[Macworld]

Post your comments for An iPhone without a data plan? Does not compute here

[dfs]

Let me state the case for the opposition. I can afford the one-time expense of an iPhone. But I can't afford twelve hundred bucks a year service charge, I can't even claim that expense as a tax deduction. If you gave me the chance to buy an iPod Touch with built-in telephony and use it with my current cell contract (about thirty bucks a month, not a hundred) I'd grovel at your feet weeping with gratitude. Get real. Times are tough, the economy is in the crapper, and there must be millions of folks in my situation. The iPhone was introduced amidst prosperity. Nowadays Apple (and you yourself) need to scale down your expectations to suit the times.

[palane]

"Apple’s not going to make cut-rate versions of its—let’s not forget, super-successful—product to appeal to the masses."
You mean, like the iPod Shuffle or Mini? What were those products if not an attempt to sell iPods to people at lower price points? Now, an iPhone without the web is pretty much an iPod touch that can make phone calls. Meh.

[Kromm]

I for one would love to be able to buy the iPhone without a data plan. I don't need the ability to search the web everywhere I am. Most places I go have wi-fi anyway so that is why I bought the iPod Touch. No monthly charges. If I could get the iPhone without a data plan I would have one instead of my Touch.

You did finally mostly address the point near the end of the article but still seem to dismiss the idea.

Kevin

[TeaEarleGreyHot]

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I don't want a web-savvy, mp3-playing, schedule-making device in my pocket. I just want a phone that excels at BEING A PHONE. Snapping pictures is fine, if I can download them to the computer later, but beyond that... what I want in a phone is: (1) reliable connection, (2) long talk-time, (3) ability to easily switch to an incoming call without cutting everyone off, and (4) simplified keystrokes for composing txt messages (such as T9 or palm-style "graffiti").
In particular, item 3 is most vexing. I know most phones are supposed to be able to do this, but dammit, I don't know anyone who can figure it out.
Apple's iPhone has a great interface, and I would buy one to replace my current contract phone, if (a) it retailed for $100 or less, (b) it was not locked to AT&T who has poor service in some areas to which I travel, so that I could use it on my existing carrier, and © did not require a 2yr contract. Yes, the pricing is aggressive, but as I said, they can delete iPod and the entire "smart" aspect from the thing, just give me a decent interface on a phone that IS A PHONE!

[WRCz]

I need a new phone. My iPod is 5 years old. Seems like I would be a prime candidate for an iPhone right? Well, like thousands of others, my job is on the line and there is no way in hll I'm going to obligate myself to an extra* $360 (or more)/year for my cell phone right now.
If they intend to grow the market (and growth is the only number Wall Street sees), cell phone companies are going to have to come around on this real soon. The smartphone market is nearly tapped out already and getting smaller, at least in the short term.
Besides, the whole concept of 'data plans' smells like long-distance charges used to. Bandwidth is bandwidth, who cares what I use it for?

[tony_d]

Good article, Dan.
Quote:
"Sacconaghi proposes two ideas: an iPhone nano that plays music and videos but can’t access the net or run iPhone applications and an iPhone touch that’s basically an iPod touch with a cell radio in it (for voice only)"
Why would Apple make an iPod Touch with just a cell radio?? The whole point of the iPod Touch is that you get the Internet without having to pay a monthly fee (granted its WiFi only.)
I think you hit the nail squarely on the head. Its the data plans or lack of them. This is AT&T's territory. I mean seriously, does Apple really care if they sell different tiers of data plans. Of course not, they'll just sell more iPhones for those that don't want to pay for the $30 a month fee. The problem with this type of thinking is that they see a cell phone that accesses the web in a intuitive way. iPhone owners, or prospective buyers, see a "netbook" that just happens to make calls too. My brother told me when he first got his iPhone that he began comparing to his MacBook, not his cellphone.
These are the same idiots that think Apple is better off leasing out OS X like Microsoft. Yeah, sure.

[EMoeller]

Did I miss something here? The killer device would be the iTouch with a microphone and Skype. No AT&T, no other service charges. As long as you had Wi-Fi you have connectivity (voice, SMS, internet) AND the best ipod available.

[karlfranz]

How about the opposite? i.e. an iPhone with only a Data plan but not a voice plan? And before you run to say that is what an iPod touch is, no, I mean a device that still has GPS, a camera, a built in microphone, and the ability to access a 3G/EDGE data network.
Mark my words, as smartphone devices evolve, the concept of a voice plan is the one that is going to go away. We will be able to do 2-way video/audio iChat from our new 7th or 8th generation iPhone and the idea of using "talk minutes" will be a thing of the past.

[bugjuice]

Vodafone NZ doesn't impose a data plan on you, if you don't want it (and I think you're already a customer buying an iPhone).. Don't know how popular the opting out is, but we have the option. However, the data plan itself is an additional NZ$30p/m on top of the regular charges, so for me going from my ~NZ$45p/m and buying an iPhone with the data plan, it then becomes a ~NZ$75p/m bill.. So I'm wondering just how much I need it, or perhaps change my plan which looses me minutes and texts for the sake of data.. dagnamit.. I want an iPhone!!!!!

[Orcish]

I might actually buy an iphone if I could get it without a data plan. Why? Simple, out here in the sticks, all I can get is "partner" service for AT&T, no 3G, no data at all. WHy pay for something you can't get? WIfi will still work, and I would only have to carry one device. If I ever can get data service, may be then.
Orc

[dfs]

I recently ran into a guy who claimed to have FWD working on his Touch, using the iPhone stereo headset/mic. I haven't bothered to look into this: one of the reasons I have a cell is so that I can call AAA whenever my jalopy breaks down, and I can't always count on this happening in a Starbuck parking lot.

[myoung]

Add me to the list of those who would buy an iPhone without a data plan. Like most students, I spend 90% of my time at campus or at home, both of which have full wifi coverage. Sure it would be nice to have data access the other 10% of the time when I'm on the road, but it's sure not worth an extra $60/month (in Canada) for the cheapest 1GB/month data package. I currently pay about $10/month for my pay-as-you-go cell phone, and I'd rather carry one device than my cell phone + ipod touch.

[Ventzi_Zhechev]

Frankly, I think many iPhone users don’t realise the value of what they are getting. In many countries you won’t get an unlimited data plan with your iPhone.
Take Ireland, for example. Here all you’ll get is 1GB of data, regardless of your contract. The only differences in the contracts is the amount of anytime minutes and free texts that you are getting, as well as the entry price of the phone.
So you could be paying 100€ a month and still only have 1GB of data. And they don’t even have visual voicemail yet… I don’t know about other people, but I’m doing 1GB a day on my desktop (and that’s without P2P). I can’t imagine lasting a whole month on the iPhone with usage below 1GB.
The conclusion is that yes, it’s the providers that are beefing up the price and there is little that Apple can do about that.
And while we’re at it: What about the data prices for roaming? At least in Europe these float about 7-10€ per MB. yikes!