New iPhone Data Plans: Is 200MB Enough?
Posted in: att, iPhone, iphone 3g, Today's Chili
new, lower-priced but lower-capacity plans. iPhone and other smartphone owners
have a choice between a 200MB plan for $15/month and a 2GB plan for $25,
instead of their old 5 GB plan for $30.
Since AT&T says the vast majority of phone users fit into these plans, we
decided to check by charting the data usage of six of PCMag.com’s iPhone users
for the past six months.
In our quick survey, we found that 200MB just isn’t enough for a tech-savvy
iPhoner, but 2GB definitely is. None of our users went over 500 MB in a month.
(Apparently, nobody’s streaming Pandora or YouTube on their phones all day.)
But several of our staffers consistently went over 200 MB. All of the users had either an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.
Apparently, one of the things we didn’t count on was
how much people use Wi-Fi. Our staffers generally have Wi-Fi networks both at
home and in the office, and that really cuts down on cellular data usage. You
can watch all the YouTube you want without it hitting your bill, if you’re
using Wi-Fi.
The real danger for iPhone users on the new plans, though, comes with the new
tethering feature. It may be tough to hit 2GB using your phone alone. But with
a laptop? No problem.
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