amounts of money through the new apps which will probably be in the form of 'subscriptions' and rebills.

Some advice: if you are using the iPad, and if many of your favorite newspapers, magazines, or other publications choose to do this 'subscription' plan that often results in being unable to get in touch with the customer service people to cancel it. What I've done is start buying a visa prepaid gift card. Once it's gone, it's gone. No more nightmares with constant rebill and arguing with your credit card company. I bought up about five of these cards and my guess is that this will be the most popular way to purchase this type of content online. Once you get burned a couples times or so with this subscription rebill (and can never get a hold of customer service, no return email, no written address to complain) you figure out how to protect yourself.

So, back to my original question - does anyone know how this data plan will work? I live in Duluth, MN and we (as of now) don't have wifi coverage over the entire city (geographically Duluth stretches 33 miles from east to west, only the downtown area has wifi).

 

[KiltedTim]

I believe the answer is no. The simple fact is, you can NOT have an iPhone without a data plan, whether you believe you need one or not.

 

[iDan]

Hmm.. That's a good question and I don't have an answer for ya. Please let us know what you find out. Hopefully AT&T will address this situation soon.

 

[iVan]

There's an other issue. Did you pay the iPhone's full price at start or do you pay it in a fixed period contract?
Any contract would preclude any change in user forfait.

I have an old Motorola smartphone that I initially paid in full. When my contract ended after the first year, I dumped the forfait because I found the partial internet provision rather poor and expensive. (75$/month) Rather than having me leave, the phone company let me bargain a restructuring of my phone plan. Now I've got a base plan of 17$/month, because I almost never use it anymore.

But I'm in Canada... Who cares about Canada eh!

 

[leebase]

If you are under your two year contract with AT&T then the answer is going to be "no". AT&T subsidized your iPhone purchase and you agreed to pay $30/mo for 2 years for a data plan.

I don't know if you can drop your data plan after your 2 years.

Lee

 

[turbomedic]

ALL smart phones using At&t MUST have a data plan. Crazy. So if you get a new phone do not get a smart one if you do not want data. If you have one before the change you are grandfathered.