AT&T, the turd in Apple’s iPhone swimming pool

 

I hate AT&T. The service is horrendous, the EDGE network is a joke, the customer service abysmal, and the website impossibly confusing. The meters don’t update correctly to show my voice usage, they track data as though I should actually care how many gigs I’ve transferred on my unlimited data plan, I can’t receive pictures or media texts on my iPhone because they won’t enable the technology, etc.

But nothing irks me more than the “but what about us!?” stance they’ve taken with the release of the iPhone 3G. Rather than working with Apple to position the device at a price point that works for both companies, AT&T is taking its sweet revenge on new adopters by slamming them with high monthly fees. Combined with Apple’s sexy marketing, this is a recipe for consumer misbehavior of epic proportions.

Worse are the confusing rules regarding current iPhone owners who want to upgrade. You can upgrade, but only once, and after that you’ll have to pay to break the contract, rather than being afforded the option of just renewing several years out.

Apple has shown that it can revolutionize any device or service – and in most cases sets the standard for design, ease of use, and power of platform. The problem is that it is forced to work with companies that share only the vision of big profit – not of products that work the way they are supposed to, or rates that make sense, or excellent network coverage.

When Apple debuted the $.99 song in the iTunes Music Store, critics dimissed the plan as a failure; a ridiculous price to pay for a single song. Now most online music outlets clock in at around that – those that offer less, like eMusic, have poor selection and have trouble attracting ‘subscribers.’ Apple did it right from the start, and other companies floundered after trying to recuperate from years of poorly orchestrated subscriber-based and usage-based music programs.

Yes, the iPhone is a revolutionary device. This is the stuff from which James Bond is made. But AT&T believes too fervently that they’ve found gold. The nickel-and-diming of the plan options by AT&T makes the iPhone 3G a dangerous buy for people who think they can afford it. Be ready to shell out at least $75-100/month.  I won’t be surprised when the debt chasing and missed payments catch up to the billing folks at AT&T, making the overhead of supporting this device too costly in the long run.

This consumer misbehaver won’t be buying the iPhone 3G this time around. I’ll keep my logical plan and still scratch-free old skool iPhone. Here’s hoping it lasts another 2 years. I’m waiting for Steve Jobs to get so fed up with AT&T that he just buys it, shuts it down, and opens Apple Wireless – with bars in places you didn’t even know existed.