Apple event 9/9 1:00pm
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BenGrimm
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Aside from the iCloud syncing (I use reading list a lot between devices, not sure if chrome has something similar), I'm big on swipe gestures with the track pad. I don't even use a mouse on my iMac. They are just more fluid on Safari.
Say if you want to go back and peek at the previous page you were on, you can just slide it half way to see what you needed then let go to to remain in the next page. In chrome, it jumps between pages and feels more clunky. The zoom scrolling isn't as smooth either. Also, the pinch to tab view is something Chrome doesn't have at all. Yosemite improves that even more.
Hey milo...
Who would you suggest going to about "analyzing" our plan? We are on a legacy plan with 4 phones, 3 that have unlimited data. If it was just my mother, wife and I, the shared plan would be the way to go, but my daughter (26) has gone over 5 gb a month a couple of times. Since jan, we have never gone over 10gb, but we have come close. Add the fact I would be able to hotspot my iPad, it makes me nervous to switch but I don't really get all the numbers. My daughter and I are the ones who would get the new phones when they come out. My wife has a 5c and will keep it until obsolete. My mom would upgrade to a 5, but wouldn't upgrade for a while (still has a 4). We are paying roughly $230 a month.
I would love for someone objective to look at our bill and usage history. Sometimes feel AT&T is trying to funnel the legacy users away from unlimited
Who would you suggest going to about "analyzing" our plan? We are on a legacy plan with 4 phones, 3 that have unlimited data. If it was just my mother, wife and I, the shared plan would be the way to go, but my daughter (26) has gone over 5 gb a month a couple of times. Since jan, we have never gone over 10gb, but we have come close. Add the fact I would be able to hotspot my iPad, it makes me nervous to switch but I don't really get all the numbers. My daughter and I are the ones who would get the new phones when they come out. My wife has a 5c and will keep it until obsolete. My mom would upgrade to a 5, but wouldn't upgrade for a while (still has a 4). We are paying roughly $230 a month.
I would love for someone objective to look at our bill and usage history. Sometimes feel AT&T is trying to funnel the legacy users away from unlimited
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Pulscifer
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This threw me for a loop. If you already use iPad and a Macbook, not having the ability to sync between all devices (i.e. phone) seamlessly would be a major disadvantage to me.
My iPhone died while I was at the beach in June and knowing the 6 was coming out, I went with an admittedly cheap Android go phone for these months and the fact I couldn't sync my iPad and MBPro with my phone drove me NUTS!!! I do NOT like Google apps, so that didn't help. That's one of the things Apple does best, in my opinion.
BenGrimm
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IBlvNTmWrk
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Maybe I read through this too quickly, but you should also be getting a benefit of $100 - $300 per phone when selling your old phones that you no longer need. Unless you and the wife and kids are choosing bad phones, there's a pretty good market for 2 year old phones in good shape... especially if you keep the original packaging, etc. So that's another $400 - $1,200... unless I just missed where you had already factored that in.
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It does get a bit confusing, trying to factor in all of the variables. I feel like I need an engineering degree to decipher it all.
There is a residual value I have on the phone, but I've also spent $200-$400 up front to pay the difference between the subsidy price and the phone price.
Comparing the two plans, the only benefit of the first is the $450 subsidy. I will own the phones in all scenarios whether I pay for them, finance them for 24 months (NEXT), or finance them for 12/18 months and choose trade them in.
Here's how phone ownership compares.
1. Pay $25 (in essence this is what I'm paying in my current bill for each line, above the new plan) x 24 months = $600 paid in to receive a $450 subsidy. Plus $200 out of pocket. In essence, I'm paying $800 for a $650 phone.
2. Pay for the phone upfront for $650.
3. Divide the phone price ($650) by 18 months or 24 months. Under both of these options, I'm financing interest free. Under the 18 month plan, I have the option to trade-in after 12 months and forgive the remaining six payments or continue to pay for the phone in full and keep it.
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Some people don't like the Google apps. I completely understand that. But the Google sync really is seamless.
Whichever works best for you is what you should choose, I was just pointing out the option. I like Google sync because it allows me to keep all of my Andriod devices in sync with all of my Mac devices. If I didn't use any Android devices, I wouldn't bother.
