Tag Archives: Email Response

Tethering Deal Between Apple and AT&T Rumored

August 30, 2008 – 9:11 am

You’ll remember NetShare, the iPhone tethering app that showed up on the App Store a couple of times before vanishing, seemingly forever. The advantage of a tethering app for users is that they could use their iPhone as a modem for their laptop or PC, in a pinch.

The disadvantage for the carrier is all the additional bandwidth required, quite naturally.

A seemingly Steve Jobs-ish email (meaning terse and noncommittal) in response to a user’s question seems to point to a possible tethering agreement between AT&T and Apple.

Currently, the Terms and Conditions for AT&T’s plans seems to include language that specifically forbids tethering (under the Prohibited and Permissible Uses section):

“Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose.”

There is that little clause about “unless specifically designated for tethering usage,” though. Is Apple trying to get such a plan set up for its iPhone?

According to Gizmodo, here’s the exchange between the two:

User:

AT&T offers data plans for BlackBerry that include tethering for an additional $30 per month (a total of $60 per month for the BlackBerry+tethering plan).

It seems ludicrous that the same thing is not offered with the iPhone. I understand the desire to prevent tethering with the current data plan, but I am willing to pay more money to allow tethering! With such an advanced device, why can I not do so?

“Steve”:

We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.

Steve

Sent from my iPhone

As we know, occasionally an email to Jobs is responded to in the above fashion: terse, and probably from a rep and not Jobs directly. However: “sent from my iPhone” tends to make it a little less credible to me, as that implies it was actually sent from his personal device. Not really likely.

I’d rather see the 3G issues fixed once and for all before a tethering plan is complete. Who wants to tether in EDGE?

Still, why not have such a plan? What about you readers? Would you pay extra for a tethering plan for your iPhone?

By trompyx | Posted in Interesting | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Jobs Vows Still Another iPhone Fix for September

August 20, 2008 – 1:59 pm

Let’s hope Steve Jobs isn’t making promises he can’t keep. Earlier I wrote that, in one of the short, brief emails that sometimes respond to questions made directly to Jobs, the 3G connection problems many have been seeing were acknowledged, and a fix was promised.

We are working on some bugs which affect around 2% of the iPhones shipped, and hope to have a software update soon.

Steve

Now, according to further reports, a similar promise was made with regards to the crashing bug which has hit the 2.0 software; many non-default apps crash almost immediately and return to the home screen.

According to AppleInsider, the email response was short and to the point:

This is a known iPhone bug that is being fixed in the next software update in September.

Aha. If in fact this is another terse message from Steve Jobs (or his stand-in, as it were), it appears indeed that we will be seeing an update in September.

While I’m sure the crashing bug is important to some, the 3G bug is more important to many. Particularly, I have to point out, since we are paying $10 more for our data plans than original iPhone owners with EDGE.

While USA Today reported that Apple admitted (finally) that the 2.0.2 update was supposed to partially fix the 3G issues, it didn’t work for many (including me), and a broader fix is planned for September.

Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock said on Tuesday:

“The software update improves communication with 3G networks.”

Well, it did absolutely nothing for me, and some report worse 3G coverage after the update.

Meanwhile, Michael Gartenberg, Vice President for mobile strategy at Jupitermedia, implied the connection issue may be overblown.

“We’ve seen these isolated reports about people having connectivity issues with 3G and Edge, and frankly I have those issues on a variety of phones. Cellphone coverage is tricky.”

He has a point. Except for the fact that I work with mobile phones, and I can stick several 3G phones in a row on my desk and the only one with 1/2 bar at my office will be the iPhone. Everything else will have 4 - 5 bars. Sorry to disappoint, but it’s a real issue.

By trompyx | Posted in Interesting | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)