Bye, Bye Unlimited iPad Data Plan

11:20 AM Could AT&T's new plans cause a run on iPads in the next few days?

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

June 2, 2010

1 Min Read
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11:20 AM -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s sudden move to tiered wireless data plans today could potentially cause a run on Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPads in the next few days. (See AT&T Intros Mobile Data Caps.)

From Monday, June 7, iPad buyers will no longer be able to get an iPad with the current unlimited data plan for $29.99. Instead they can buy a plan capped at 2GB for $25 and add another 1GB of data for $10 extra if they bust through that ceiling. The operator is also keeping its existing $14.99 plan for 250MB of data a month on the iPad.

AT&T says that 98 percent of its customers use less than 2GB of data a month. I suspect, however, that with video-rich apps like the recent 500MB download from Wired, iPad users will be some of the users most likely to be in that top 2 percent.

The operator says that existing users get to keep their unlimited plans if they want, while the new plans come into effect on June 7. I wonder if people will try to get on the unlimited plans before the new caps go into effect. If you do, just remember its a month-by-month contract, so AT&T can probably change it in the future anyway.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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