It does get a bit confusing, trying to factor in all of the variables. I feel like I need an engineering degree to decipher it all.
There is a residual value I have on the phone, but I've also spent $200-$400 up front to pay the difference between the subsidy price and the phone price.
Comparing the two plans, the only benefit of the first is the $450 subsidy. I will own the phones in all scenarios whether I pay for them, finance them for 24 months (NEXT), or finance them for 12/18 months and choose trade them in.
Here's how phone ownership compares.
1. Pay $25 (in essence this is what I'm paying in my current bill for each line, above the new plan) x 24 months = $600 paid in to receive a $450 subsidy. Plus $200 out of pocket. In essence, I'm paying $800 for a $650 phone.
2. Pay for the phone upfront for $650.
3. Divide the phone price ($650) by 18 months or 24 months. Under both of these options, I'm financing interest free. Under the 18 month plan, I have the option to trade-in after 12 months and forgive the remaining six payments or continue to pay for the phone in full and keep it.
I've tried to figure it up as well and basing it on how much we pay now. $230 a month for 4 lines, unlimited text, 700 min. That is basically $57.50 per line per month. So if I did mobile share, it comes out to $40 a month, but then if I got a new iphone 6, I'm probably looking at an additional $30 with the Next Program. So now up to $70 for a line if want a new phone. If I got the new 6 with 64gb, it would cost me $299 upfront plust the $40 upgrade, which over 24 months comes out to about $14 per month.
Either way you go, it is $70 a month and I lose unlimited data. I'm not a math guy, but what am I missing?
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$230 month vs $120 month is $110 for 24 months, which equals $2640. You're seeing a benefit from that of a $450 subsidy per each new phone you purchase. $450 x 3 = $1350.
To break it down:
Now you pay $230 x24 months plus $299 for each phone x3 (assuming you upgrade every two years) plus $40 activation x3. By that math you're spending $6537 every two years.
On the new play you say is $120 a month, it works out to $120 x 24 +$750 per phone (I'm using the $299 phone). Keep in mind you are paying for the phone either upfront or in interest free installments. This works out to $5130.
So, assuming your numbers are accurate and depending on how much data you use, you would see significant savings by my math. And you would no longer be under any contracts.
To break it down:
Now you pay $230 x24 months plus $299 for each phone x3 (assuming you upgrade every two years) plus $40 activation x3. By that math you're spending $6537 every two years.
On the new play you say is $120 a month, it works out to $120 x 24 +$750 per phone (I'm using the $299 phone). Keep in mind you are paying for the phone either upfront or in interest free installments. This works out to $5130.
So, assuming your numbers are accurate and depending on how much data you use, you would see significant savings by my math. And you would no longer be under any contracts.
The share plan would be $160 for 10gb if I thought that was enough. Basically only 2 of the 4 phones upgrade every 2 years.
I wish I could find somone at AT&T that could break it down on paper so would make it easier for me to explain it to others in our family plan. My wife and daughter wouldn't be hard to explain, but if I am a bit fuzzy on it, there is no way my mom would
I wish I could find somone at AT&T that could break it down on paper so would make it easier for me to explain it to others in our family plan. My wife and daughter wouldn't be hard to explain, but if I am a bit fuzzy on it, there is no way my mom would
milohimself
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The data usage is what it comes down to. See if you can go back over the last year. Freak's scenario is a bit different because he's the only one with unlimited on his family plan. All of you still have it.
The numbers for you are exactly the scenario I outlined earlier. 10GB share plan would save you a few hundred every two years, and even more if you've got people who will run their phone into the ground.
This is pretty much the gist: Top level smartphones have always been around $600-650, and that's what people have always paid for them. It's just that most people weren't aware of that fact, because the cost for those phones are rolled into the bill. That's why carriers charge what they charge, and why prepaid/leech carriers are significantly less expensive: they don't subsidize high end smartphones. So, if you're on a legacy plan, you're paying monthly for a new phone, whether or not you're using your upgrades.
If there's little chance that your daughter is going to reel in the data usage (she can; I used to be around 5GB a month, until I stopped the video/music streaming unless I'm on wifi. Now I'm around 2-2.5GB a month), and/or if everybody on the plan is utilizing their two year upgrades pretty much on the nose, then keep the old plan.
But, if you're reasonably sure 10GB of shared data will cut it, AND mom and whoever else will keep their phone for 3-4 years, then the new plan will save you boatloads of money, even in spite of the fact that you would then essentially be shelling out full retail for new phones.
That's a big problem with Apple, in a nutshell; there is ZERO inter-connectivity with other types of devices. I do, occasionally, find myself in a computer lab on a PC, with an Android device. I also own a PC desktop.
I can hop on Google Drive, Hangouts, Chrome, etc. from literally any device out there. If I kept all my files, notes, bookmarks, contacts, etc. on Apple platform, I would be SOL if I ever needed to retrieve those things on anything other than an Apple product.
Short story: Apple only works on and between Apple devices. Google works on everything.
The ONLY inconvenience for me is that I have to take the extra step of logging into Google, and plugging in my authentication code. 15 seconds, tops.
That would not factor in at all. I have T-Mobile, which strictly only does device financing, i.e. the Next program. I can, and do, sell financed devices all the time. So it's a wash.
See above.It does get a bit confusing, trying to factor in all of the variables. I feel like I need an engineering degree to decipher it all.
There is a residual value I have on the phone, but I've also spent $200-$400 up front to pay the difference between the subsidy price and the phone price.
Comparing the two plans, the only benefit of the first is the $450 subsidy. I will own the phones in all scenarios whether I pay for them, finance them for 24 months (NEXT), or finance them for 12/18 months and choose trade them in.
Here's how phone ownership compares.
1. Pay $25 (in essence this is what I'm paying in my current bill for each line, above the new plan) x 24 months = $600 paid in to receive a $450 subsidy. Plus $200 out of pocket. In essence, I'm paying $800 for a $650 phone.
2. Pay for the phone upfront for $650.
3. Divide the phone price ($650) by 18 months or 24 months. Under both of these options, I'm financing interest free. Under the 18 month plan, I have the option to trade-in after 12 months and forgive the remaining six payments or continue to pay for the phone in full and keep it.
FTR, AT&T's finance options are:
- Finance for 20 months with the option to trade in after 12 (60% of the device paid off), or,
- Finance for 24 months with the option to trade in after 18 (75% of the device paid off)
Obviously take the 24 month option if you plan on keeping the phone for a couple years.
There is residual value to the phone, but 40-50% of the original full retail value is typically what they go for a year after release anyhow, so just giving the thing back to AT&T isn't really a bad deal. If you trade it in after a year, that's basically AT&T giving you $240 for a phone with a year of wear and tear on it. So, if you're using Next to finance the new iPhone the moment it comes out, and want to get the new one on release every year, it's actually not a bad way to go about it.
Yep.
Again, I do this about a dozen times a day for my job. Most people pretty much fall into two camps.
DO go with AT&T Next/10GB shared if:
- You have a family plan with 3-4 smartphones
- You have an employer discount (new plan essentially gives you an extra $6-8 a month off the bill if you're changing from a 550/700 minute plan, figuring there's a 20% discount on the anchor)
- Monthly aggregate data usage is between 4-8GB
- One or more people on the plan tend to keep their phones well beyond the 2 year mark
DON'T go with AT&T Next/10GB shared if:
- You've got a one or two line plan
- Aggregate data usage is less than 4GB (your whole family are light data users)
milohimself
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If there are only two people using their upgrades regularly, definitely go with it.
On your current plan, you're continuing to pay the subsidy for new phones whether or not you choose to purchase them.
If you can get me a quick rundown of exactly what your plan contains, I can give you an accurate breakdown. Minutes, texting and data add-ons, and employer discounts are the relevant information here.
milohimself
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I guess where it is "more" for me to go with the legacy plan is that while we have 4 lines, they are paid seperately. My wife and I pay for ours, my mom pays for hers and daughter pays for hers (she is 26). So at $230, everyone just splits it up evenly to make life easier. So that is $57 per line. If we went to Mobile share, it would be cheaper for those who don't get a new phone, but more expensive for those who do, correct?
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